TRUCK SHOW OVERLOAD
The 34th Annual U.S. Diesel Truckin’ Nationals
After a summer of going here and there and it seems like everywhere, it was now time to head east for the truck show mother load – or is that overload? The 34th Annual U.S. Diesel Truckin’ Nationals was held on September 18th at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey and, once again, the festive mode was put on overload. Presented by Elizabeth Truck Center (ETC), the show had over 1,200 trucks on the lot and exciting activities taking place throughout the day (and into the night) – there was never a dull moment.
Looking to secure a good location, many came early and started lining up at the gate on Friday. One after another, the staging lanes began to fill, and by nightfall there were hundreds of trucks waiting to go inside – and they would continue to arrive all night long. When the gates finally opened in the morning, there was a little bit of chaos as everyone dashed in to claim their favorite spots. The oversized lot, which runs the entire length of the quarter-mile drag strip, filled up fast. People brought portable shelters, folding chairs, barbecues, tables, coolers and lots of food – it was one big tailgate party.
The day started with dark clouds, but after some time the sky began to clear, allowing a little sun to shine through. Later, as the clouds continued to break, it got warmer and sunscreen became a necessity. We spent most of the day walking around, talking and taking pictures. We had fun visiting with old friends and made a bunch of new ones, too. Usually, we get a golf cart to help us get around, but there are so many people at this show, there just isn’t enough room – which meant we had to do a lot of walking.
Throughout the day, about 250 of the big rigs in attendance made their way out onto the track to do some racing. Their goal: to be the “King of the Hill” and earn themselves $5,000! As the day wore on, the field began to narrow. By the end of the day, only twelve trucks remained. Those last few rigs earned the right to come back later that evening and race under the lights for the title and the cash during the Motorsports Spectacular.
Inside the vast area reserved for ETC, there were a few vendors on display including Merritt, RoadWorks, 10-4 Magazine, Lincoln Chrome and Cool Truck Components. There were also many other vendors, spread throughout the show, outside of the ETC area. Back in the ETC area, Steven Pesce got a kick out of shooting free t-shirts out of a canon and into the outstretched arms of the people in the crowd. ETC also hosted a kid’s t-shirt coloring contest. Some of the parents were more into it than the kids, but it was still great family fun.
On display in the ETC area were some of the finest working trucks they have ever built, including a 2007 Kenworth W900L roll-off (Sumthin’ Sik), a 1999 Freightliner Classic XL (Bruizer) that was featured on our January 2010 cover, Paul Stanchio’s 2009 Pete 388 “Hot Wheels” car carrier (our November 2009 cover truck), and several other cool rides. Mike from RoadWorks came out from Indiana with their company show truck. Built to be a rolling display, this sharp black and grey Peterbilt 389 showcases many of RoadWorks’ newest products. The infamous “Beast” was also on display, and it always draws a huge crowd and lots of cameras. Sometimes, there were so many flashes going off at once, it looked more like a Hollywood red carpet event than a truck show in Jersey. As the day came to a close, a crowd of people gathered in the ETC area for the awards ceremony. After all of the winners were announced, it was time to head to the track and find a seat for the evening’s festivities – the Motorsports Spectacular.
With an estimated crowd of 15,000 spectators, the show began with a parade of the winning trucks from the beauty competition. After that, a pair of 250-mph jet dragsters made a pass, and then two pairs of 300-mph jet funny cars went down the track. Then, Bob Motz’ jet-powered Kenworth took a roaring run down the track. Next, it was time for about ten of the country’s finest Monster trucks, including Maximum Destruction and Grave Digger, to entertain the crowd by smashing cars, doing donuts and making huge jumps. Then, it was time to race for the “King of the Hill” title. After several races, it came down to just two trucks. In the end, Brian Blair took the title (and the $5,000 cash), while runner-up Rick Reddick earned himself $1,000 for his efforts. After a few more jet cars went down the track, the show ended with “Benny the Bomb” blowing himself up – again!
The U.S. Diesel Truckin’ Nationals is one of the largest and most exciting annual trucking events you will ever attend. If you missed it this year, be sure to go next year. We guarantee you will have a blast! And the 2010 winners were:
BOBTAIL (2008-2010) DAYCAB: 1st Legend Warehouse; 2nd Jonathan Lee, Warex Terminals; 3rd Joe Miceli, Warex Terminals.
BOBTAIL (2008-2010) SLEEPER: 1st Ron McNeil, SRS Trucking; 2nd Tony Tolliver, SRS Trucking; 3rd Chris Doheny, SRS Trucking.
