The 2015\/2016 Pride & Polish truck beauty competition season culminated August 25-27 in Dallas, TX at The Great American Trucking Show \u2013 and it was a good old-fashioned Texas showdown!\u00a0 In addition to the crowning of the National Champions, the 2016\/2017 season began at the show.\u00a0 The two shows combined to showcase nearly 70 trucks, along with hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of attendees, filling the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center for the three-day event. \u00a0Although the show was slower than usual, it was still a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends and network with business associates \u2013 and have a little fun, too.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n
Arriving in Dallas on Wednesday, the day before the show opened, we spent that time setting up our booth and visiting with friends.\u00a0 But, Thursday morning came quickly, and it was time to get to work.\u00a0 Walking the floor and taking pictures, the first day always goes fast, and before we knew it, it was time to close up.\u00a0 Heading over to Bob\u2019s Steak & Chop House at the Omni Hotel, we had an amazing dinner with Bruce Mallinson and his crew from Pittsburgh Power (thanks Bruce), and then headed into \u201cThe Owner\u2019s Box\u201d for a few hours of billiards and libations.<\/p>\n
With show hours being 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, it was a long day.\u00a0 Attendees had a lot to do, if they chose to partake in the many happenings at GATS, including health screenings at the Landstar \u201cFit for the Road\u201d Health and Wellness Pavilion, free business seminars in the GATS Theater, a trucker talent search, and a beer garden, sponsored by ONE20, featuring free draft beer (well, sort of \u2013 you had to download their app to get the \u201cfree\u201d beer).\u00a0 And after seven hours of walking, talking, shaking hands and making deals, it was time to head over to the free concert, featuring legendary country music star John Michael Montgomery, and blow off some steam.\u00a0 Opening the show was our friend and fellow truck driver\/singer-songwriter Tony Justice, who warmed up the crowd nicely.\u00a0 By the time the concert was over, we were ready for some rest and recuperation \u2013 but nah, we still had one more day to go!<\/p>\n
Day three came with a busy schedule, including awards, last-minute meetings, and plenty of pictures.\u00a0 Shortly after the show opened, it was time to head over to the awards ceremony in the GATS Theater \u2013 and it was a packed house, with standing room only.\u00a0 \u201cThe Great American Trucking Show is the best possible venue for the final and first shows of the season,\u201d said Stacy McCants, vice president of events for Randall Reilly.\u00a0 \u201cFor these guys, it\u2019s the culmination of all the hard work they\u2019ve put into the season, but it\u2019s also the first chance they get to qualify for the next year\u2019s National Championship, so they pull out all the stops.\u00a0 These trucks are always impressive, and you never quite know exactly what to expect.\u201d\u00a0 And there certainly were a lot surprises, as many of the \u201cfavorites\u201d got beat by some newcomers.<\/p>\n
The big \u201cBest of Show\u201d awards this year went to Jack Bowlin & Candice Cooley (Limited Mileage Bobtail) of Hazelton, ID for their Dark Red and White \u201cPatrone\u201d 2017 Peterbilt 389; Marty Colvin & Kary Bryce (Limited Mileage Combo) of Sibley, LA for their Burgundy and Grey \u201cSmoking Section\u201d 1986 Peterbilt 359 and matching Etnyre tanker (this entire truck was awesome, but it\u2019s interior was really exceptional); Omar Ruiz & Yogi Ruiz (Builder\u2019s Bobtail) of Midland, TX for their Blue and Black \u201cProject TOC\u201d Kenworth W900L (our cover truck this month); Shane Boullion (Working Bobtail) of Carencro, LA and his Dark Rose Grey 2001 Pete 379; and Freddy Velasco (Working Combo) of Sulphur Springs, TX and his Purple and Cream \u201cCalifornia Dreamin\u201d 2003 Peterbilt 379 and polished stainless Great Dane reefer (our February 2016 cover truck).\u00a0 There were a lot of new names on that list, which was actually kind of exciting.<\/p>\n
