Steve Boyd

Close your eyes and picture your Mount Rushmore of pulling. If you could only carve four or five faces on that monument, which classes would they represent? What achievements would earn them a place there? Championships? Innovation? Pure ingenuity? And from what generation do you believe the greatest impact came?

After years of reflecting on this - especially in recent months - I’ve found a sense of clarity and comfort in deciding that one of my faces is Steve Boyd. Steve represents the Pro Stock class for me. And while there have been other greats, I believe Steve wasn’t just a representative of the class - he helped shape its very direction. In many ways, he influenced not only Pro Stock, but the Modified and Unlimited classes as well over the last few decades.

From Washington, Indiana - a rural town bordering a large Amish settlement in Daviess County - Steve carved out his success through true work ethic, meticulous attention to detail, and an unwavering drive to raise the bar in trucking and farming. A calculated risk-taker, he grew his businesses by aligning himself with good people who shared his vision. When Steve made a deal, he found a partner - and a handshake sealed it.

When Steve and his sons, Mike and Greg, entered the sport of pulling in the late 90s, only the Boyds knew what was coming. Very quickly, the name Boyd became synonymous with winning - winning on the biggest stages pulling had to offer. One tractor made them a threat. Two or three made it almost a foregone conclusion that the trophy was headed back to Southern Indiana.

Applying the same principles that built his businesses, Steve surrounded himself with partners who shared his intensity and his standards. A turning point came when he built a shop that included a dynamometer, allowing him to test and expose weaknesses in his partners’ products. As the team pushed to find the best setups and bulletproof components, Steve challenged his employees to strive for greatness in every detail.

For Steve, it wasn’t just about winning an event - it was about showcasing what the shop had discovered. With every hook, competitors began to realize the class had shifted. If they wanted to win Pro Stock, they’d have to get past the Boyds - and that meant a whole lot more work. Steve Boyd single-handedly pushed the Pro Stock class to its limits, raising the bar on performance and on the boundaries of chassis strength, engine blocks, internal components, and turbochargers. His innovation forced others to step up, forming multi-tractor teams, calling fabricators, studying setups, and ultimately transforming the class into something far beyond what anyone imagined.

On my first day at Boyd & Sons Machinery in 2014, Steve walked into my office and said, “Hey, do you have a minute?” The question he asked caught me completely off guard - but it led to one of the best conversations I’ve ever had.

“If you were going to build a Modified tractor today, who would build your chassis, and where would you get your engines?”

I didn’t know it then, but by the end of my first week, a new chassis and four Hemis would be on order - and the next chapter of his influence on the sport had already begun.

From my conversations with Steve, I learned that nothing he did was accidental. He studied pulling like a profession, not a pastime. He analyzed weights, gear ratios, tire pressures, videos - and he dissected his competitors. When he found an inch of advantage, he went back to find another. And he did all of this while remaining grounded in his faith. Many times, he reminded me: in triumphs, tragedies, and even firm conversations, keep God at the center.

When I started working for Steve and Greg on that cold, snowy day, I thought I knew what hard work was. Within months, I realized I had never accessed the gear Steve expected from me. He didn’t push through intimidation - he pushed through inspiration. He helped me find momentum, the “marble rolling,” as he would say. Steve succeeded because he built himself into a success. He chose strong people, encouraged shared vision, and coached others toward excellence. He was a man of faith, exceptionally fair, and he consistently put others before himself.

As an announcer in the sport while Steve was in his prime, I knew him first as a fierce competitor. After joining the business, I came to know him as a mentor and friend. He let me confide in him. He shared his faith. And when I lost both of my parents, he became a source of strength and comfort. I’ll miss his smile, his laugh, his firm handshake, and his stories of new breakthroughs in the shop. I’ll miss how he could gently challenge my perspective - even when he knew I’d already made up my mind.

To the new generation of pulling fans who may not truly know Steve Boyd, let me paint the picture. Steve was a seven-time Pro Stock Champion between 1999 and 2014. He won rings, chairs, buckles - everything you dream of collecting at the biggest events around the country. He built a screw blower Unlimited tractor that, on one particular night, could have driven around the Wood County Fairgrounds in Bowling Green, Ohio with a fully loaded sled behind it. He called both established and up-and-coming vendors, put their parts to the test, praised them in victories, and held them accountable in failures. He built winners - and so did the generations that followed. His sons, Mike and Greg, and grandsons Andrew and Austin all won on the national stage in multiple classes. 

Google Washington, Indiana, and you’ll read about nutrient-rich farmland, world-class craftsmanship, a legendary basketball legacy, and a gym full of roaring fans. But Washington is also home to one of the toughest competitors I’ve ever known. For me, he’s on the Mount Rushmore of pulling - and he belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Washington, too. With his family by his side, Steve was called home to the Lord on November 24th, 2025.

For all Steve achieved, none of it happened alone. His wife, Karen, stood beside him for 55 years - every long night in the shop, every new idea, every breakthrough, and every pull across the country. She was his constant, his balance, and his quiet strength. Anyone who watched the Boyds over the years knows this: Steve pushed the limits, but Karen kept the foundation firm. Their partnership was the heartbeat behind every success.

As I told a friend recently, Steve’s impact on this earth is immeasurable. His passing will ripple across our community, but he leaves it stronger than he found it. His generosity is felt across Daviess County every day. For those of us fortunate enough to be part of his extended family, it’s our job now to carry the torch and share that light with others.

If you’re reading this, I plead with you: lift the Boyd family in prayer. Wrap your arms around this community. Hold close the people who are hurting. Love one another this holiday season. Mend fences. Reconnect with those you’ve drifted from. And center yourself on God.