Super National Event Preview
“Blue” turns gold in Bowling Green
Thursday opener, Super Sunday mark a half century of full pulls
The “Blue Shirts” have revealed
their blueprint for the 50th National
Tractor Pulling Championships.
This year’s event is certain to be
an unforgettable experience for
spectators, an unprecedented
opportunity for competitors, and an
unabashed tribute to past participants.
Competition
Most notable is the expansion of
the program to six sessions over four
days. Session One has been advanced
to the evening of Thursday, August 18.
Action will begin at 6:30 p.m. with four
NTPA sanctioned classes. Start times
are 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. for Sessions
Two through Five on Friday and
Saturday to complete the competition
for national points.
Then at noon on August 21 comes
the return of Super Sunday, which
will showcase the weekend’s top
five competitors from each of 12
divisions as ranked by placings and
total distance. A throwback to the
event’s early years that incorporated
qualifying heats and final rounds,
Super Sunday 2016 will result in the
awarding of commemorative trophies—
not to mention the most coveted
championship rings ever.
The total purse for the weekend will
exceed $350,000. Additionally, Case
IH Agriculture will offer $5,000 to any
competitor in the Super Stock Diesel,
Pro Stock, or Super Farm Tractor
division who can complete a threehook weekend sweep.
History
In recognition of the significance of
this year’s event, the Retired Pulling
Tractor Museum has been dramatically
expanded. More than 30 vehicles
and countless pieces of pulling
memorabilia will be exhibited under
the covered south-side grandstand.
NTPC announcer and pulling blogger
Miles Krieger will present several
sessions of his “Miles Beyond 300”
road show with interviews of
special guests. In between live
productions, attendees can still
take a break from the bright
Ohio sunshine by watching
videos of pulling days gone by.
Select vehicles—25 invitees at
last count—will once again roar to
life when the National Tractor Pulling
Legends make exhibition passes
down the twin tracks throughout the
weekend and as part of the Super
Sunday opening ceremonies. Past
competitors will have their voices
heard, too, as several of the men and
women who have driven their way
into the Bowling Green record books,
including three confirmed to have
competed in the 1967 pull, will serve
as special guest announcers.
2016 will also mark the induction
of the inaugural class of the National
Tractor Pulling Championships Hall
of Fame. The Hall will be represented
both by a traveling plaque, viewable
throughout the weekend at the
museum, and by a permanent
monument to be erected at the
Haskins Road office of the “Blue
Shirts,” the Northwest Ohio Tractor
Pullers Association.
Contests and Giveaways
Fans of all ages will have
opportunities to win special 50th
anniversary prizes, the first of
which will kick off the show itself.
The qualifying round of the 50th
Anniversary Cooler Contest will
take place Thursday afternoon at
Crazy Frank’s Pavilion located in the
campground area. Judging of the
20 finalists will then occur on the
pulling tracks after Thursday
evening’s session. Contest rules
are posted at the event’s official
website, www.PullTown.com.
Pulling’s youngest fans are
invited to participate in three
sessions of Kiddie Pedal Pulls
on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
mornings with an unprecedented
reward for each winner: a full-size
pedal tractor. Attendees who can
prove they do understand “a Bowling
Green thing” by wearing official NTPC
apparel from previous years might
earn themselves a prize awarded by
crowd-roving spies. One crisp $50 bill
will be given away every 15 minutes,
all weekend long. And some lucky
spectators will earn a “fan appreciation
experience” like no other.
evening sessions will be headlined by
the Southern Rock Superstars and
Unpaved, respectively.
The campground area, expanded
by 25 acres to accommodate the
explosive growth in attendance, will
open at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, August
17. Additional competitor parking and
spectator seating have also been
secured.
Merchandise
Can’t wait until August to begin
celebrating? You can already enjoy
the expanded 50th anniversary NTPC
Story by NTPA Staff
Photos courtesy of NWOTPA
Kentucky Trailer
Pulling Trailers
Concerts and Camping
No edition of the NTPC would
be complete without live music.
Following Thursday’s Session One,
Mustang Sally, presented by Callies
Performance Products of Fostoria
and the NWOTPA, will perform in
front of the grandstand. Campground
concerts after Friday and Saturday’s
Custom built to meet your
specific needs
Contact Rick Bean,
Senior Director of
Motorsports Sales
(636) 357-8372
[email protected]
THE
k ytrailer.com
32
PULLER
official souvenir program. Containing
164 pages of stories and photographs
that cover the event’s first 49 years,
the program will be available in midJune at the event’s online store and at
Tractor Supply Company outlets, and
it will also be sold during the event.
Additionally ready for purchase at www.
PullTown.com are event tickets and
commemorative merchandise.
For up-to-the-minute details on
these and other happenings at the
world’s largest truck and tractor pulling
event, visit www.PullTown.com.
June
2016
Specifications:
53’ to 58’ Long x 102” Wide
Generator Box Between
Landing Gear
10,000 LB Ramp Door
Coach Side Door
Upgrades Available
33