BOBTAIL (2001-2007) DAYCAB: 1st Chris Lumia, CRL Trucking; 2nd Michael Colasanto, MDC Services; 3rd Keith Moore, Warex Terminals.
BOBTAIL (2001-2007) SLEEPER: 1st Todd Roccapriore, Clean Slate Environmental; 2nd Larrick Towing; 3rd Lil Hollywood, Guida Scrap Metal.
BOBTAIL (1995-2000) DAYCAB: 1st Chris McCue, All County Trans; 2nd John Miller, JoMac Construction; 3rd Barry Stanchio, Sunset Towing.
BOBTAIL (1995-2000) SLEEPER: 1st Bill Obier, Pride of Virginia; 2nd Bruce Gouldey, Trinity Kostanz; 3rd Adrian Perez.
BOBTAIL (1987-1994) DAYCAB: 1st Darren Devaul, Sunset Towing; 2nd Al Colaizzi, Rogan Bros; 3rd Stephen Fuzzco.
BOBTAIL (1987-1994) SLEEPER: 1st Dion A., Fast; 2nd Steve Gherah.
CABOVER: 1st Terrence Thomas; 2nd Nick Fitzpatrick; 3rd Cliff Loomis.
SANITATION UNIT: 1st Louis Coppola, Direct Waste; 2nd Ronald Miller, Direct Waste; 3rd Michael Bocchino, Metropolitan Recycling.
ROLL-OFF: 1st Mike Castro, Direct Waste; 2nd Anthony Auriemma, Anthony Auriemma Scrap; 3rd Danny Ferretti, Ferretti Carting.
WRECKER (SINGLE AXLE): 1st Mike Mazzio, Mike’s Towing; 2nd Bobby Pantore, Safeway Towing; 3rd Pat Rivas, Broadway Towing.
WRECKER (MULTIPLE AXLES): 1st Steve Zagoritis, Nicolette Auto Body; 2nd Brian Hawkins, Hawk’s Towing; 3rd Billy Parker III, Bill’s Auto Body.
FLATBED: 1st Paul Irrgang, Paul’s Towing; 2nd Andy Prylucki, Safeway Towing; 3rd Joe Romaniello, East Coast Auto Body.
TANKER: 1st Rennie Jason, Loud Fuel; 2nd Frank DiBisceglie, Ellas Oil Co; 3rd Chris Seifermann, Approved Oil Co.
DUMP TRUCK: 1st John Dorff, John Dorff Trucking; 2nd Frank Allacco, Allacco Trucking; 3rd Anthony Garramone, A & L Materials.
SPECIALTY TRUCK: 1st Paul Stanchio, P.M.P. Trucking; 2nd Jeff Jones, Hell on Wheels Productions; 3rd Jason Kieffer.
STRAIGHT TRUCK: 1st Jimmy Pergine, Pergine’s Produce; 2nd Jimmy Pergine, Pergine’s Produce; 3rd Mark Dawson, MD Services.
ANTIQUE (1969 & OLDER): 1st Gary White, Petruzzelli Bros; 2nd John Noto, John P. Noto Trucking; 3rd Frank Chicherchia, Frank’s Auto Body.
ANTIQUE (1970-1986): 1st Fred Angle, F.A. Unlimited; 2nd Steve DiBella, DiBella Sanitation; 3rd Greg Macaluso, G & M Construction.
DIESEL PICKUP: 1st Donny Graham; 2nd Louis Sofic; 3rd Tom Oxer.
PAINT: 1st Brian Hawkins, Hawk’s Towing; 2nd Todd Roccapriore, Clean Slate Environmental; 3rd Tony Tolliver, SRS Trucking.
INTERIOR: 1st Paul Stanchio, P.M.P. Trucking; 2nd Todd Roccapriore, Clean Slate Environmental; 3rd Ron McNeil, SRS Trucking.
SOUND SYSTEM: 1st Todd Roccapriore, Clean Slate Environmental; 2nd Mike Castro, Direct Waste; 3rd Bobby Pantore, Safeway Towing.
CUSTOM CHROME: 1st Mike Castro, Direct Waste; 2nd Fred Angle, F.A. Unlimited; 3rd Todd Roccapriore, Clean Slate Environmental.
BEST FLEET (5 OR MORE): 1st SRS; 2nd Approved Oil; 3rd Legend.
BEST OF SHOW: Todd Roccapriore’s “Widow-Maker” Green & Black 2004 Peterbilt 379 Extended Hood, Clean Slate Environmental.