Imagine pulling up to a stoplight on a warm summer day, windows down and hair dancing in the breeze, only to lock eyes with the driver next to you? You each give a little nod and inch up to the line, anticipating the green light. Then, as you scream out “Do it for Dale!”, you slam on the gas pedal, leaving your competitor in a cloud of smoke and your rubber stamp on Main Street.
If this has ever been a DRIVING fantasy of yours, Thayer Family Dealerships has an event for you!
BG 4×4 Fest, a partnership of Thayer Family Dealerships, Wood County Fairgrounds, VisitBG, and the Northwestern Ohio Tractor Pullers Association, has added a new activity to our already jam-packed 4X4 event, happening Saturday, October 4, 2025, at the Wood County Fairgrounds.
For the second annual BG 4×4 Fest, we have added “Reverse Racing” to our lineup of family-friendly activities. Test your backward-driving skills against other participants and take your chance at the grand prize – lifetime access to all Thayer Family Dealership events, including Ford, Nissan, Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram, Honda, Chevy, and Toyota, and see your name in lights at the event grand finale, the “Applebees Drone Show”!
There is only one rule – no backup cameras! So channel your 1975 driving instruction class and crank your neck as you spin that wheel in the opposite direction, maneuvering around our figure eight “Track of Impending Doom”, sponsored by Thayer Body Shop. Avoid your adversaries with the crowd cheering you on, as the sure-to-be calamity ensues!
“We know that this event isn’t going to be for everyone. I tried to drive my dad’s Chevy farm truck without a camera once. It was terrible,” said Rachael London, the President of Local Drive, Inc., who provides scholarships in Wood County to support up-and-coming trades and agriculture talent. “But, that’s why we have Sled Pulls – to test your vehicle’s power and might.”
When asked about her favorite event, Robyn Thayer-Smith said, “I entered my Ford Bronco in the ‘Park & Shine’ last year. I don’t like to get my 4×4 dirty. I didn’t win last year, but it was rigged.”
If participants would rather parade down Main Street and show off their jacked-up 4×4, they can enter the “4×4 Convoy” and travel through Downtown Bowling Green as onlookers gawk at the spectacle, as they honk and wave at the passersby.
“My RAM 2500 Power Wagon blasted through the ‘4×4 Mud Pit’ last year. It was incredible,” mentioned Ryan Thayer. “It was an experience I’ll never forget.”
General Manager, Robert London, says, “Registrations are now open for all events. BG 4×4 Fest is currently organizing all vendors and sponsors. If you or your company would like to be a part of this event, excluding the “Reverse Racing” (that’s an April Fool’s joke), visit www.bg4x4fest.com today!”