Awarded with unique trophies that were metal steer skulls, complete with horns and eyes that lit up, the National Champions included Sid Colangelo & KC Cousins (Trucker\u2019s Choice and Working Bobtail) of Carthage, MO with their 2015 Purple KW W900L; Jonathan Eilen (Builder\u2019s Bobtail) of Hampton, MN with his \u201cThe Hustler\u201d 1990 Pearl White and Grey Peterbilt 379 hot rod; Michael Manuel (Builder\u2019s Combo) of Front Royal, VA with his \u201cOne of Many\u201d 2015 Blue Peterbilt 389 and 2017 MAC Curtainside; Josh Skidmore (Limited Mileage Bobtail) of Brigham City, UT with his 2016 White and Yellow Peterbilt 389; Jordan Jay (Limited Mileage Combo) of Rigby, ID with his \u201cRevelation\u201d 2016 Prowler Orange Peterbilt 389 and 2016 Western Flatbed; and Joe Regalado (Working Combo) of Von Ormy, TX with his \u201cBlue\u201d 2000 Peterbilt 379 and CTS Sandmaster.<\/p>\n
Some of the trucks we really liked that did not bag any of the \u201cbig\u201d awards included Brian Rudisell\u2019s Green and White \u201cGone Green\u201d 2005 Kenworth W900; Alan LeSueur\u2019s Cream, Brown and Orange \u201cThe Duke\u201d 2016 Kenworth W900L; Dustin Graf\u2019s Black Cherry with Violet stripes 2017 Peterbilt 389; Jake Lindamood\u2019s Silver with Blue flames \u201cThe Demolisher\u201d 1988 Peterbilt 379; Keith Smart\u2019s White and Orange \u201cTalk of the Town\u201d 2015 Peterbilt 389; and Shawn Cielke\u2019s Burnt Orange and Camo \u201cRedneck Low\u201d 2005 Kenworth T600 and 2017 Wabash van.<\/p>\n
And just like that, the 2016 Great American Trucking Show came to an end.\u00a0 After tearing down our booth and packing everything up, it was time to get some BBQ for dinner and then hit the hay early to rest up for a photo shoot bright and early the next day.\u00a0 There\u2019s no rest for the wicked!\u00a0 Thanks to everyone who came by our booth and had nice things to say about the magazine.\u00a0 It means a lot, and helps re-energize our batteries for the next big event \u2013 wherever that is.\u00a0 Next year\u2019s dates are August 24-26, 2017, so mark your calendars now and don\u2019t miss this genuine Texas showdown!<\/p>\n
ANTIQUE (BOBTAIL):<\/strong> 1st Wade Wardlaw, Woodville, TX \u2013 1975 White & Copper Peterbilt 359 (Wade\u2019s Pride and Joy); 2nd Geo Cuellar\/David Schnautz, Pasadena, TX \u2013 1985 Blue Kenworth K100E (Clyde); 3rd Pablo Cuellar\/David Schnautz, Pasadena, TX \u2013 1973 Blue Kenworth K125 (Little Kenny).<\/p>\n ANTIQUE (COMBO):<\/strong> 1st David Schnautz, Pasadena, TX \u2013 1981 Blue KW W900A & 1982 Wilson Livestock Trailer (A Dream Come True).<\/p>\n NEW BOBTAIL (LESS THAN 50K MILES):<\/strong> 1st JW Ray\/Werner, Omaha, NE \u2013 2017 Blue Freightliner Cascadia (Operation Freedom VII); 2nd Dustin Graf, Girard, KS \u2013 2017 Black Cherry Peterbilt 389; 3rd Allen Boles, Weaverville, NC \u2013 2017 Black Peterbilt 389.<\/p>\n BOBTAIL (FIRST SHOW):<\/strong> 1st Anthony Hoffman, Irving, TX \u2013 1999 Black & Red Peterbilt 379; 2nd Delbert Jones, Sulphur Springs, TX \u2013 1999 Red Kenworth W900; 3rd Mike Ostergaard, Salem, WI \u2013 2002 Black Peterbilt 379 (USMC Tribute Truck).<\/p>\n BOBTAIL (COMPANY TRUCK):<\/strong> 1st Jake Lindamood\/Lindamood Heavy Hauling, Irving, TX \u2013 1988 Silver & Blue Peterbilt 379 (The Demolisher); 2nd Mike Faram, Ft. Worth, TX \u2013 2015 Blue Peterbilt 389 (Da Mistress); 3rd Coy Baker\/Wes Ezell, Glenrose, TX \u2013 2017 Black Peterbilt 389 (Intimidator).