Bowlling Green’s National Tractor Pull was founded and promoted by the Northwestern Ohio Tractors Pulling Association, the veritable backbone of the championships for 57 years. It began small and has grown exponentially.

The NWOTPA was chartered as the Wood County Tractor Pullers in the spring of 1962. There were approximately 20 members, all residents of Wood County.

This year’s pull is Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

In August of 1962 the first speed pull was introduced at the Wood County Fairgrounds. A special long flat bottom sled was built that was designed for men to step on as it went by. Men were lined up on both sides of the track and stepped on the sled as it went by.

The tractor that pulled the farthest was declared the winner. Many problems occurred with this type of pulling, specifically men leaving the track during the event and the tractors going too fast for men to step on.

In 1964 the club grew in membership as men from other counties wished to join. It was this year that the name changed to the Northwestern Ohio Tractor Pullers, and new officers were elected.

1967 marked the first year for the National Tractor Pull in Bowling Green. It offered three divisions: 5,000, 9,500, and 14,000 pound mixed, which meant that there were stock and modified tractors running in the division and the only stipulation at the time was the weight.

In 1969, the 18,000 pound free for all division was added. It would be something similar to the unlimited modified division of today. 1970 saw the classes further breakdown into stock and modified divisions in their respective weight classes.

Weight classes for pulling from 1967 to 1974 were 5, 7, 9 and 12,000-pound. 1975 found the first 12,000-pound open class.

It was during the mid 70’s that the NWOTPA grew to around 135 members. 1977 saw many changes in the competition at Bowling Green. The stock classes of tractors were replaced by the super stock classes. That year also saw the introduction of the 1,550 pound mini-rod (now 1850 pound), and also the first four-wheel drive trucks.

1978 saw the debut of the monsters of the midway — the unlimited modifieds. 1980s event introduced the pro-stock class and in 1984 the two-wheel drive class was born.

The late 1970s, the 1980s and early 90s provided some unique problems for the NWOTPA. Interest in the club as well as the event itself caused the organization to make some important decisions.

Membership in the club increased as a correlation to the manpower needed to present an annual national event. As more and more divisions were introduced, there was more prize money to be given away as well as numbers of vehicles, drivers and fans.

The organization then decided to seek sponsorship, which proved to increase the awareness of the event and the club. Some past presenting sponsors included Budweiser and Busch Beers, Wrangler Jeans and Pioneer Seeds.

Another unique feature of the club included the desire to involve other organizations in Bowling Green and the area in the event. Today Otsego FFA helps with parking, the BG Exchange Club had been involved and the club is a member of the BG Chamber of Commerce.

As vehicles became more sophisticated, so did rules and safety regulations. The NTPC have aligned the club with The National Tractor Pullers Association, TNT Motorsports and the United States Hot Rod Association as different sanctioning bodies. These organizations not only provide a fair competition for drivers, but safety regulations to protect driver and fan.

Today, with an estimated crowd of 65,000 for the weekend event, and over $250,000 in purse money and contingency prizes, the NWOTPA boasts a membership limited to 225 led by nine directors.

The membership is totally responsible for all facets of the annual event including lighting and electrical, track building and maintenance, sponsorship procurement, advertising, food service, media relations, security, ticket sales and the list goes on.

“We are from the country, we are from the city, we are from all walks of life with only one thing in common and that is to bring you the best show we know how,” the club states in its own written history.