EAST COAST EXTRAVAGANZA
The U.S. Diesel Truckin’ Nationals in New Jersey
The term “extravaganza” is often overused and, usually, an exaggeration – well, not this time! The 33rd Annual U.S. Diesel Truckin’ Nationals, held on Sept. 19 at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, was truly an extravaganza in every sense of the word. Never have we seen such a huge gathering of trucks and truckers for a one-day show (or a two-, three- or four-day show, for that matter). With well over 1,000 trucks in attendance, a parking lot full of vendors, tons of great food and drink, action-packed truck racing and a nighttime motorsports spectacular that was, well, spectacular, it was one of the best (if not THE best) truck shows we have ever attended.
We have always heard from our east coast friends about how great this show is, and after years of urging us to come, we finally decided to go and check it out for ourselves. Presented by Elizabeth Truck Center (ETC), this event featured 6-8 rows of trucks and a large manufacturer’s midway that sprawled out longer than the entire length of the drag strip (1/4 mile) – and none of the trucks had trailers – they were all bobtails or straight trucks! And the trucks back east are a little different than the trucks out west. We saw many different makes and models, including plenty of Kenworths, Macks, Western Stars and Autocars. Of course, we saw a few cool Peterbilts, too, but not as many as we are normally used to seeing. The judging for the truck show was done drive-through style, and several hundred trucks participated.
We were surprised to see a large selection of vocational types of trucks in attendance at the show – trash trucks, dump trucks, concrete pumpers, wreckers, roll-offs, cranes, oil trucks, tankers and car carriers, just to name a few. Several companies brought out what seemed to be their entire fleet – 10, 20, 30 or more trucks – all lined up and shined up, and looking good. There were also a lot of unique antique trucks to enjoy, especially old Mack dump trucks (a lot of them) and a beautiful Brockway or two. Elizabeth Truck Center’s huge parking lot display featured eight of the hottest big rigs ever built, including “The Beast” Pete, the “Mayhem” ProStar, the “Punisher” KW, Paul Stanchio’s “Hot Wheels” Peterbilt, the “Bad Habit” LoneStar and three others. The entire pit area/parking lot, as well as ETC’s large display, was filled with crowds of people all day long.
Walking the lot proved to be a “blistering” experience – on your feet, that is. But whenever you got tired of walking, you could stroll over to the track and take a rest in the grandstands while watching some truck races. Throughout the day, tons of pickups and big rigs were drag racing, ultimately competing for the coveted “King of the Hill” award (and the $5,000 cash that comes with it). Later that night, the top 10 or so trucks would compete during the motorsports spectacular for that final prize. The last race came down to a 3-axle Peterbilt versus a Kenworth dump truck. After it was all said and done, Jim Peddicord of Westminster, MD and his everyday working Peterbilt were named “King of the Hill” for 2009.
After a long day of drag racing, picture taking, t-shirt buying, eating, drinking, walking and talking, it was time to pass out the awards on a small stage within the ETC area. Taking the Best of Show trophy, and a few others, was a very excited Paul Stanchio. Paul’s orange and purple 2009 Peterbilt 388 and Cottrell car carrier took 1st Place in the Specialty class and two 2nd Place awards, as well. Brian Jones was another big winner – his silver 1999 KW with purple graphics on the front took top honors in his regular class, and also in the Custom Interior and Custom Chrome classes. Approved Oil and their fleet of green and red oil tankers earned the Best Fleet trophy, and John Noto and his blue 1964 Mack were honored as Best Antique.
Some other notable winners included Anthony Fischkelta of Grand St. Warehouse and his “Project 351” KW, Bill’s Service, whose flashy wreckers took several awards, and Phillipe Moreno’s unique tangerine-colored 2002 Freightliner straight truck. This cool rig not only had an awesome paint job, but several custom-fabricated pieces and lots of lights – it was definitely one of those trucks that made you look twice. Jimmy Baron’s purple Peterbilt would also fall into that head-turning category. Featuring a custom butterfly hood, suicide doors, custom pieces all around and a gleaming purple paint job, this rig proudly earned two 2nd Place trophies.
