Deep In The Heart Of Truck County

My first assignment when I took the helm of CLASSIC TRUCKS just a year ago was to cover the Goodguys Lone Star Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas. I welcomed the task, not just because I love the great state of Texas, but because I was going to be amidst some of the best trucks in the nation vying for the coveted Truck of the Year awards (Early and Late editions) presented at the show. As it turned out, the corral of trucks, new and old, was astounding, and the show was a great way to get my feet wet.

Here we are a year later, and the Lone Star event was upon us once again. I was all set to go, but unlike the year prior, I was not to cover the Truck of the Year competition. To the dismay of some--and the pleasure of others outside of Texas--the awarding procedure changed for 2005. The new format, which affected other "of the year"-type awards, allows for the judging to be spread out across the country, ultimately giving those who were previously not geologically able to compete a chance to, well, compete. So, instead of all the finalists being chosen and awarded at Fort Worth, just one finalist for Truck of the Year: Late was selected, as the Early winner had already been selected and announced online the Friday of the event. The actual winner of the Late category was chosen at a later date and announced online, as well. Both winners will have been invited to attend the Scottsdale event held in November, where we will have wrapped up our 2005 Top Ten program. (Note that everything is worded in past tense because by the time you read this, all will be said and done!) Make sense? Hopefully, as we need to get on with the show.

While I initially expected a smaller turnout of trucks due to the new awarding format, I was pleasantly surprised to see an overwhelming amount of classic pickups on hand at the 13th Lone Star Nats. Whether or not that was because of the lack of knowledge of the new rules, or that people just didn't care, it didn't matter--I was once again among a strong showing of trucks of all shapes, sizes, colors, and orientations. Things were looking good from the start, and as fate would have it, that continued on through the weekend.

CLASSIC TRUCKS completed its fourth of five Top Ten selections for the year, and while there was a bit of competition from another magazine, there was no compromising when it came to choosing the coolest trucks on hand. On top of that, the Dallas-Fort Worth area was spared any real terrible aftereffects from Hurricane Rita, so attendees and participants all enjoyed a full weekend of great weather. Texas Motor Speedway was definitely the place to be the first weekend of October, that's for sure.

Pending our selection of Top Ten venues for 2006, chances are good that I will celebrate my second anniversary as editor of CLASSIC TRUCKS next year in the great state of Texas!

It felt like "Year of the...        read full caption It felt like "Year of the C10" at Fort Worth this year! And the quality of the early-gen modern Chevy trucks was higher than ever, as evident by Robert Parrish's '72 Cheyenne Super. The short-fleet is top-notch from head to toe and everywhere in-between. Look for a feature on this native (Irving) Texan hauler soon.	John Dunn cruised down from...        read full caption John Dunn cruised down from Calera, OK, in what was thought to be a "fresh" '56 F-100. Come to find out, the truck's been done for several years, just well taken care of it seems--that, and the fact that it was built well to begin with. With a 351 Windsor under the hood and an AOD trans not far behind, the intrastate drive must have been quite pleasant for John.	Back to the C10 craze, Steve...        read full caption Back to the C10 craze, Steve Green's brilliant blue '70 from Tomball, TX, had no problem catching our attention right off the bat. Despite its lower-than-most stance, the Chevy stood tall among its fellow brethren, and with its creative modern styling, it's easy to see why.
Speaking of blue--and brilliant...        read full caption Speaking of blue--and brilliant to be more precise--Carl Townson's '56 GMC was looking mighty fine in the early hazy Texas sun. What really caught our attention, above and beyond the truck's great stance and execution, was that it came all the way from Chandler, AZ, for the show!	On the total opposite end...        read full caption On the total opposite end of the so-called classic trucks spectrum is Rex Coleman's '57 Chevy "Proto-Camino" from Amarillo, TX. It's definitely a one-off, it's definitely cool, and it's definitely a truck, so Top Ten honors were in order. For those of you wondering what it took for Rex to complete his prototype, well, let's just say there are plenty of other makes of automobiles worked into the mix.	That tree trunk lodged between...        read full caption That tree trunk lodged between the bumper and gravel pan on Suzy and Rod Phelps' '48 Chevy is not a cleverly placed accent item--it came with the truck when it was rescued from military resting place. While the remainder of the 3100's exterior is patina-perfect, the undercarriage is anything but--Heidt's IFS, Chevy 350/350, and a Camaro rearend.
And the C10 madness continues!...        read full caption And the C10 madness continues! Next on the list of contestants is this sweet powder blue gem owned by local Alex James. The '72 Custom runs a TPI small-block with a 700-R4 and rolls on 18-inch Eagle billets.	Yes, there were plenty of...        read full caption Yes, there were plenty of early-early pickups on hand too, but few as pretty as Scotty Gray's '32 closed-cab out of Rockwall, TX. Originally a Coddington project, the old-timey hot rod doesn't skip a beat when it comes to style, especially with the various personal touches Scotty has added since taking possession.	And of course, we're right...        read full caption And of course, we're right back to the C10s...well, sort of. Bill Long's '72 is actually of GMC nature, just with a '68 C10 front sheetmetal clip. Either way, it's a fine lookin' pickup if we don't mind sayin'! Of the numerous custom touches, Bill's mighty proud of the hand-milled glovebox door, gauge panel, and accessory trim.
And what better to end our...        read full caption And what better to end our Lone Star Top Ten? Another C10, what else? All sarcasm aside, we couldn't resist bestowing the honors on Jack Van Hauen's perfectly restored '65 longbed. The yellow and white Fleetside was done so nicely, it's probably nicer now than the day it was first purchased--and Jack ought to know, as the truck's been in the family since it was still new!