‘World’s toughest motorsport:’ Arcola National Truck & Tractor Pull celebrates 70th year

ARCOLA, Ind. (WANE) — When people think of Arcola, an unincorporated community in Allen County with roughly 100 homes, something as urban as a “stadium” likely does not come to mind.

However, the small community just west of Fort Wayne is home to Branning Park, a site that attracts visitors and participants from across the country for an event that has been described as the “world’s toughest motorsport.”

On Thursday, the Arcola National Truck & Tractor Pull (ANTTP) kicked off its 70th year with a multitude of tractor pulls that will continue through Saturday night.

The events are part of the National Tractor Pullers Association (NTPA), an organization started in 1969 that “sets the standard in the pulling industry for safety and competition rules,” according to the NTPA’s website.

The NTPA describes the ANTTP as one of its “Regional” events where many of the top drivers and vehicles still participate because of the lesser time commitment compared to higher levels of competition.

Although the NTPA oversees the events within the ANTTP, the spectacle predates the organization by 15 years with the first Arcola tractor pull happening in 1954.

According to the ANTTP’s website, the event started as part of the Arcola Days annual festival and continued as a standalone fundraiser even after the festival became dormant.

“It put us on the map,” said Matt Butts, a co-chairman of the ANTTP whose family has been involved with the event since its early days. “Arcola is just a little speck on the map, and when you mention Arcola, the first thing anyone says is the tractor pull.”

Multiple people at the event said Arcola’s tractor pull is unique because it is a standalone event and not tied to a county fair like most tractor pulls.

“It’s a tough deal to get a crowd and generate the money it takes to do it, but I applaud them for their due diligence and their amazing ability to keep it going,” said Ron Barga, a longtime tractor puller who has participated in the ANTTP since the 1970s.

In the early days of tractor pulling, tractors would pull sleds with people standing on them for weight, and more people would jump onto the sled to increase the weight.

A modern tractor pull consists of modified tractors and trucks dragging a metal sled along a specific course. The sled has a box filled with weight that is mechanically winched forward, meaning the sled will continually get heavier as the vehicle drives along the course.

“[The sled] weighs in the neighborhood of 35,000 to about 60,000 [pounds], depending on what we’re pulling … they pull 100% of the weight from the start, it’s just the resistance that changes,” said Mark Bingham, a longtime sled operator.

While there is someone driving the tractor or truck, each sled has an operator like Bingham that can essentially shut down the sled if a vehicle starts to break down during the pull.

How a Tractor Pulling Sled Works

The goal of a tractor pull is to make it to the end of the course, which is called a “full pull,” although Bingham said it is rare for that feat to happen.

The ANTTP has historically raised money for Arcola’s volunteer fire department before it consolidated into the West Central Fire Protection District, but now the event raises money for the whole community.

Butts said the tractor pull has been able to raise up to $80,000 some years through the help of sponsors, ticket sales and more than 300 volunteers.

The ANTTP will continue Friday and Saturday will gates opening at 5:00 p.m. and events starting at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets are available at the gate at different prices depending on age:

• Ages 13 and older – $16.00
• Children 6 to 12 – $5.00
• Children 5 and under – Free