With the truck show season winding down, there was one more summer fling to be had at the beach in Ventura, CA. The second Dynaflex Monster Stacks Shootout was held on October 20-22 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, right next to the beach, in sunny southern California. In addition to the more relaxed “Wash and Show” contest, this was also the fourth and final stop of the first season of the American Truck Show Circuit (ATSC), where four “Big Boss” national champions would be crowned. And with a venue as relaxing as the beach, this was destined to be a laid-back weekend – and it was.
There is something special every year about closing out the truck show season. After months of running, weeks on the road and many nights in a hotel room, it is nice to think about just being home. Truck shows are a lot fun and we are blessed to attend and participate in so many of them throughout the year, but they are also a lot of work – a lot more than you might think. So, the last show of the year is always bittersweet – we are happy to be done traveling for the year, but sad that we won’t get to hang out with some of our friends for a while. With that in mind, we made the most of this last show of 2017, and really let our hair down.
Ventura is a scenic beach-side tourist town with great hotels and restaurants to enjoy, and with the host hotel being only about a quarter-mile from the fairgrounds, we could walk from our room to the show. Since we were not planning to have a booth at this event, we arrived on Saturday (Friday was mostly a setup day and we had nothing to set up). We were told that Friday was very windy, which made things difficult for vendors setting up and competitors to clean their trucks, but by Saturday, the wind had died down to a nice breeze, with just an occasional gust. When we arrived at the show, there were about 50 trucks on-site, but throughout the day, more just kept rolling in. By the end of the day, there were about 65 trucks on the lot – and these were 65 really nice rides!
The ATSC circuit traveled the country throughout 2017, hosting events in Florida, Indiana and Oklahoma. The circuit competitors competed at all these events, or as many as they could attend, and accumulated as many points as possible. As the most novel judging format to ever be utilized in heavy duty truck show events, the bias-eliminating TruckScore© system sets the bar for competitive truck shows and provides competitors a scorecard at the conclusion of each event. With a five-judge panel consisting of truck industry members, the high and low scores from each of the judged subcategories are dropped and then the three remaining scores are averaged to create a single TruckScore© line – a style of judging most notably used in subjectively-judged Olympic events.
Not to be ignored, the ATSC “Wash and Show” competitor’s choice contests have gained momentum all year, too. A low-pressure option for anyone looking to have a great time without the white-glove cleaning stress, competitors in the Wash and Show contest were not only awarded custom-made billet plaques for various classes and best of show, but were also entered into a raffle that, throughout the four events, gave away more than 15 sets of Hogebuilt fenders, 15 sets of Dynaflex pipes, and tons of stuff from Lifetime, PDI, Stay Loaded and other great sponsors. Every event, Ventura included, also provided competitors with multiple meals, goody bags, custom event shirts and more.
With vendors like Dynaflex, PDI, Grand General, Stay Loaded Apparel, A & L Truck Supply, Hogebuilt, Zephyr Polish and more, the industry had plenty of representation at this event. And, along with the vendor booths and displays, there were also some great trucks to check out, including stellar rides from local companies like NAVA, JetSpeed, Central Valley Transport, Ozzie’s Trucking and Lil Ray’s. Many trucks came from distant states to compete in either the circuit competition or the Wash and Show contest, including four from Washington, three from Wisconsin, two from Missouri, and single trucks from the states of Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Pennsylvania – there was even one there from Canada!
In Ventura, in addition to all the previously mentioned things, they also hosted a fun poker tournament on Saturday night. For a modest buy-in of $40, players competed against each other for three awesome Yeti coolers. Starting with four tables of players, each table played no limit Texas Hold’em until only one was left, and then that person joined another table, until someone left with all the cash (or in this case, the largest cooler). While the poker tournament was going on under a large tent in the middle of the lot, the light show was happening all around it, as well. And this was no quick light show – it went from dusk until 11:00 PM, and almost every truck was lit-up the whole time!
As the weekend went on, it kept getting hotter. Friday was windy and cool, but Saturday was only slightly breezy and maybe 80 degrees, at the most. But, by the time the awards (which were announced by Dustin Pope) came to an end and the show began to wind down on Sunday afternoon, it was getting into the 90s. Little did we know, but a late-season heatwave was starting that day, and, on the drive home, we saw temps as high as 97 degrees – in late October! And, even worse, over the next few days, southern California would see temperatures rise to record levels – almost 110 – through the following week, so we were glad the show had nice weather.
Some of the trucks that stood out to us and the judges included Jose Ramos’ sweet little maroon 2016 KW T300 bobtail (R & B Produce), Jose Vargas’ bright red 2011 Pete 386 (R & E Trucking), and Miro Dragich’s cream and brown 2003 Peterbilt 379 transfer. Two other trucks that did very well in the judging were Michael Gutierrez’ orange 2016 Pete 389 (Best of Show Bobtail) and Arlyn & Linda Workman’s red and black 1986 Pete 359 (Best of Show Combo). A few more rigs that were lookin’ top notch included Kris Gaare’s classically-styled black 2015 Pete 389, AGT’s aerodynamic white 2018 Pete 579, and Anthony Munguia’s flashy 2001 Pete 379, painted white with green flames.
