Phil Elsasser was instrumental in organizing tractor pulling associations in the United States. He was the first President of the Illinois Tractor Pulling Association formed in 1968 and helped form NTPA with his encouragement in 1969.

His primary interest was that the rules conformed for all tractor pullers throughout the U.S. His tractor pulling accomplishments include winning the World Tractor Pulling Championships in 1963 at Crawfordsville, Indiana, and in 1965 at Washington, Indiana. He also won 11 first places in the 1967 Heart of Illinois Fair. He pulled a 1206 V-8 diesel and was remembered for having a mailbox attached to the fender of the tractor.

Philip was born in Speer, Illinois in 1910. He passed away on September 18, 1972 and is survived by his widow, Martha. His induction into the Pulling Hall of Fame is given posthumously, and he will be long remembered as a friend of everyone in pulling, newcomers as well as established pullers.