<\/p>\n BOBTAIL (2005 & OLDER):<\/strong> 1st Shane Boullion, Carencro, LA \u2013 2001 Dark Rose Grey Pete 379; 2nd Gerald Cruz, San Antonio, TX \u2013 1999 Orange & Black Peterbilt 379 (Ghost); 3rd Gilbert Velasquez\/GoTex Trucking, Dallas, TX \u2013 2000 White Peterbilt 379 (Special FX).<\/p>\n BOBTAIL (2006 & NEWER):<\/strong> 1st Sean McEndree, Sr., Salado, TX \u2013 2006 Purple Pete 379 (Band of Brothers); 2nd Keith Smart, Jr., Juneau, WI \u2013 2015 White & Orange Pete 389 (Talk of the Town); 3rd Corey McCaslin, Port Washington, OH \u2013 2015 Black Peterbilt 389.<\/p>\n NEW COMBO:<\/strong> 1st Gabe Rosenthal\/Stevens Transport, Inc., Dallas, TX \u2013 2017 Black Kenworth T680 & 2017 Utility Reefer.<\/p>\n COMBO (FIRST SHOW):<\/strong> 1st Bradley Wacks\/Army Air Force Exchange Service, Enon, OH \u2013 2011 Red Pearl Freightliner Cascadia & 2010 Hyundai Van; 2nd Charles Compton\/Army Air Force Exchange Service, Dallas, TX \u2013 2014 White Freightliner Cascadia & 2014 Hyundai Dry Van; 3rd Tommie Weeks\/Aaron Davidson, Sebastopol, MS \u2013 2016 Blue Kenworth W900 & 2016 Reitnouer.<\/p>\n COMBO (OPEN):<\/strong> 1st Freddy Velasco, Sulphur Springs, TX \u2013 2003 Purple & Cream Peterbilt 379 & 2003 Great Dane Reefer; 2nd Oscar Ochoa\/Clark Freight Lines, Pasadena, TX \u2013 2012 Black Kenworth T660 & 1995 Utility Curtainside.<\/p>\n INTERIOR (CAB ONLY):<\/strong> 1st Keith Smart, Jr., Juneau, WI \u2013 2015 White & Orange Peterbilt 389 (Talk of the Town); 2nd Jake Lindamood\/Lindamood Heavy Hauling, Irving, TX \u2013 1988 Silver & Blue Peterbilt 379 (The Demolisher); 3rd Freddy Velasco, Sulphur Springs, TX \u2013 2003 Purple & Cream Peterbilt 379 & 2003 Great Dane Reefer.<\/p>\n INTERIOR (OEM SLEEPER):<\/strong> 1st Shane Boullion, Carencro, LA \u2013 2001 Dark Rose Grey Peterbilt 379; 2nd Sean McEndree, Sr., Salado, TX \u2013 2006 Purple Peterbilt 379 (Band of Brothers); 3rd Mike Faram, Ft. Worth, TX \u2013 2015 Blue Peterbilt 389 (Da Mistress).<\/p>\n BEST INTERIOR (LIMITED MILEAGE OR BUILDER\u2019S CLASS):<\/strong> Marty Colvin\/Kary Bryce, Sibley, LA \u2013 1986 Burgundy & Grey Peterbilt 359 & 2016 Etnyre Tanker (Smoking Section).<\/p>\n PAINT (BOBTAIL):<\/strong> 1st Sean McEndree, Sr., Salado, TX \u2013 2006 Purple Peterbilt 379 (Band of Brothers); 2nd Shane Boullion, Carencro, LA \u2013 2001 Dark Rose Grey Peterbilt 379; 3rd Jake Lindamood\/Lindamood Heavy Hauling, Irving, TX \u2013 1988 Silver & Blue Peterbilt 379 (The Demolisher).<\/p>\n PAINT (COMBO):<\/strong> 1st Freddy Velasco, Sulphur Springs, TX \u2013 2003 Purple & Cream Peterbilt 379 & 2003 Great Dane Reefer.<\/p>\n BEST PAINT LIMITED MILEAGE \/ BUILDER\u2019S CLASS (BOBTAIL):<\/strong> Omar Ruiz\/Yogi Ruiz, Midland, TX \u2013 2000 Black & Blue Kenworth W900L (Project TOC).<\/p>\n BEST PAINT LIMITED MILEAGE (COMBO):<\/strong> Marty Colvin\/Kary Bryce, Sibley, LA \u2013 1986 Burgundy & Grey Peterbilt 359 & 2016 Etnyre Tanker (Smoking Section).<\/p>\n ENGINE:<\/strong> 1st Jake Lindamood\/Lindamood Heavy Hauling, Irving, TX \u2013 1988 Silver & Blue Peterbilt 379 (The Demolisher); 2nd Shane Boullion, Carencro, LA \u2013 2001 Dark Rose Grey Peterbilt 379; 3rd Keith Smart, Jr., Juneau, WI \u2013 2015 White & Orange Peterbilt 389 (Talk of the Town).<\/p>\n BEST ENGINE (LIMITED MILEAGE \/ BUILDER\u2019S CLASS):<\/strong> Omar Ruiz\/Yogi Ruiz, Midland, TX \u2013 2000 Black & Blue KW W900L (Project TOC).<\/p>\n LIMITED MILEAGE BOBTAIL:<\/strong> 1st Jack Bowlin\/Candice Cooley, Hazelton, ID \u2013 2017 Red & White Peterbilt 389 (Patrone); 2nd Alan LeSueur\/KC Cousins, Carthage, MO \u2013 2016 Cream & Brown Kenworth W900L (The Duke); 3rd Charles Self, Neosho, MO \u2013 2004 Legendary Red Peterbilt 379X (Big Red).