The Guilty By Association Truck Show (GBATS) started out as a little local event seven years ago and has grown to be one of the biggest and best truck shows on the circuit. A fun-filled two-day family event, this show has set new records in regards to size and entertainment options each and every year – and this year was no different. The words that come to mind are more, more and more!
This year, the stars were aligned, and the result was an event that featured picture-perfect weather (sunny and 85 degrees), a banquet-style dinner with a fun shovel-bucket competition, big rig burnouts, shop tours, a top-notch truck and tractor pull, high-flying motocross bikers performing jaw-dropping jumps and stunts, honorary awards, fireworks, an auction, a record-breaking truck convoy for charity, live concerts, a “trucker-style” downtown street party unlike any other, and so much more. It is amazing how much fun the Martin family can pack into a two-day+ show!
Held on September 25-26, 2015 at 4 State Trucks in Joplin, Missouri, this fall event requires a lot of preparation to set the stage for such a large and action-packed event. “Bossman” Bryan Martin stated, “For the last two years, just as a safety measure, we have been bulldozing trees from the west side of our property just to make sure we could accommodate more trucks if they showed up. It goes without saying, there was plenty of really cheap firewood available, so bring your saw next year.” With the pre-registration of 380 trucks, all of which had good intentions to be there, a lot of them didn’t make it, but in their place were plenty more that came without registering in advance, making the official final count around 440 trucks.
The schedule of events had so much going on, there was always something to do, if you wanted to. Whether you decided to sit in a chair and relax by your truck or be on the move all weekend, either option was okay. We arrived mid-week to get a head start, and marveled at how things were coming together so smoothly. The early birds were among the many already parked in some prime locations. While walking back to the shop area to find our golf cart, we bumped into Israel Turner who had set up a full-on Cajun shrimp feast, with all the trimmings, that covered two full-size tables. He really put on a great lunch for the lucky ones that arrived early.
After licking our fingers for ten minutes, we watched Jason Alt, Hank Robey and Galen Johnson park the trucks like rapid fire in all directions. Bryan noted that 271 trucks were already parked on Thursday, and with the day winding down, it was time for their annual day-before-the-show VIP dinner for the vendors and early-arriving participants. With over 450 in attendance, Red Hot & Blue BBQ catered an amazing meal that featured pulled pork, chicken, mashed potatoes, pasta salad and veggies. Troy Huddleston got off easy this year, as they dressed him up in some Chrome Shop Mafia swag, including a jacket, beanie, gloves and a special chain necklace with a 4 State Trucks license plate “charm” hanging from it. Over the years, they have dressed him up as Fred Flintstone, the Hulk and other silly characters, and he is always a good sport about it.
After dinner, everyone went outside for a fun competition to see who could hop into a Case CX 36B shovel bucket and stack some tires, grab a basketball atop a cone and drop it into a bucket, and then flip a bumper over two times the quickest. Randy Menkel of J&L Contracting was first-up, and he demonstrated how it’s done and won the competition. Linda Harley (Bob Harley’s wife) and Truett Novosad gave it their best, but both came up a little short. With nobody in a big hurry to leave, it was a great way to blow off some steam and settle in for the weekend. And there’s more…
The show officially began on Friday morning, and, for those who got there early, there was an on-site breakfast to get things started. At noon, the sound of squealing tires got everyone’s attention and a cloud of smoke made it look like the truck show was on fire. Actually, Joe Seaman, who is involved in diesel drags and burnout exhibitions, was “burnin’ it down” out in the west lot. Last year, Joe did some “off the grid” burnouts that attracted a large crowd – and caught the attention of the show producers. So, this year, they asked him to come out and perform a demonstration. In contact with Jim Disher and his granddaughter from Colorado, Joe asked them to come out, as well, and sure enough, Jim brought four more trucks and some extra tires. This was definitely a crowd-pleaser and a high energy moment for all involved, even after a couple of the trucks blew up. And there’s more…
Every year “Mafia Mom” Linda Martin is in charge of the shop tours held each day. On Friday, she had well over 100 people tour the massive 4 State Trucks facility, and then another 50 on Saturday. These folks got to see the entire operation including the store, paint booth, fabrication shop, shipping warehouse, salvage yard and more. It is always a well-attended part of the show that gives people the rare opportunity to see all of the “mafia madness” that happens behind the scenes. And there’s more…
With the sun setting in the west, it was time for everyone to make their way to the truck pull track, made just for this event, across the street from the store. With grandstands, trained officials, lights and a nice sound system, this was a top-notch event! All truckers with a CDL were admitted for free, while the general public and other spectators paid a small fee to get some good seats. Lincoln Chrome, as in the past, sponsored the pre-race show which featured Terry Russell and his high-flying motocross team United MFX from Jefferson City, MO that performed gravity-defying jumps and stunts over the top of their big rig hauler. These guys were in tune, and pulled off every trick like they were on a lunch break! We noticed Terry mixing it up with the kids, who just couldn’t get enough. And there’s more…