Richy Ruiz and his “Punisher” KW (our September 2009 cover truck), took the top spot in his class and the Best Sound System class. We’d like to thank Richy and his girlfriend for handing out our magazines and centerfolds at the show. We’d also like to thank our buddy Chris Kikelhan and his crew at Sundance Transport for all of their hospitality (and the sweatshirt). Chris’ white T-600 with orange flames was looking as good as ever, and it was great to finally meet him (and his dad) in person. And while we are thanking people, we need to send out a huge “thank you” to all of the guys (and girls) at ETC – they treated us like family the entire time we were there.
And just when you thought the show was over, everyone headed to the track for the motorsports spectacular, which started at 7:30. What can we say – it was like another full event in itself! With monster trucks, jet dragsters and trucks, wheelstanders, the diesel truck finals, a BMX stunt show and a guy that literally blew himself up, it was quite the production. After enjoying some great Italian food in the ETC suite above the starting line, we headed out to the track to get some pictures and enjoy the show trackside.
Four jet-powered dragsters put on an ear-bleeding display of noise and power, reaching speeds of 306 mph. Being right next to these cars as they catapulted off the starting line was quite an experience – and a little scary! But nothing prepared us for the jet-powered truck. Les Shockley’s “Shockwave” big rig, which is powered by three jet engines, is just plain ridiculous – it currently holds the Guinness Book of World Records title as “World’s Fastest Truck” at 376 mph. When he fired that thing up, it was one of the loudest things we had ever heard and the heat from those engines could be felt no matter where you were standing (next to the track was not an enjoyable place to be). Les put on quite a show, making two passes that night, reaching speeds in the low 200s (it takes a lot of room to stop that big truck after each run, so he kept his speeds to a minimum).
After the top diesel trucks raced for the “King of the Hill” award, it was time for the monster trucks. Eight monster trucks put on an awesome show as they raced down the grassy sides of the track, smashing piles of cars along the way, and catching some huge air. In the end, Tom Meents and his futuristic-looking monster SUV “Maximum Destruction” crushed the competition with their wild display of raw power and showmanship. Tom was rightly-crowned as the event champion. This guy is the king of doing donuts – he just about flipped his car several times when his tires lifted off the ground as he spun around at top speeds for the crowd.
Another fun exhibition at the event was the wheelstanders. There was a modified VW van called “Chevy Rebellion” and a highly-modified school bus called “The Cool Bus” that raced down the track doing a wheelie the entire way. You ain’t seen nuthin’ until you’ve seen a bright yellow school bus do a high-speed wheelie for a quarter-mile! There was also a stunt show put on by Hell on Wheels Productions, featuring bicycle riders doing extreme jumps. Even their hauler, a 2001 Freightliner, took a 3rd Place in the Specialty class. And to cap off the night, “Benny the Bomb” climbed into an old car and then blew it up – with him inside. After being rescued from the burning pile of car parts, Benny took a bow for the crowd. What a nut! The show ended at about 10:30, and not a moment too soon – everyone was worn out.
We not only had a great time at the show, but we also had fun playing in and around New York City for the five days we were there. Having never been to the east coast before, it was an eye-opening experience (but that is another story for another day). Again, our thanks go out to everyone at ETC, who made this event really special for us. We can’t wait to go out again next year and actually set up a 10-4 booth. If you have never attended this event, we urge you to reconsider next year – you won’t be disappointed.
BOBTAIL (2007-2009) DAYCAB: 1st Sam Sidcodi, Warex Terminal; 2nd Joe Miceli, Warex Terminal; 3rd Tommy Martinez, Guida Scrap Metal.
BOBTAIL (2007-2009) SLEEPER: 1st Anthony Tolliver, SRS; 2nd Lil Hollywood, Guida Scrap; 3rd Anthony Fischkelta, Grand St. Warehouse.
BOBTAIL (2001-2006) DAYCAB: 1st Michael Culasanto, MDC Services; 2nd Ray Lombard, Tuccinardi Topsoil; 3rd Brian King.
BOBTAIL (2001-2006) SLEEPER: 1st Richy Ruiz, Exotic Carriers; 2nd Jimmy Baron, Monmouth Transport; 3rd John Larick, Larick Towing.
BOBTAIL (1995-2000) DAYCAB: 1st Chris McCue, All County Trans; 2nd John Miller, Jomac Construction; 3rd Brian Santarsiero, N & L Transport.
