In the summer of 2010, Doug and Renee Theobald arrived at the first NTPA Grand National event of the season to kick off the 6200 lb. Two-Wheel Drive point’s race and debut the Pretty Wicked Super Modified Two Wheel Drive. At the end of the 2009 season, Renee got a taste of what these remarkably powerful machines can do, when she drove the Wicked Willy of her husband, Doug!
Renee was hooked, the rush she felt only made her want to do it again thus they purchased a proven winner of a truck for her to drive. To trace the heredity of the truck goes back to Bryan McDonald from the state of Maryland, who campaigned the truck as the Midnight Mistress and found great success in the form of a ring in Bowling Green, Ohio. Bryan sold the truck to pulling legend Roland Barr of Ohio. Roland and his wife Fonda had the truck for a decade before eventually selling it to Gary Kempton. Kempton made a name change and a paint change in naming the truck the Renegade, when he began competing with it from his hometown in Georgia. At the end of the 2009 pulling season the truck was purchased and found a new home in the Hoosier State. The perennial powerhouse truck may have received its most fitting name when Renee and Doug decided to call it Pretty Wicked. The truck a proven winner truly was pretty wicked and the fact that a pretty lady was saddled up in the driver’s seat only added to it. |
| Renee and Pretty Wicked in action! |
Growing up in the sport, it was almost like Renee and Doug were both destined to have amazing pulling careers. Renee is part of a third generation of Gettinger’s active in the sport. Renee’s dad, Neil Gettinger; has been a staple in the Super Stock tractor class for more than three decades, while Doug’s life spent learning from his father Keith only furthered the lineage. If a person could have been destined to pull, it became evident when Renee found her groove with her truck. Right off the bat Renee started out at the highest level of pulling, and in June went to the NTPA Super National event in Tomah, Wisconsin, where she made her presence known. The remainder of 2010 was more of the same with class of competitors taking notice that she was for real. In her Rookie season she won a Grand National hook, finished fifth in the Grand National points and was selected to compete in the prestigious Enderle Pull-Off. Closing the chapter on her rookie season was delayed a little while after Renee and Pretty Wicked were selected to run in February 2011 at the National Farm Machinery Show Championship Truck and Tractor Pull held in Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky. Renee made a solid showing in the Thursday Night qualifier when she finished sixth and just missed a pull-off. She concluded her rookie season by grabbing first place in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at the Keystone Nationals in March 2011. For all of these impressive achievements Renee was named 2010 NTPA Rookie of the Year. Many amazing competitors have stood on the stage to accept this prestigious award and Renee had now etched her name in the history books.
Reflecting on her achievements did not really occur for Renee as the plan for 2011 called for a new truck for Doug. Construction was underway very quickly after harvest season and the new Wicked Chevy S-10 was evolving.
Rushing like crazy to get in the field for planting season while building a new truck was a real challenge for the Theobald’s. The rush was on so much to the point that when the Grand National opener kicked off at Hazel Green, Alabama in early June, the truck had not been tested. Doug may have thought he was in for a rough season after looking at the first weekend’s results, but it didn’t take long for him and the Wicked Motorsports team to find a formula that worked remarkably well.
 |
| Above:The newly wrapped Wicked Chevy of Doug Theobald |
At Tomah, Wisconsin, just a day after watching his wife finish in the top 2, Doug did what he had envisioned while working so hard to complete his truck. He captured the Wisconsin Dairyland Summer Nationals victory in a field of nearly 50 competitors. A tearful Doug shared an amazing embrace with his dad, his wife and children as the Wicked Chevy had just announced its arrival on the circuit.
Three weeks later, Renee dominated the track with her second Grand National event win in New Hampton, Iowa. Then it was off to the second NTPA Super National event of the year, Doug found his winning ways again as he claimed Friday night of the Super Pull of the South. Sitting in the winner’s chair on the red clay track felt amazing to Doug, so much to the point that he made himself comfortable there on Saturday Night when he swept the event in Chapel Hill, Tennessee. What a remarkable year for Doug, but it wasn’t over yet as he claimed the Shell-Rotella Cup as well as taking top honors at the highly acclaimed Enderle Pull-Off.
To think about the year as a whole the Theobald’s took a tremendous step forward in their pursuit of claiming a Grand National title. Had Renee not suffered catastrophic damage to her power plant at Tomah, we may be further discussing a one, two, Wicked Motorsports finish from Saturday Night.
A lot was proven without words in 2011, as Renee and Doug made their presence known. Maybe they knew something long before we did and that is that The Theobald’s are Pretty Wicked!
Follow Wicked Motorsports on Facebook and Twitter for event updates and recaps of the action in 2012.
Catch Pretty Wicked in Action:
Murray Kentucky Friday and Saturday 1/20-1/21
National Farm Machinery Show- Doug Wicked 2/16
National Farm Machinery Show- Renee Pretty Wicked 2/17
Keystone Nationals, Harrisburg, PA 3/23 & 3/24
No comments:
Post a Comment