After the motocross show, it was time to announce the winner of this year’s coveted Larry Martin Memorial Award. This award, given each year, honors someone special to the Martin family. Bryan Martin and his family presented this award to a longtime supporter, hard worker, and all-around trucking family friend named Eddie Hartsell. Eddie worked for Bryan’s grandfather for a few years and then for Larry Martin, Bryan’s father, for 32 years. Bryan recalled how he rode so many Friday nights, as a youngster, with Eddie delivering fuel. Recently retired, over the course of his long career, Eddie has delivered millions of gallons of fuel, and is like an uncle to everyone in the family. As Bryan said, “Eddie was more reliable than the U.S. Mail and worked six days a week.” And there’s more…
The Lucas Oil Main Event was an exciting truck pull sponsored by Dynaflex, Merritt Equipment, CEI, Speedco and Peterbilt of Joplin. Plugging your ears was mandatory, as these monster machines put out some real horsepower and got everyone jumping. Bryan and his announcing partner, Dave Amick, made their commentary this year from the front porch of a “hillbilly hideaway” – a prefab cabin sitting atop old truck cabs and sleepers. On the other side of the track, the grandstands were a sellout, with around 2,200 in attendance. The trucks that competed were impressive, but Pat Eilen’s “Just Passin’ Thru” semi put down a 346.49-foot pull that stuck it to the competition – it looked like he wouldn’t stop until he hit his home state of Minnesota! Congrats to our friend Pat Eilen and his entire race team and support staff. The conclusion of the event featured a fireworks show, sponsored by United Pacific, and put together the old school way (with propane tanks and twisted fuses) by Jerry Kissinger. It was a perfect and patriotic way to finish off a long and fun day. And there’s more…
Saturday morning had a lot on its plate with more burnouts, a kid’s tractor pull and more motorcycle stunts, but the truck convoy coming later that night was what everyone was talking about. During the day, the bargain basement room, which included surplus, dinged and dented items at extremely discounted prices, had a one-hour special at 50% off and it felt like the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, as everyone scrambled to get the best deals. The store was in full swing both days, and for quicker service, there were over 15 temporary locations set up to help everyone checkout and keep the lines moving. And there’s more…
The Special Olympics of Southern Missouri hit the jackpot with this year’s charity truck convoy from the show to downtown Joplin. With advance contributions from some big local trucking companies like Walmart and Prime adding up to over $24,000, about 370 trucks registered in the convoy at $100 each, and the first 17 spots and caboose position being auctioned off to the highest bidder, the event was already off to a profitable start. The first position in the convoy went to Scott of Certified Express Inc. from nearby Neosho, MO for an astounding $17,000, while the second spot went for an almost-equally-impressive $11,000.
Cory of Dynaflex, at the last moment, donated $1,000 to add ten more trucks to the convoy, as they were in line to head toward downtown Joplin for the Street Party and light show. These numbers were numbing, as Robin Anderson, with the Special Olympics, was shaking with excitement and gratitude. And it didn’t stop there – an anonymous donor wrote a check for $5,000 and a silent auction took the total raised to over $120,000 for the charity! It was awesome to see how the Special Olympics of Southwest Missouri and the trucking industry once again came together for such a humbling and heart-warming experience. And there’s more…
Before the convoy of trucks began their parade to downtown Joplin, a few awards were handed out. The FRESHMAN Award went to Bradley Sweet and his 2007 green Peterbilt 379 for his 1st year at the show; the OLDER THAN DIRT Award went to Ruben Comer and his 1947 WB20T for the oldest truck entered in the show; the RAT ROD Award went to Paul C. and his 1980 flat black Peterbilt 359 for the sweetest rat rod entered in the show; the SHOW OFF Award went to Bob Brinker and his 2000 Freightliner Classic for the most bling on a truck entered at the show; the LONG HAULER Award went to Dave Charlebois and his red and black Freightliner Classic that traveled 1,362 miles from Canada to the show; the BEST OF SHOW BOBTAIL went to Bob Harley and his 1972 purple Peterbilt 358 (our January 2015 cover truck); and the BEST OF SHOW COMBO went to Henry Lopez & Johnny V. with their 2015 green and blue Peterbilt 389 glider.
Joe Kowis of the Joplin PD gave the green light at 6:00 pm for the convoy to get started. The streets were lined with people along the route and the volunteer crew downtown had all of the bobtail-only rigs parked in an orderly fashion within one hour. Tony Justice started the concert early on a flatbed at 7th Street and Main, and played some new songs to the delight of the crowd. Later on, “Live Wire” rocked-out until 10:00 p.m. to close-out the fun. Gary Brooks had the sound equipment in tune at both the truck show and at the downtown party concerts, as well.
And, just like that, the 2015 GBATS came to a close. Show producer and host Bryan Martin of 4 State Trucks wanted to give a shout-out to the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Downtown City Services and the MODOT, as this street party has become the single largest event of the year in downtown Joplin. This show gets bigger and better every year, so 2016 should be more of everything, as well. The dates for next year will be released later, so stay tuned. If you have never been to GBATS, you need to be there in 2016! And there’s more… Happy Holidays!
