Cruise, Horsepower, and Neon

Last year, the CCT staff took part in the vintage and new truck cruise from Southern California to Las Vegas. This year, however, we left SoCal early with Truckin's Senior Technical Editor Bob Ryder, who towed the show trailer using a Ford F-250 equipped with a Triton V-10 6.8l powerplant. If we provided you with a blow-by-blow of our towing adventures and our challenges with inclement weather, equipment rental companies, and show setup, you'd appreciate the hard work of producing a cruise and a show 'n' shine. But, you'd probably prefer reading about and viewing photos of the 2004 Truckin' Nationals -- we hear you.

This was the second time our sister publication Truckin' produced the cruise and show in Las Vegas. The chant at Dealer's Sport Truck, the first cruise stop, in Los Alamitos, California, was "No rain! No rain! No rain!" Perhaps chanting worked, as cruise participants made their way to the gambling mecca relatively unscathed. Along the route, ATS (Auto and Truck Specialties) in Cerritos, California, was the second tour stop. In the hopes of accumulating a winning hand, cruisers collected their next poker card at ATS, took a tour of the facility, and tried their luck at another raffle. In Corona, California, aFe (Advanced Flow Engineering) hosted lucky tour stop number three. Still more prizes were raffled, and another poker card was dealt to all poker players -- with the exception of Primedia employees, because after all, this was an honest poker game. The climax of the cruisers' day was the Wally Parks NHRA Museum in Pomona, California. One of the cruise's and show's title sponsors, J.C. Whitney, sponsored the NHRA stop. In addition to the usual poker dealing and raffling, participants were treated to a mouth-watering BBQ and a self-guided tour of the museum that honors drag racing and the cool history of hot rodding. About a 1/2-hour before the first custom-cruising show trucks arrived, the skies of Las Vegas cleared. Road-weary travelers were revived with the anticipation of collecting their fifth and final poker card and the potential of having the winning hand. The inviting and exciting rain cleansed the neon-drenched Vegas skyline. Perhaps this had something to do with participants getting a second wind, or it could have been the promise of dining with and meeting other cruise and show participants at the AIM Industries-sponsored fifth and final destination stop. On show Saturday, rain came early but stopped about an hour before festivities were scheduled to begin. Mother Nature was indeed kind to us, as we were rain free for the entire weekend.

As with last year, the venue for the show 'n' shine was the Fremont Street Experience -- a four-block section of downtown Las Vegas where vehicle traffic is prohibited and foot traffic encouraged among the restaurants, casinos, and shops. There were oh-my-goodness body mods highlighted with high-dollar paint schemes, and custom classic and neo-custom cruising pickups blended well under the glitzy neon lights and Vegas nights. Many of the trucks displayed were of recent vintage, so we shot a few of the finest to mix with the classic customs on parade and display.

Producing an event in a place that's known for lavish productions, Truckin's promotional team knew they needed to provide top-notch entertainment. Hiring the rock band Tijuana Dogs was a stroke of genius. The band delivered various genres of rock standards that had show participants dancing in their truck beds while spectators crowded the stage. Always popular at current model truck shows, the outdoor concert was preceded by a bikini contest. By all accounts, this year's cruise and Truckin' Nationals was a huge success. Over 300 people participated in the State 2 State Cruise with 145 trucks competing in the Truckin' Nationals' show 'n' shine. Show vendors saw more potential customer traffic due to being centrally located at the show's hub. Primedia employee Joe Perez, an advertising manager, commented on how awesome the band was and how much better organized this year's event was over last. Show participant Ron Segal, who earned the Second Place prize for his '56 Chevy Panel Delivery commented, "Anytime you can come away with a trophy from a show of this caliber, you've got to be a happy guy."

You know we'll be sure to provide you advance notice of the third annual affair. Perhaps next year you'll cruise to the show in your hot-rod hauler. Maybe you can pluck one of the awards for your prized pickup such as Mr. Segal did at this year's contest. Lady Luck and Mother Nature should be on our side once again. CCT