Sunday, September 12, 2010

11th Annual Midwest All Truck Nationals is one of the best truck shows in the country. Learn about it and see the pictures here

Sunscreen. Just one simple word, yet it can make such a big difference. Or maybe it's two words. I'm not sure, because I never was close enough to any on Saturday to read the tube before I spent the whole day in the sun.

I never knew what hit me, though, because I was completely distracted by the fantabulous weather and more than 200 awesome trucks at the 11th-Annual Midwest All Truck Nationals at the E.H. Young Riverfront Park in Riverside, Mo.

For one thing, they had an exact replica of Snowman's rig from Smokey and the Bandit. At least they said it was a replica. I've seen that movie no less than ten-million times, and this baby looked just like it. It even had the Coors beer in the back. Anyone that would paint their truck like that would go to a minister's funeral dressed in feathers. And I, for one, loved it.

Then, they had Bigfoot. Not the a new Bigfoot with ugly sponsorship graphics and a boring current-model F-Series truck. This one looked just like the late-'70s version, kind of like the one the bad guys smashed up the dealership with in Roadhouse.

Among the non-famous trucks, my favorite was a '55 Chevy Suburban with NAPCO four-wheel-drive that was restored factory stock, but looked way, WAY nicer than anyone ever dreamed it could in 1955. It was just ridiculous how nice it was.

There was also a really slick, and pretty rare '66 Chevy half-ton four-wheel-drive that Tony Smith from 4-5-6 Chevy Truck Parts brought in from his collection. It was a very nice truck, and you could study it all day. But I also bring this truck up because it won first place in the factory original class for this generation of truck, while I came home with second place hardware for my '63. And I have to say, I can't even believe I was allowed in the same class with this baby! I almost felt like I should give him my trophy as well--Lord knows he deserved both of them with that truck!

As I continued to transform into Lobster Man, I happily walked along looking at all the nice stock trucks, hot rods, and customs. There were lots of '67-'72-style Chevys. There were several interesting Rat Rod type trucks. 4X4's; 4X2's, really any kind of old truck you'd ever want to see.

The American Truck Historical Society had some of the most interesting trucks in their display for my money. The ATHS is big on restoring heavy trucks like semis and busses, and their lighter-duty selections are geared more toward meticulously restored, older, unusual makes.

I hung out with the crew from Stovebolt.com. They're a very nice group of people who seem to appreciate stock, working trucks that appear worn-in, which is why my grubby old truck isn't completely shunned from the group. These people drive in from all over the country to attend this show. I mean, I can't imagine driving a 50-60-year-old truck in from Texas or Chicago or some of the places these guys come in from, but they do it, and they act like they like it.

Was the sunburn worth it? Absolutely. The Genuine Chevy/GMC Truck Club of Kansas City puts on a very nice show here, and I'm very happy that I was able to spend the weekend with such a great bunch of people. But next year, I am going to bring the sunscreen.

Would you like to see all the cool trucks from the 2010 Midwest All Truck Nationals? No problem. It just so happens that I have prepared a slideshow with nearly 300 photos of all the festivities, and you can look at it right here.


6 comments:

  1. thanks for the pictures. i was there with my 54 chevy, i drove from Marion Indiana, with the stovebolt gang. now i can relive the show anytime i want. thanks again. ron

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  2. See--you're one of those crazy people that don't mind driving these old trucks a looong way! I liked your truck. Glad you could make it!

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  3. Thanks for the coverage yet again Craig. This is one of the best shows in the Midwest.

    Until 2011..

    Keep safe and keep on truckin'!
    Nate

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  4. Wanted to be there with this. Family emergency came up that weekend.

    http://lil-klutz.smugmug.com/Cars/39-GMC-Wrecker/13534639_HgnMe#1028126377_xKRjJ

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