<\/p>\n LIMITED MILEAGE COMBO:<\/strong> 1st Marty Colvin\/Kary Bryce, Sibley, LA \u2013 1986 Burgundy & Grey Peterbilt 359 & 2016 Etnyre Tanker (Smoking Section); 2nd Brian Fretwell\/Taylor Transport, Inc., Cartersville, GA \u2013 2015 Black Peterbilt 389 & 2016 MAC Step Deck; 3rd Gary Collins, El Dorado Springs, MO \u2013 1993 Red Kenworth W900 & 2000 Wabash Drop Box.<\/p>\n BUILDER\u2019S CLASS (BOBTAIL):<\/strong> 1st Omar Ruiz\/Yogi Ruiz, Midland, TX \u2013 2000 Black & Blue Kenworth W900L (Project TOC); 2nd Robert Moneypenny, Shawnee, OK \u2013 1998 Orange & Black Peterbilt 379 (Wildside); 3rd Todd Turner, Odessa, TX \u2013 1972 Blue KW W900 (Clyde).<\/p>\n BEST OF SHOW (BOBTAIL):<\/strong> Shane Boullion, Carencro, LA \u2013 2001 Dark Rose Grey Pete 379.<\/p>\n BEST OF SHOW (COMBO):<\/strong> Freddy Velasco, Sulphur Springs, TX \u2013 2003 Purple & Cream Peterbilt 379 & 2003 Great Dane Reefer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 2016<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n TRUCKER\u2019S CHOICE (ONLINE VOTING):<\/strong> Sid Colangelo\/KC Cousins, Carthage, MO \u2013 2015 Purple Kenworth W900L.<\/p>\n 2016 OVERALL NATIONAL CHAMPION (BUILDER\u2019S BOBTAIL):<\/strong> Jonathan Eilen, Hampton, MN \u2013 1990 Pearl White & Grey Peterbilt 379 (The Hustler); 2nd Bob Harley, Burbank, OH \u2013 1972 Purple Peterbilt 358A (Bad Attitude); 3rd Casey Conrey, Haubstadt, IN \u2013 1991 Red Mack (Long Hard Ride).<\/p>\n 2016 OVERALL NATIONAL CHAMPION (BUILDER\u2019S COMBO):<\/strong> Michael Manuel, Front Royal, VA \u2013 2015 Blue Peterbilt 389 & 2017 MAC Curtainside (One of Many).<\/p>\n 2016 OVERALL NATIONAL CHAMPION (LIMITED MILEAGE BOBTAIL):<\/strong> Josh Skidmore, Brigham City, UT \u2013 2016 White & Yellow Peterbilt 389; 2nd Doug Jameson\/James Williams, Springfield, MO \u2013 2015 Red & Black Peterbilt 389 (Contender); 3rd Brent Galloway\/Taylor Transport, Inc., Cartersville, GA \u2013 2015 Blue Kenworth W900.<\/p>\n 2016 OVERALL NATIONAL CHAMPION (LIMITED MILEAGE COMBO):<\/strong> Jordon Jay, Rigby, ID \u2013 2016 Prowler Orange Peterbilt 389 & 2016 Western Flatbed (Revelation); 2nd KC Cousins, Carthage, MO \u2013 2008 Black Kenworth W900L & 2017 Great Dane Van (Ace in the Hole); 3rd Brian Davis\/Davis Bros. Trucking, Owensville, IN \u2013 2015 Blue & White Peterbilt 386 & 2016 Wilson Hopper (Buzz Kill).<\/p>\n 2016 OVERALL NATIONAL CHAMPION (WORKING BOBTAIL):<\/strong> Sid Colangelo\/KC Cousins, Carthage, MO \u2013 2015 Purple Kenworth W900L; 2nd Dustin Ballard\/Jim Bob Cross, Stigler, OK \u2013 1995 Red & Black Pete 379; 3rd Brian Rudisell\/Kim Kuhnle, Newbury, OH \u2013 2005 Green & White Kenworth W900 (Gone Green).<\/p>\n 2016 OVERALL NATIONAL CHAMPION (WORKING COMBO):<\/strong> Joe Regalado, Von Ormy, TX \u2013 2000 Blue Peterbilt 379 & 2016 CTS Sandmaster (Blue); 2nd Shawn Cielke, Haugan, MT \u2013 2005 Burnt Orange Kenworth T600 & 2017 Wabash Van (Redneck Low); 3rd Eric Turner, Ellenwood, GA \u2013 2015 Blue Pete 389 & 2016 Wally-Mo Car Hauler (Show Time).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The 2015\/2016 Pride & Polish truck beauty competition season culminated August 25-27 in Dallas, TX at The Great American Trucking Show \u2013 and it was a good old-fashioned Texas showdown!\u00a0 In addition to the crowning of the National Champions, the 2016\/2017 season began at the show.\u00a0 The two shows combined to showcase nearly 70 trucks,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11892","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-show-reports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11892"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12163,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11892\/revisions\/12163"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}