Bigger And Badder In Texas

Each year, the CLASSIC TRUCKS staff heads down south to the Texas Motor Speedway for the Lonestar Nationals. First and foremost, it is one of the five locations for our Top Ten awards. But it is also the home of the Goodguys Truck of the Year awards, an honor that over the last few years has become one of the premier awards that a truck owner can win.

This year, my new editor and old friend, Rob, and I both made the trip, based on the fact that I literally beat myself up last year trying to photograph all the features and even cover-worthy trucks in attendance. Unfortunately, sporadic weather from a looming rainstorm kept us from shooting on Friday, making for a couple of rough evenings to follow. It did allow us a chance to do a little socializing that night--meeting up with Greg Coddington to attend a parking lot barbeque at the palatial mobile estate of Scotty Gray (a parrot-wielding Texas local that you may remember as a team captain on the Barrett Jackson TV show, or the owner of the Coddington-built Alumatub, Whatahaye, or F-1 COE we featured last year).

The main attraction at this show, however, is the truck corral. This is where all of the Truck of the Year entries are lined up for the showgoers to ogle and the judges to vote on. This year the competition was fierce, but by Saturday afternoon, the five finalists in both the early (through '52) and late ('53-72) classes were chosen. The choices were eclectic to say the least, with a '30 Chevy, '32 Ford, '36 Ford, '40 Ford, and '50 Chevy making up the early class, while two Effies, two Tri-Fives, and a Trepanier-built '72 Chevy longbed rounded out the late class. When the votes were tallied, the Blue '50 Chevy belonging to Chad and Marcia Gorczyca of Dallas, Texas, took home the gold in the early class, while the No Limit-built "Princess" '56 F-100 belonging to Don Hachenberger cleaned up in the late class. Every year we say that any of the finalists would've easily won the whole thing a few years prior, and that just being in the corral is a huge honor in itself. But with the company that was kept this year, I'd say that both have never been truer.

If you've got a truck in the works that could be a contender, get it in gear and make next year's Lonestar Nats. It you just want to see some of the best trucks the country has to offer, it'll be worth the trip, too. For more information on this gathering or any Goodguys event, log onto www.good-guys.com.

Jason Wilson's '53 "push truck" had just the right old-school flavor. The flat red and white paint was rubbed off in all the right places.	Who can resist a Flathead-powered, chopped '32 highboy pickup? Not us, or Goodguys; they gave it the Cool Commercial award.	There were a ton of cool tricks on this chopped and sectioned '46 Chevy with Ford headlights.
We never get tired of looking at the '02 TOTY-winning '57 Chevy owned by Tim and Darrell Cimbanin. It looks every bit as good as is did on our Apr. '03 cover.	My long, lost relative Mike Cook brought out his Flathead-powered '39 Ford shop truck representing Pepe's.	John Thompson's '72 C10 is a staple at Texas truck shows and a constant winner.
Steven Fox chose black inside and out for his super clean '57 Chevy that is powered by a new ZZ4.	This two-tone '50 Chevy is owned by Ken Stringer from Ft. Worth, TX. It had a good stance to go with the wild paint scheme.	Jeff Garrett found this '72 Suburban almost just as you see it. He added the board, biggies, and 'bags.
Jack Davis came all the way from Boise, ID, to show off his two-tone '46 Chevy. It features lots of unique body mods and a clean 383 under the custom hood.	This '36 Ford was caught in action heading through the winners' circle as the final TOTY finalist. Among other things, it had one of the cleanest "Super Cab" jobs we've seen.	See, stockers have a home at the Lonestar Nats, too! When are we going to start seeing mostly stock Fords on big wheels and airbags like we do the Chevys of this era?
On Sunday, the Early and Late TOTY finalists were lined up in the corral, along with our remaining Top Ten picks.	At 2:22 p.m., however, the trucks were lined up and paraded through the crowds.	The Truck of the Year awards make for some emotional moments. Here, the Stoked Out Specialties crew is being congratulated by Scotty Gray for their winning '50 Chevy.

We predicted big things from Don Hachenberger's '56 F-100 back at Del Mar when it was just a chassis...	...The No Limit-built 1,300-horsepower truck was a runner-up at the F-100 SuperNats but found glory here at Ft. Worth--winning the Late TOTY award as well as a Top Ten. Look for the full feature next month.	Cliff Angelle's '57 Chevy big-window had a ton of cool tricks under the Cadillac green and silver paint. The big-block truck incorporated mesh into the molded grille, pie cut hood vents, and the center dump exhaust. The '57 was also a Late TOTY finalist.
The House of Kolor Fire Graphics was only the beginning of what Todd Boatright's '55 Chevy had to offer. The TOTY finalist laid flat on the rockers and had a wood bed floor on struts to show off the suspension detail and handiwork.	Chad and Marcia Gorczyca debuted their House of Kolor Blue '50 Chevy at the show, and it was an early favorite to win the Early TOTY award...	...The Stoked Out Specialties-built hauler had a cool camel-colored leather interior and an oak bed stained to match.
Another TOTY finalist, the '72 Chevy longbed owned by Al Taylor, was a back-burner project at Rad Rides by Troy and was actually built to tow an AC Cobra to shows.	Daryl Martinsen's '70 D-100 short box runs a 440/727/8 3/4-inch combo and sits right thanks to a Fatman IFS in the front and a No limit Fat Bar four-link in the rear. We hope to see more D-100 finished to this degree. This Dodge lover also qualified to win the Goodguys giveaway Dodge Magnum later this year!	This immaculate '32 Ford was yet another TOTY finalist and featured a dressed ZZ4, 3 1/2-inch chop, and mahogany wood bed. Dana Elrod is the proud owner.
Would you believe that Roger Bennington wasn't even going to enter his '40 Ford in the TOTY until we talked him into it. And wouldn't you know he ended up a finalist! The classic gray two-tone paint was awesome, and the theme was carried into the Strange Motion interior.	Judy Burk and Darla Vogt showed up late with their deep purple '64 Chevy stepside and were parked way in the back 40. Luckily, we had one Top Ten left when we strolled by. We like the 22-inch Rollers from B.A.D.	Mike Lazear found this '51 Chevy on a farm about 30 miles away from the speedway, and once it had a new drivetrain and suspension, he called it done. By the way, the farm fresh truck does not ride on airbags; that's the ride height!