11th-Annual Southeastern Chevy/GMC All-Truck Nationals brings 1,300 trucks to Lebanon, TN in 2021

2021 marked the 11th year for the Southeastern Chevy/GMC Truck Nationals, and Brian Ashley and his team have made this one of the biggest truck events in the country. Held July 9-10 at the Wilson County Fairgrounds in Lebanon, Tenn., some 1,300 trucks found their way to the enormous show field. It really is an impressive turnout, as are the 27 specialty trophies that are given out at the end of the day. Bullock’s Bodywerk’s hand makes each award by artfully welding gears, timing chains, and other car parts together into one-of-a-kind keepsakes. Incredibly, the Hover Motor Company ’63 Chevy took home the hardware for “Best Survivor,” an award that I will be proud to display in my garage.

The cars are the best at the Gallatin Square Fest

The Gallatin Square Fest Car Show is always a fun time, so we threw the folding chairs into the back of my ’93 Corvette and staked-out a parking spot. Unlike most car shows where you’re basically on an island and have nothing else to see, do, or eat, this one is part of a festival that includes vendors and food trucks. That means there’s something for everybody at this show. They give out a lot of trophies (they gave a first-place class award to me for the Corvette), which seems to draw in a lot of very nice cars. I love car shows that provide both quality and quantity, so this was a good one to be a part of.

8th-Annual 2018 Southeastern All Chevy/GMC Truck Nationals. It was really hot, but at least it didn't rain

Chevrolet trucks. They’re one of the most durable icons in the history of America. Today a vintage Chevy truck resonates like a worn pair of Levi’s jeans or a favorite pair of boots. Their owners love them the same way they love their dog or even their oldest and closest friend. Sure, these trucks were designed to trudge through fields, haul hay, and drag trailers. But they have become much more than that. That passion is exceedingly evident when you visit the Southeastern All Chevy/GMC Truck Nationals at Moss-Wright Park in Goodlettsville, Tenn. The owners of more than 500 trucks spent the entire day in near 100-degree heat to be with like-minded owners. This is the premiere gathering for these trucks east of the Mississippi. Of course, when you get this many trucks together, you’re going to find several outstanding examples.

2018 Hot Rod Power Tour begins at Bowling Green

They say the Hot Rod Power Tour is the largest traveling car show in the world. It draws in more than 6,000 cars as the gigantic caravan hits seven cities. At every stop, there are giant manufacturer displays, drag racing, autocross, and more. For 2018, the first stop was in Bowling Green, Ky., at the Beech Bend Raceway Park. Naturally, it rained while I was there, but there were still thousands of cars on display waiting for breaks in the weather. With so many to choose from, there were bound to be some interesting things to check out. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Early birds have all the fun at the BMS Cruise-In

Lately, Cars and Coffee-type gatherings are really picking up steam over the traditional night time car show. It makes sense. You get up early, spend an hour or three on a Saturday morning, and the rest of your day is free. The BMS Cruise-In is taking advantage of that trend. Last Saturday was cool and foggy, and there were still probably 150 cars and trucks out there. A lot of them are late-model Mustangs and stuff that are not usually what we cover here, but there are still plenty of very cool older rides if that’s what you’re into.

Spectacular turnout for the 35th-Annual Bowen Campbell Auto Expo in Goodlettsville

Just on a whim, BHo and I decided to take a Saturday swing by the 35th-Annual Bowen Campbell Auto Expo at Moss-Wright Park in Goodlettsville. And I’ve got to tell you, this was one of the best car shows I’ve been to in a long time. I mean, I really liked this one. They had 39 classes of cars, but they pretty much all had one thing in common. They were nice. Sometimes when there are this many cars in one place, you’re going to wind up with a bunch of stinkers. Not here. The only real complaint is that it turned out to be a little more hot and humid than I think most people were expecting. But that’s a small price to pay to see a show like this.

Southeastern Truck Nationals is a Chevy truck lover's paradise

I don’t really enter many formal car shows, but every once in a while there’s one I can’t pass up. The Southeastern Truck Nationals in White House, Tenn., is one of them. This year, around 250 Chevrolet and GMC trucks crammed into the community park. That was a particularly strong showing because it rained for a good part of the morning, making the park a muddy mess. That wasn’t a problem here, though. These are trucks—they can handle a little mud! Try something like this with Prius enthusiasts (is there such a thing?), and they’d be buried to their battery packs. There were some very exceptional trucks at this event, so let’s check out a few of them.

2015 Southeastern All-Chevy Truck Nationals in White House

Chevy trucks. You gotta’ love ‘em. And there was a lot of love to go around on Saturday when 125 shiny Silverados, shimmering C-10s, beautiful Blazers, and awesome Apaches packed the Municipal Park in White House, Tenn., for the Southeastern All-Chevy Truck Nationals. There was a Chevy truck for every taste and style (I even found three Fords in the adjoining parking lot), plus a robust Chevy truck parts swap meet. I took the old HMC ’63 C-10 out there and snapped a bunch of pictures. Of course, the one thing the pictures don’t show you is how hot it was. I’m no meteorologist, but I would estimate that it was 125 degrees out there with 275% humidity. And even under those conditions, the show staff ran things off smoothly, and everyone still seemed to have a good time.

Fun stuff from the Mt. Juliet Chick-fil-A Cruise

Mt. Juliet is the place to be every Saturday night, because the Providence Chick-fil-A hosts a weekly car cruise. It’s an interesting venue, because they get tons of participants, but it’s in one of the busiest areas in town. ’57 Chevys share space with ’95 Tauruses. Car lovers dodge Dodge Caravans trying to bomb their ways through the drive-thru. The D.J. competes with the traffic. If you’re looking for a relaxing, casual cruise, this isn’t it. But if you like looking at a diverse and interesting selection of hot rods, classics, and muscle cars, this is definitely where you want to go.

From brawn to beauty, the Midwest All-Truck Nationals hauls into Riverside

As the owner of an old truck, I always look forward to the Midwest All-Truck Nationals, which made its annual stop at the E.H. Young Riverfront Park in Riverside, Mo., over the weekend.  This event is hosted by the Genuine Chevy/GMC Truck Club of Kansas City.  How seriously do I take this show?  Well, I usually take my truck to a real car wash and blast it with a high-pressure wand instead of just hosing it off in the driveway, and I climb into the bed and sweep it out with a broom.  So yeah, it’s a pretty big deal.

50 Silverados caravan to the Royals game for a good cause

Chevy trucks.  You gotta’ love ‘em.  There’s hardly a major structure built in the last 95 years for which there wasn’t some kind of Chevrolet truck involved.  From the farm to the city, and everything in between, you are going to find a cab, a box, and a bowtie. 

But the main function of trucks rarely changes, so you don’t see all-new models very often.  That’s why when they do, you know it’s for a good reason.  Enter the all-new 2014 Chevy Silverado.  With stiff competition from the Ford F-150 and the Ram 1500, Chevrolet really needed to hit a home run with this one.