Schilling Wins National Tractor Restoration Competition
Chevron Products Company, a Chevron U.S.A. Inc. division and maker of the Delo brand of technologically advanced engine oils, lubricants and coolants, has announced Ricky Schilling of Fayetteville as the 2020 Grand Champion of its annual Delo Tractor Restoration Competition. Twelve of the nation’s most accomplished high school student tractor restoration enthusiasts competed for the 2020 title virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an outstanding accomplishment in and of itself.
“With the addition of our country’s current situation, it is incredibly inspiring to see how these students proved themselves with such a complex challenge,” states Dan Holdmeyer, Industrial Sector Manager, Chevron Products Company. “Each and every entrant immersed himself/herself into the process, despite the challenges of this unprecedented year, to rebuild his/her tractor, and each finalist more than earned his/her reputation as tractor historians, auditors, financial managers, marketing professionals, innovators, leaders, motivators, mechanics, and much, much more. Many may view the conclusion of this annual competition as simply a restored tractor, but we see it as a confidence-building, empowering step into the realities of professional adulthood which will benefit all competitors for many years to come. A huge congratulations to Ricky and all our finalists.”
Ricky Schilling earned the 2020 Delo Tractor Restoration Grand Champion title for his restoration of a 1968 Minneapolis Moline G1000 Vista tractor.
Ricky was awarded $10,000 as the Delo Tractor Restoration Competition Grand Champion. The Reserve Champion title with an award of $5,000 went to Cody Tschirhart of Castroville, TX for his restoration of a 1953 Oliver 77 Row Crop. Grayson McDonald of Fort Worth took third place and the prize of $3,000 for his restoration of a 1945 Farmall B.
The 2020 entries were narrowed down to twelve finalists who presented their projects virtually to a panel of seasoned tractor restoration experts. Each project was graded on the restoration process, safety precautions, results, documentation and the entrant’s oral presentation. Those finalists were:
1. Annika Jensen: 1945 Case DC-3, Santa Margarita, Calif.
2. Casey Havemann: 1958, Case Terratrac 320, Atascadero, Calif.
3. Cody Tschirhart: 1953, Oliver 77 Row Crop, Castroville, Texas.
4. Elyse Evers & Annika Ernstrom: 1954 Ford 600, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
5. Four Rivers Career Center Night Shift: 1951, Farmall H, Washington, Missouri
6. Grayson McDonald: 1945, Farmall B, Fort Worth, Texas
7. Josh Jorgensen: 1941 Mc-Cormick Deering O4, Atascadero, Calif
8. NorthWood FFA: 1948 Ford 8N, Nappanee, Ind.
9. Ricky Schilling: 1968 Minneapolis Moline G1000 Vista, Fayetteville, Texas
10. Riley Billings: 1976 Ford 7700, Floresville, Texas
11. Ross FFA/Butler Tech Chapter: 1930, Farmall Regular, Hamilton, Ohio
12. Trevor Mauk: 1952 John Deere Model 50, Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania.