This past October, I ventured east to Charlotte, North Carolina, to give away our fifth and final CLASSIC TRUCKS Top Ten awards for the year. Held on the infield of Lowe's Motor Speedway, the 11th Southeastern Nats was filled with around 3,000 of the finest rods, customs, and classic trucks the region has to offer. Some of the featured parking areas (which meant parking along pit row) included the home-built heaven area; the Chevy corral; the muscle car reunion; Goodyear's "You Gotta Drive 'Em" for those that drove over 500 miles to get there; the Low, Smooth, and Cool area sponsored by Air Ride Technologies; the Young Guys area for builders aged 25 or younger; and the Garage Grown area for retro rods and cool kustoms.
Among the hundreds of cool custom trucks on hand, I was amazed to see the amount of '35-39 Fords in attendance. They ran the gamut from patina'd to pretty, and four of them ended up with Top Ten awards. This was by far the largest amount of these vintage trucks we've come across at any event, let alone picked for awards. I was also excited to see a good amount of Dodges and later-model Ford trucks at the show. We always say: If you build 'em, we'll shoot 'em. So look for features on some of these vehicles in upcoming issues. And if you think next year is your year to pick up a Top Ten, stay tuned to Showtime to see which Goodguys shows Rob and I have selected to give away the prestigious award this year in 2005. And for more information on the Goodguys 12th Southeastern Nats or any Goodguys show, log onto www.good-guys.com.
Top Ten