This year the second annual Road to Wishes Truck Show hosted by Raney’s Chrome Shop in Ocala, FL was held on February 6-7, the same weekend as the Super Bowl. In the Super Bowl, they kicked a football and closed out the NFL season, but at Raney’s Chrome Shop, they kicked off the 2026 truck show season in style and granted a few wishes to some deserving kids, as well! And this year, it was a two-day event.
Joel and his team at Raney’s decided to take advantage of the Florida weather earlier than last year, when they held the first show on Memorial Day weekend. It ended up being a great choice. A welcome getaway from the cold and brutal conditions in the north this winter, Florida had perfect weather, with temps in the 70s, no humidity, blue skies and sunshine. When the trucks started rolling in on Thursday afternoon it was cooler than normal, due to a cold snap that had just moved through, but after that, it was awesome.
Every truck there was a winner, but the ones who really win are the kids that they are there for. An average wish for a Make-A-Wish kid is about $8-10,000 (the cost varies by what the child wishes for). That means last year 10 wishes were granted with the $93,000 raised at last year’s show. Sara Desmartin is the Development & Community Outreach Manager for the Central and Northern Florida chapter for Make-A-Wish, and she is grateful for the connection to Raney’s, and what they did with their first show – and this year, she was even more impressed. She said, “This is a great partnership, and I am so impressed with the trucks and the people who come to this show.” Her wish is to ride in a truck one day, and I know I will be able to make her wish come true.
This year I learned about how near and dear Make-A-Wish is to Joel and his now wife Jennifer. Back in 2012, Joel was in Las Vegas, and before his flight back home to Florida, he met a little girl that was going to be on the same flight, making her wish to go to Disney World come true. As it happened, because of that little girl and her family, fate had it that Joel and Jennifer got to sit together on the way home. A friendship started on that flight that later blossomed into love. Now, all these years later, look at what they are doing to grant as many wishes as possible with the money they raise at this show.
This year, ten “wish” families attended the show, at different times, throughout the event. All the kids at the show got to enjoy the extensive play area, set up just for them. I have said for years, “There is nothing like little kids and big trucks,” and seeing the big smiles on all the faces of the kids that were riding the little train through the show lot and admiring all the trucks, is proof that statement is true. There was also face painting that made cute kids even cuter. Two motorized bicycles that Jennifer got had kids having fun cruising the show lot. At truck shows, a lot of drivers have a golf cart made to match their truck, but these two “bicycles” look like there were meant to match Raiko Graveran’s truck (our friend who we featured in the March 2025 edition of Trucker Talk).
Another kid pleaser at the show was the “Danger” truck, and at the end of the day, this stunner took home the Kid’s Choice award. When I first saw the gullwing doors, I asked Daniel Garcia, the owner of the truck, along with A&A Stainless in Miami, FL, if he knew our friend Troy Huddleston, who also had gullwing doors on his “Old No 7” Freightliner. He looked at me and said, “We have Lamborghinis in Miami!” He went on to tell me that the purple accents were actually a Lamborghini limited edition color, and his doors were known as “Lambo” doors. But besides just the cool doors, this truck has classy and unique details everywhere.
Last year, the nice folks at A&A Stainless made a connection with one of the wish kids named Jampier, who was there again this year. When I was by the truck and he was holding a stainless license plate, I didn’t know about the connection they had made last year. When I sat him in the seat for a picture, I realized that they had custom made this license plate for him. The “Danger” truck is a totally custom 1997 Peterbilt 379 Extended Hood. The transformation was made 15 years ago, and the only thing remotely close to “stock” are the rear ends, transmission and engine. They made all the parts including the hood, fenders, interior, and so much more. But that is a story for another day.
The Kid’s Choice runner up was our friends, Ryan and Cindy Wichtner, and their “Limited Edition” Marmon, which we featured back in the April 2023 edition of Trucker Talk. I hadn’t got to see this beauty at night until the light show on Friday night, and in all her glory, she glowed green. Later, we were sitting at Culver’s having lunch when the Smokey and the Bandit truck rolled by. That one catches everyone’s eye! It’s always a treat to see a replica of that truck, but then it got even better when a replica Trans Am rolled in, as well.
