The Midnight Mistress
The Midnight Mistress. The legend in tractor pulling, first owned by Bryan McDonald can be a guide for you in this awesome sport. Officially, the truck pulling contests start in the early 60s’. As you know farmers are truly competitive people, tractor pulling took on a life of its own and those in different states across the country challenged one another to tractor pulls.
At first, the competitors pulled vehicles that were loaded with a given weight – as in the Rhode Island tractor pull. But as farmers began to modify their tractors, that didn’t provide enough of a challenge and it was hard to recognize the most powerful tractors. So, organizers began to search for alternatives to progressively add weight as the tractor moved down the track. They took a direct approach. Viewers were hired to jump on the sled as the tractor moved down the track. But, while that may have been a thrill for the spectators, it was a potential health risk as well with tractors routinely lifting up under the strain of the pull.
The National Tractor Pullers Association was later created in 1969 with representatives from eight states, including Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The NTPA created a standard set of rules for tractor pulls and worked to make them safer and more competitive overall. Tractor pulling continues to be a really big deal in certain segments of the country, and it has kept developing over time. Today’s tractors can pull extremely large amounts of weight and attract large crowds seeming to be astounded by the tractors.
Back to the Midnight Mistress.
It’s a classical Two Wheel Drive Pulling Truck. McDonald made a name for himself in the class by claiming the prestigious Bowling Green Ring in 1993 and again in 1995. Later this rawring animal became property to Roland and Fonda.
A quick resume will clearly illustrate just how successful Roland and Fonda were, as they gathered a bunch of wins within the classes of Field Stock, Pro Stock, and Super Stock, with the Ohio State, TNT, and NTPA circuits. In 1991, Roland seized the NTPA Grand National Championship which was a great success and something Barr’s treasure still today. After traveling home from the National Farm Machinery Show in 1995, the Barrs sold their Super Stock Tractor and found themselves exploring their next move within pulling. Here stepped in the Midnight Mistress.
With all of their experience in the tractor classes, the Barrs took a big step and a leap of faith into a class they simply didn’t understand. Over the course of the next four seasons, Roland captured six NTPA Grand National events with the Midnight Mistress his wife had purchased for him. The true marquee victory of their pulling career came in 2000 when Roland captured the top honor in Louisville, Kentucky’s Farm Show. Having been to the event for twenty-five consecutive years, the win in Louisville marked the first time the Barrs could take the title back with them to Ohio.
Midnight Mistress Message Board
Though they are not competing within the sport today, the Barr’s are still very interested in the game that kept them traveling the country for over thirty years. Fonda has become famous more for her investment back into the sport with her world-famous Midnight Mistress Message Board for pulling. The board which has become one of the go-to sources for results, information and gossip within the community of pullers has been a major interest focus for Fonda. Being the first to bring a message board to pulling is another great accomplishment in which Fonda finds pride and excitement. The Midnight Mistress has also opened the door for Fonda and Roland to continue to meet fans that love the sport as they travel to their favorite NTPA events with their camper.
2019 STANDINGS:
GRAND NATIONAL
PRO STOCK
- 1 D2 Pro Stock Edition 554
- 2 MAC Nasty 546
- 3 MAC Daddy 545
- 4 Bootlegger 545
- 5 The Red Gambler 511
- 6 Git-Er-Dun Deere 496
- 7 New Generation Plus 495
- 8 Rampage 495
- 9 Think Green 466
- 10 Aces Wild 450
- 11 John Deere Green 420
- 12 Ultimate Harvester 396
- 13 Last Chance II 242
- 14 Rapped Up with a Vengeance 202
- 15 Warpath 191
- 16 Green Streak X 124
- 17 Nasty Stuff 114
- 18 True Grit 82
- 19 Preparation H 34
- 20 Diesel ‘N’ Dirt 31
The List Of Upcoming Events
2020 NTPA Event Schedule
- January 10-11 (Cloverdale, IN, NTPA Winter Nationals, (Grand National Event), C-Bar-C Expo Center)
- March 20-21 (Shipshewana, IN, NTPA Spring Nationals, (Grand National Event), Michiana Event Center
