Sydney Goodreau/The Herald

Twins Michael and Joshlyn Marsh are keeping the Marsh family truck pull legacy alive. 

The pair from Thamesville were two of the people entertaining hundreds of adults and kids of all ages at the grandstand for Dresden’s annual Truck and Tractor Pull. Dirt flung, engines revved, and competitors smashed personal records.

“I’ve been doing it with the trucks since I was 15, and then I had the mini tractor since I was five,” said Michael Marsh.

At this year’s pull, Marsh brought his ‘05 Duramax and ‘71 Chevy, which he competed with in the ‘Hot and Heavy Diesel’ and ‘Nostalgic Two-Wheel Drive’ categories, respectively. 

His Chevy, which he calls ‘Bunch of Junk’, won first place in its category with a pull of 350.02 feet going 27.2 miles per hour.

“My dad was the reason I originally wanted to get into this,” said Marsh. “He started 20 years ago, and I’ve been around it since I was a kid. I just love doing it because of him. My goal is to just try and do better each year. To maybe not beat the next guy, but just to do better than what you did last time.”

Of course, there’s always some danger associated with pulling. Marsh said, “The race gas that we use is super potent. There’s not as much speed involved in pulling, but stuff can happen. But you can get hurt with anything.” Joshlyn echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing that there will always be some level of danger, but safety is their top priority. 

Joshlyn Marsh also got into pulling because of her father. Her truck, a pink Superstock 4×4 she calls ‘Dirt Princess’, is more than just something she competes with, it is a reminder of a friend.

“Corey McMaster used to pull with us. He passed away last summer, and then we got the truck. So it’s very sentimental. The ‘Dirt Princess’ name came from my old truck, but it was wrapped pink, which was my idea,” said Marsh.

Joshlyn also earned first place in her category with ‘Dirt Princess’, pulling 316.08 feet going 25.5 miles per hour. 

“My favourite pulls are the local ones because I know everyone here. At every pull we go to, everybody is just so friendly. It’s like a big community.”