Talking with Bo Durban who owns that Trans Am, complete with a Georgia personalized plate that says BAN ONE, it turned into a lesson in Smokey and the Bandit movie trivia and facts. He is a self-proclaimed Smokey and the Bandit dork (as he put it). He is not a dork, but he is a walking encyclopedia of the movie. He lives near where the movie was filmed and has stories from people who were locals in the movie, knows where all the locations are, and has talked with people who were in the film.
It’s hard to believe that the movie was filmed 50 years ago this September and October. Who could have ever guessed that a movie about bootlegging Coors beer, from Texas back to Georgia, would come in second behind the box office blockbuster Star Wars in 1977. Hal Needham was the highest paid stunt man at the time, and he wrote the script so he could do a movie with massive car stunts. After seeing an ad for the 1977 Trans Am, Hal decided that would be the car the “Bandit” would drive in the movie, and that choice saved the car from being discontinued. Instead, it went on to become an icon of the 1970s.
The replica Kenworth from the movie is owned by Jim Rymes, and he enjoys taking it to various events, sharing it with fans that are still out there, and introducing younger generations to the movie that was filmed before they were born. He was kind enough to let me ride in that truck across the street for a photo shoot with Warren Aitken after the show, along with the Trans Am (look forward to lots more news about this dynamic duo in the near future).
Most shows have food trucks, but this one had an award-winning BBQ truck – and the owner had the shiny heavyweight belt, along with several other awards on display, to prove it. Blessed Beyond BBQ is owned by Randy and Misty Moss, and their daughter Alexis, was there to help, too. The smoky smell drew you in, and their ribs and brisket did not disappoint. And speaking of “blessed” and so much fun, our friend Emily Bonham was dancing to the music while enjoying the weather, talking with old friends, and making new ones. It was great to catch up with this cancer survivor who is so inspirational.
Raney’s couldn’t put this together without their awesome, dedicated team, along with help and support from their local community and the amazing folks at Make-A-Wish. Everyone was there to help in any way they could to take care of the drivers – right down to sharing their breakroom, complete with a pool table, snacks, and drinks for the drivers. At the end of the day, they go all out for the drivers who help make this show happen. Attention to detail was right down to the garbage cans scattered throughout the lot, which were wrapped with a stretchy material, and had the “Road to Wishes” logo on them, making what is usually an ugly eye sore into something nice to look at (and not be afraid to have in your pictures).
Now, let’s talk about the winner of the Super Shine trophy. This white and silver 389 Peterbilt is pure class and it pulls a stainless Featherlite horse trailer. If given a choice, I’m sure that any horse would want this to be the trailer they make any trip in. Not only is it shiny on the outside, but the inside is heated, as well as air conditioned, too. Talk about riding in style! All we needed was a beautiful black horse to walk up or down the ramp for a perfect picture!!
PJ Brink had all three of his very popular and well known signature bright green beauties at the show. He took home the Lights Out trophy with his “Redneck Rolex” Kenworth. Sitting at the show or rolling down the road, these trucks stand out in any crowd. Attention to detail is in every one of these builds, and his drivers, Aaron Puterbaugh and Chris Larson, are perfect matches for the trucks they pilot each and every day.
We are already looking forward to next year, with the tentative dates for the show being February 5-6, 2027. One thing for sure is that the planning of next year’s show has already started. The tally
wasn’t done at the time of this printing, but Joel said he is sure they will hit the $90,000 mark once again. What a gift to the families for the wishes this money will help grant, proving, once again, wishes do come true, and the trucking industry has the biggest heart. And this year’s award winners were:
KID’S CHOICE WINNER: “Danger” – Alex & Daniel Garcia of A&A Stainless.
KID’S CHOICE RUNNER-UP: “Limited Edition” – Ryan Wichtner of 525 Transport.
LIGHTS OUT: “Redneck Rolex” – PJ Brink of PJ Brink Trucking.
SUPER SHINE: “Horse Play” – Chabe Durham.
BEST THEME: “The Goose” – Daniel and Phyllis Snow of Bennett.
OLD SCHOOL COOL: Lou De Berardinis of De Berardinis Heavy Haul and Jojo Dzilinzki.
WORKING CLASS: “Ruby” – Randy St. John of Brass Express.