Goodguys 13th Southwest Nationals - Wld, Wild, West

Friday I showed up to check out the autocross event, but after talking to Harry Daviess, vice president of event operations, he said that this event concentrated on the awards; the autocross would continue in the 2011 events. So I wandered around Scottsdale Westworld's huge hanger-like tent, where you could find anything from floor mats, steering wheels, cleaning products, and kitchen sink. Well, not quite the kitchen sink-but almost. After that I walked directly outside to a large asphalt parking lot where Saturday the Goodguys top-picked vehicles would be placed. Down a ramp, or a few dozen stairs, another paved area is where vendors-Edelbrock, Lincoln Welding, GM, Baer brakes, just to name a few-and many top builders were displaying their latest. Off to the side of the vendor area I stepped into the grass where several hundred custom vehicles parked neatly, many of which were putting the final polish on their paint and wheels. This is where I spent most of my time during the weekend, mostly due to how many quality pickups fit the attire of Classic Trucks magazine.

By late Friday I ran into a '56 Ford panel that just blew me away. I asked the owner, Dean Cotlow, if he would like his truck featured in CT? Dean said, "Sure, what do I have to do?" I said, "Meet me in the parking lot at 4 p.m. so we can take some photos." Three o'clock came around, and I realized that there was a time zone difference. Luckily, Dean called to remind me. Look for Dean's '56 in the next few issues; I promise it will be worth the read.

It was now Saturday morning and a large cup of coffee was needed to wake me up from the previous day's venture. As soon as I touched down to Westworld I made a beeline to the swap meet area to inspect what the Arizona locals had for sale. If you were looking for carburetors or motor parts you were in luck; almost every swap meet attendee had a plethora of drivetrain items. By lunchtime the smell of barbecue and deep-fried Snickers bars filled the air. After a quick lunch break on a grassy knoll overlooking all the vintage customs, I was off to find another truck feature to shoot. Saturday's vehicle count filled the grass and top asphalt area to the max, so finding a cool truck to photograph was not an issue. By the end of the day I found a really nice '57 Chevy Cameo built by Gary's Hotrods out of Burley, Idaho, and shot some cool photos while the sun was setting. By Sunday the weather took a turn for the worse; the clouds came out and it was raining cats and dogs in the early morning. Not wanting to drive home yet I made one last round to see if any other trucks had shown up. As I was walking in, a slight drizzle started and there were no new vehicles, so I jetted home.

Goodguys event promoters did it again in Scottsdale and at all the other events during 2010. We look forward to next year's event coverage.