Trucks and Bonneville have gone together since hot rodders first attacked the salt flats after World War II, but not always in the role that one might imagine. Naturally, the majority of workhorse duty was handled by a truck. Hauling man, machine, and all necessary accoutrements, there wasn’t a better option in the early days. It’s much the same today, though what was contemporary 50 years ago is now classic and what’s contemporary today is mostly in the diesel form. What’s interesting is that today, the presence of classic trucks on the salt is stronger in the form of actual race vehicles rather than relegated to support status. And some of those trucks crank out some pretty impressive speeds as well. Not bad for a bunch of old farm trucks!

Event

Take a look at some of the cool trucks that we able to catch at this year's SEMA Show.

Trucks are a staple of the Los Angeles Roadsters Show & Swap thanks in part to the huge swap meet that goes on in conjunction to the largest gathering of topless, pre ’36 cars in the world. Held every Father’s Day weekend at the Fairplex in Pomona, California, for the last 33 years, the show includes the aforementioned gathering of roadsters, plus an exhibitor showcase with over 200 manufacturers and vendors of reproduction hot rod parts and accessories packed into the inner fairground exhibition buildings.

This year’s Spring Rod Run in Temecula, California, was the biggest in recent memory. It is always a huge event in the Inland Empire for rodders, classic car and truck enthusiasts, and people looking for a fun time, and this year’s was no exception. It is held on Front Street in Old Town Temecula every year and consists of a night cruise on Friday and a show ’n’ shine on Saturday.

Of all the car shows held nation-wide, only the Grand National Roadster Show is constantly referred to as the Grand Daddy of them all. Maybe that’s because it’s the longest running show around, it is indeed the best, or possibly because not everyone is sure of its real name.

Getting battered and abused in the mobbed aisles of a mega-mall or big-box store isn’t our favorite way to get in the holiday spirit. Not when we could be out in the Southern California sunshine at the Mooneyes X-mas Party Show & Drag.

Nostalgia drag racing is bigger than it’s ever been, and nowhere is this more prevalent than at the California Hot Rod Reunion at Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, California. What started as a small gathering to reunite hot rodders and racers eager to reminisce about the good ol’ days has, twenty years on, turned into one of the largest gatherings of vintage front-engine dragsters, racers, hot rodders, and fans; a literal mecca for nostalgia drag racing fans.

While drivers in the northern states are still held hostage by snowdrifts piled high in front of their garage doors, folks in the Sunshine State are enjoying one of the first big shows of the season. Held in mid March, the Daytona Spring Car Show and Swap Meet is the second largest show in Florida, just behind the Thanksgiving Weekend Turkey Run. While the Turkey Run is vintage hot rod-oriented, the Spring Show attracts show cars, motorcycles, customs, antiques, car clubs, and always has a great collection of cool, classic trucks.

If performance is measured from zero to 60, Speedway Motors is just hitting its stride.

More like a family reunion than a car and truck show, the latest Southeast Showdown brought together more than 400 vehicles and two thousand spectators, with everyone intent on seeing some cool new trucks and reconnecting with old friends. Event Coordinator Jon Fulmer has been active in the car and truck scene for most of his life, with numerous feature articles to his credit. The decision to become a show promoter was a good one and his SESD has become a fan favorite. Vehicle owners arrived to find a new venue this year, moving from the Anderson County Fairgrounds to the Anderson Motor Speedway, just a little further out in the country and remote enough so that late-night burnouts would not disturb the neighbors.

Take a look at some of the cool trucks that we able to catch at this year's SEMA Show.

Beyond being only one year away from when The History Channel says the world is going to end, 2011 marks a centennial for both Chevrolet and GMC. For Chevrolet, it’s the 100th birthday, and for GMC, it’s the 100th anniversary of the GMC logo’s first appearance. It’s a sure bet over a century ago when both brands were in their infancy, no one in their wildest dreams could have ever imagined the loyal following the trucks would amass. A good example is Brothers Trucks’ 13th Annual Show and Shine held each year to thank its customers for their patronage.

The Minnesota Street Rod Association (MSRA) rang in the 38th annual Back to the Fifties car show this past summer, taking place June 17-19 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. With nearly 12,000 pre-1964 cars and trucks registered, the family oriented event is one of the largest in the nation. The show kicked off on Friday in full force with plenty of happenings for the whole family featuring arts and crafts, music, dancing, food, and, of course, cars. A Mecum auto auction on Friday and Saturday made it possible for those who didn’t drive a classic into the show to drive one home. The shindig started early on Sunday with a huge one-day-only swap meet featuring more than 350 vendors stocked full of those hard-to-find items.

To paraphrase a famous phrase, “in the spring a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of swap meets,” except for the young part that pretty well describes us. Sure, we could have spent the first weekend in April working on the projects we already have, but for some reason it just seemed like heading to the annual Portland Swap Meet made more sense.

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee welcomed the rumble of nearly 800 classic Fords to the 33rd Annual LMC Truck F-100 Supernationals and All Ford Show the weekend of May 12-14. Arguably the largest gathering of F-100s in the country, this year was my first and is now on the must-do list for years to come! Located in some of the most beautiful country in the South, the gathering of classic Ford’s amidst the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most scenic natural venues. Add nearly a thousand cool old Fords and you can’t go wrong.

