Since the age of 14, Kevin Schmucker has been on a “Rampage”- his John Deere tractor.
Schmucker and his 26-year-old son, Dan, pull a little more weight than some farmers by competing in the National Tractor Pulling Championship every year at the Wood County Fairgrounds. Schmucker and his son placed 9th and 14th in their divisions at the tractor pull and are in first place in the national tractor pull circuit.
“It’s a family sport for us,” Schmucker said. “It’s something that’s tied to what we do as farmers.”
Although Schmucker and his son placed 9th and 14th this year, they came to the National Tractor Pulling Championship hoping for a repeat of their first place finish in 2010. Schmucker also came in first in the 1998 championship.
“We always know we have the chance to win,” Schmucker said. “It’s a hard thing to do but we come here to win. We take this seriously.”
While Schmucker has competed in the National Tractor Pulling Championship since 1982, 2011 marks the 45th anniversary for the championship.
No special events were scheduled for the tractor pull anniversary, said Michael Ott, president of the National Tractor Pull Association.
The event took place from Aug. 18 to Aug. 21 and kicked off this past Friday with a concert and fan appreciation night. Fans were also able to go down on the track throughout the fan appreciation night.
The National Tractor Pulling Championship has been one of the larger events and income sources for Bowling Green and Wood County for the past 45 years.
“It’s the largest tractor-pulling event in the world,” Ott said. “It brings in a lot of income and does a lot of good for Bowling Green.”
The event also draws in close to 300 competitors every year, such as Schmucker, and about 60,000 fans like spectator Steve Kromer. Although Kromer hasn’t been to the championship in about 20 years, the uniqueness of the event is what brought him back to the Wood County Fairgrounds.
“It’s just something different,” Kromer said. “I’m a big sports fan and a fan of drag racing, plus it brings in a lot of revenue for the community, too.”
The thousands of fans who pack the grandstands are why Bowling Green has earned the name “Pulltown.”
Fans like Kromer also return annually or after many years with hopes of seeing teams like Schmucker’s “pull” off more victories.
“We look forward to this every year,” Schmucker said. “Some people might just go golfing or something else, but this is what we do.”