BOBTAIL (1995-2000) SLEEPER: 1st Brian Jones, Brian Jones Trkg; 2nd Arthur Line, A.D. Line Jr. & Son Trkg; 3rd John Kump Jr., Diversified Ind.
BOBTAIL (1987-1994) DAYCAB: 1st Darren Devaul, Sunset Towing; 2nd Chris Reynolds, Kmonck Inc; 3rd Abraham Lopez, Arrow Energy.
BOBTAIL 1987-1994) SLEEPER: 1st Terence Thomas, SPI Transport; 2nd Joe Gallapo, Cal-Jo; 3rd Derek Dorsey, KTR Trucking.
SANITATION UNIT: 1st Louis Coppole, Direct Recycling; 2nd Mike Miele, Direct Recycling; 3rd Kerry Roselle, Suburban Disposal.
ROLL-OFF: 1st Anthony Auriemma, Anthony Auriemma Scrap; 2nd Mike C., Direct Waste Systems; 3rd Mike DeVito, Direct Recycling.
WRECKER (SINGLE AXLE): 1st Brian Hawkins, Hawk’s Towing; 2nd Vito DeRosa, Dezba Asset Recovery; 3rd Bobby Pantore, Safeway Towing.
WRECKER (MULTIPLE AXLES): 1st Brian Hawkins, Hawk’s Towing; 2nd Billy Parker, Bill’s Auto Body of Darien; 3rd Jimmy, Bill’s Service.
FLATBED (LIGHT DUTY): 1st Paul Irrgang, Paul’s Towing; 2nd John D. Ray, Afton Auto Body; 3rd Patrick Reed, JL Automotive.
FLATBED (HEAVY DUTY): 1st Benjamin Cafarelli, BDC Bobcat; 2nd Joe Romaniello, East Coast Auto Body; 3rd Corey Ryan, Sunset Towing.
TANKER: 1st Chris Seifermann, Approved Oil Co; 2nd Gary Miczak, Aaron Septic Service; 3rd Fred DeCicco, MDC Services.
DUMP TRUCK: 1st Richie Reddick, R & R Commercial Service; 2nd Sean Hill, E.C. Sparrow; 3rd Anthony Garramune, A & L Materials.
SPECIALTY TRUCK: 1st Paul Stanchio, P.M.P. Trucking; 2nd Richie Ramirez, C & L Towing; 3rd Jeff Jones, Hell on Wheels Productions.
STRAIGHT TRUCK: 1st Phillipe Moreno, Mex York Transportation; 2nd John Michetti, Hi Tech Data Floors; 3rd Jimmy Pergine, Pergine’s Produce.
ANTIQUE (1969 & OLDER): 1st John Noto, John P. Noto Trucking; 2nd Brian Utz, Mahan Collection; 3rd Ben Senter, Ben Senter Trucking.
ANTIQUE (1970-1986): 1st Chris Lumia, CRL Trucking; 2nd Steve DiBella, DiBella Sanitation; 3rd David Ale, D. Ale Trucking.
CEMENT MIXER: 1st Steve Moran, De-Bar Contracting; 2nd John Mernick, 1-800-CONCRETE/Tanis.
DIESEL PICKUP: 1st Don Graham; 2nd Todd Pezzementi; 3rd Louis Sofia.
PAINT: 1st Billy Parker, Bill’s Auto Body of Darien; 2nd Paul Stanchio, P.M.P. Trucking; 3rd Brian Hawkins, Hawk’s Towing.
INTERIOR: 1st Brian Jones, Brian Jones Trucking; 2nd Jimmy Baron, Monmouth Transport; 3rd Arthur Line, A.D. Line Jr. & Son Trucking.
SOUND SYSTEM: 1st Richy Ruiz, Exotic Carriers; 2nd Brian Jones, Brian Jones Trucking; 3rd John Larick, Larick Towing.
CUSTOM CHROME: 1st Brian Jones, Brian Jones Trucking; 2nd Paul Stanchio, P.M.P. Trucking; 3rd Phillipe Moreno, Mex York Transportation.
BEST FLEET (5 OR MORE): 1st Approved Oil Co; 2nd Legend Trucking; 3rd Direct Recycling.
BEST OF SHOW: Paul Stanchio’s “Hot Wheels” Car Carrier, P.M.P. Trucking.