If you’re a little confused about this being the first Goodguys event called the Lonestar Nationals, don’t be. For nearly two decades the Goodguys Rod and Custom Association has held an event with that name in Texas (back then they used the same location where the Dallas TV show was filmed at the imaginary Southfork Ranch) and since 1996, it’s been held at the Texas Motor Speedway, just west of Fort Worth.

One of the things that we magazine photographers like best is heading out to a show and finding new vehicles. We often see the same trucks, show after show, and begin to wonder if anybody is bringing out something special. Since our goal is to present you with exciting show coverage and new custom ideas, shows like the Southeast Showdown are high on our list. Show promoter Jon Fulmer continues to come up with new and innovative ideas to attract the best trucks in the area. The big cash prize for the Best Debuting Truck at the event means that drivers were burning the midnight oil to ensure that their trucks were ready for his show. It’s a great idea and it works! We also saw several under construction trucks that were not completed in time for this year’s show but will soon be on the road as well as in front of our cameras.

Although many auto shows try, few are all things to all people. Most are a compromise boasting one or two strong points while trying to minimize several serious gaps in their entertainment efforts. Every now and then, however, you find an event that is a complete package. One of the best examples of the real deal is the legendary Turkey Run in Daytona Beach, Florida, held every year during the four-day Thanksgiving weekend. Entertaining car enthusiasts for almost four decades, the 37th annual get-together attracted 75,000 spectators, 4,540 show cars, and almost 3,000 vendors to the infield of the Daytona International Speedway.

The Grand National Roadster Show has been one of the most prestigious indoor car shows since its inception back in 1950. Since then, it’s undergone a few name changes, changed locales a handful of times, but never has it wavered from that original esteem and pedigree that it had established way back in the day. And yet today, with all the pomp and circumstance that comes with any indoor show, there also seems to be bit of the opposite happening. With the addition of the outdoor drive-in a few years back as well as the spontaneous atmosphere in the Suede Palace all weekend long, the GNRS has become as much of a social gathering as it has an indoor car show, albeit one that covets one of the most respected awards in the hot rodding world, America’s Most Beautiful Roadster.

It wasn’t too long ago we were telling you about the Goodguys season opener in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Spring Nationals in March was a successful new show for Goodguys and the Southwest Nationals, the final event of the Goodguys season, was every bit as fun.

With the success of CPP’s annual Nova Day event, we challenged the classic truck community to see if they could beat the record. With the sun just beginning to break through the clouds early on Saturday, March 12th morning, over 100 classic trucks - everything from Chevrolet C-10s to Ford F-100s - convened in Fullerton for a day dedicated to trucks only. A large caravan of 1967-72 Chevrolets came down from Northern California and Pickups Limited had quite a few club members with their F-100s in attendance. The event began with a 10-mile cruise winding through the streets of Fullerton, Brea and Anaheim and culminating at Classic Performance Product’s shop. Though the weather was over-casted, the mood was bright and sunny, as everyone spent the day chatting and checking out each other’s trucks. Everything was there; from works-in-progress to incredible show trucks. Our cameras were there to capture the fun, which included the CPP’s shop tour, lunch courtesy of CPP and multiple raffle prize give-a-ways. The event video can be viewed at www.tinyurl.com/truckcruise2011, so be sure to check it out! At the end of the day over 110 classic trucks came out to enjoy our first annual event and everyone had a great time.

The old saying about practice makes perfect is a little misleading since you might neverachieve real perfection. It is true, however, that the more you do something, the better you get at it. Whether it’s honing a cylinder head, pounding dents out of a fender, or putting on a car show, experience is the key. The more you have of it, the better the finished product will turn out. The MiniMadness crew, headquartered in Brandon, Florida, has gained a lot of experience over the years with the longest running, club-sponsored car and truck show in Florida. Slamfest is now in its 19th year and still drawing crowds to this cool fall get-together. The first week of October means warm weather and sunny days in central Florida. Chamber of commerce temps brought out more than 650 vehicles and a couple of thousand spectators, intent on enjoying the weekend with friends.

Classic Performance Products in Anaheim, California hosted over a hundred classic trucks for a cruise, show, and shop tour this past Saturday, March 12th. Those brave enough to come out for the early morning meet up got to cruise along with the long line of trucks that wound through Fullerton, heading towards their shop on Freedom Ave. Once there, the staff quickly got us all parked so we could stretch our legs and check out those who had gathered. Shop tours of the incredible CPP facility were given throughout the day, highlighted by free Carls Jr for lunch. You can’t get between a magazine guy and free lunch!

The 20th Annual Carlisle Truck Nationals was held August 6th-8th at the Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Fairgrounds. This is one of 10 annual events held by Carlisle Events at the 102-acre facility. If you are a truck guy, and you live in the Northeast, this is a must-attend event. Where else can you see custom classic trucks, restored classics, frame-dragging mini trucks, lifted or lowered 4x4s, and tricked-out big rigs all at the same venue? Such a mix of subcultures at one event is unique.