Howard’s Hog and Friends: The WWPA Naming Tradition
Ask what made the WWPA different from any other small motorsport club and members will not mention engines or records. They will mention the names. Every truck and tractor in the association carried a painted identity, and those names became the club's folklore.
A story built from vehicle names
In 2000, member Ethel Williams wove the names of the club's pullers into a single tall tale. Its hero was an old hermit called HOWARD'S HOG who lived deep in the woods, passing his days caring for livestock, chopping wood and trapping GROUNDHOG.
One morning Howard awoke in PURE FRUSTRATION, decided it was time for BREAKIN' NEW GROUND and made a STRAIGHTLINER for the nearest town. The story rolls on through the club's roster: at the bar Howard orders DAWGS DEMON, lights an OL SMOKIE and meets a painted lady named RAT SASS, and the evening ends with her husband GUMBY bursting in — until the whole adventure turns out to be a CREATIVE ILLUSION.
The names on the track
The story survives because the names were real. The WWPA lineup included machines called THE BIG WAVE, HOOSIER NIGHTMARE, WILD THING, LOST IN THE 60'S, GROCERY GETTER, GREY GHOST, LIL GREEN, HEADACHE, DRAGGIN DIRT, DEEP CYCLE, WHITE CLOUD, BLUE THUNDER, GOTTCHA and BY A HAIR — every one an actual puller on the entry sheet.
Why naming matters in pulling
The tradition comes straight from full-size tractor pulling, where machines carry names as elaborate as their paint. A name turns a chassis into a character: it gives the crowd someone to cheer for, gives rivals someone to beat and gives the builder a story to tell while wrenching between rounds.
Names from the story, decoded
| Vehicle name | Role in the tale |
|---|---|
| HOWARD'S HOG | The hero, an old hermit in the woods |
| STRAIGHTLINER | Howard's beeline into town |
| DAWGS DEMON | His first round at the bar |
| RAT SASS | The painted lady he meets |
| GUMBY | Her husband, who ends the evening |
| CREATIVE ILLUSION | The punchline: it never happened |
How to name your own puller
- Steal from your life: occupations, pets, local landmarks and old jokes all work;
- Short and loud beats long and clever — the announcer has to shout it over engines;
- Paint it proudly: the name belongs on the body in letters the back row can read;
- Let the name earn a story at the track, then tell that story forever.
Folklore as club glue
Ethel Williams' story did something a rulebook never could: it made the membership the literature. When your vehicle's name is a character in the club's favorite tale, you belong to something bigger than a points standing. That, more than any record, is what keeps a pulling club alive.