And, just like that, the 2017 truck show season came to a close – at least for us. After traveling much of the country, attending 15 different events in 10 different states, while still having to do our “regular” jobs, too, it’s time for a well-deserved break in the action for a few months. Our last fling in Ventura was a trip to remember, for many reasons (a surfing cowboy, for one), but mostly the friends, fun and great memories. If you missed this show or chose not to attend, we encourage you to rethink that decision next year – you won’t regret it.
WASH AND SHOW RESULTS – VENTURA, CA
LIGHTS (BOBTAIL): 1st Michael Gutierrez, 2016 Peterbilt 389; 2nd Jose Ramos, 2016 Kenworth T300; 3rd Jose Vargas, 2011 Peterbilt 386.
LIGHTS (COMBO): 1st Kris Gaare, 2015 Pete 389; 2nd Everardo Lopez, 2008 Peterbilt 389; 3rd Bill Rethwisch, 2016 Peterbilt 389.
EXTERIOR STYLING (BOBTAIL): 1st Jose Vargas, 2011 Peterbilt 386; 2nd Armando Puente, 2015 Freightliner Coronado; 3rd Jose Ramos, 2016 Kenworth T300.
EXTERIOR STYLING (COMBO): 1st Bill Rethwisch, 2016 Peterbilt 389; 2nd Miro Dragich, 2003 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Hugh Dekle, 2000 Peterbilt 379.
PAINT/VINYL (BOBTAIL): 1st Jose Vargas, 2011 Peterbilt 386; 2nd Michael Gutierrez, 2016 Peterbilt 389; 3rd Armando Puente, 2015 Freightliner Coronado.
PAINT/VINYL (COMBO): 1st Rolando Nava, 2005 Kenworth W900; 2nd Bill Rethwisch, 2016 Peterbilt 389; 3rd Alex Rodrigues, 2002 Peterbilt 362.
BEST USE OF CHROME (BOBTAIL): Jose Vargas, 2011 Peterbilt 386.
BEST USE OF CHROME (COMBO): Dennis Durand, 2017 Kenworth W900.
BEST OF SHOW (BOBTAIL): 1st Michael Gutierrez, 2016 Peterbilt 389; 2nd Armando Puente, 2015 Freightliner Coronado; 3rd Jose Ramos, 2016 Kenworth T300.
BEST OF SHOW (COMBO): 1st Arlyn & Linda Workman, 1986 Peterbilt 359; 2nd Everardo Lopez, 2008 Peterbilt 389; 3rd Rolando Nava, 2005 Kenworth W900.
ATSC NATIONAL CIRCUIT COMPETITION RESULTS – VENTURA, CA
ELITE WORKING BOBTAIL (EXTERIOR): 1st Aaron Spiniolas, 2001 Peterbilt 379; 2nd Nick Flores, 2018 Peterbilt 579; 3rd Anthony Munguia, 2001 Peterbilt 379.
ELITE WORKING BOBTAIL (ENGINE): 1st Aaron Spiniolas, 2001 Peterbilt 379; 2nd Anthony Munguia, 2001 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Nick Flores, 2018 Peterbilt 579.
ELITE WORKING BOBTAIL (INTERIOR): 1st Aaron Spiniolas, 2001 Peterbilt 379; 2nd Nick Flores, 2018 Peterbilt 579; 3rd Anthony Munguia, 2001 Peterbilt 379.
ELITE WORKING BOBTAIL (DRIVER PRESENTATION): 1st Aaron Spiniolas, 2001 Peterbilt 379; 2nd Nick Flores, 2018 Peterbilt 579; 3rd Anthony Munguia, 2001 Pete 379.
ELITE WORKING COMBO (EXTERIOR): 1st Brad Garetson, 2016 Peterbilt 389; 2nd Robbie Basse, 2016 Kenworth, W900L; 3rd Terry Aslinger, 1996 Peterbilt 379; 4th Colton Chase, 2002 Peterbilt 379.
ELITE WORKING COMBO (ENGINE): 1st Brad Garetson, 2016 Peterbilt 389; 2nd Terry Aslinger, 1996 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Robbie Basse, 2016 Kenworth, W900L; 4th Colton Chase, 2002 Peterbilt 379.
ELITE WORKING COMBO (INTERIOR): 1st Brad Garetson, 2016 Peterbilt 389; 2nd Colton Chase, 2002 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Terry Aslinger, 1996 Peterbilt 379; 4th Robbie Basse, 2016 Kenworth, W900L.
ELITE WORKING COMBO (DRIVER PRESENTATION): 1st Robbie Basse, 2016 Kenworth, W900L; 2nd Colton Chase, 2002 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Terry Aslinger, 1996 Peterbilt 379; 4th Brad Garetson, 2016 Peterbilt 389.
LIMITED FOR SHOW COMBO (EXTERIOR): 1st Dustin Shipman, 2008 Kenworth W900L; 2nd Nick Rosenberger, 2017 Kenworth W900; 3rd Ray Rodriquez, 2015 Peterbilt 389.
LIMITED FOR SHOW COMBO (ENGINE): 1st Nick Rosenberger, 2017 Kenworth W900; 2nd Ray Rodriquez, 2015 Peterbilt 389; 3rd Dustin Shipman, 2008 Kenworth W900L.
LIMITED FOR SHOW COMBO (INTERIOR): 1st Dustin Shipman, 2008 Kenworth W900L; 2nd Ray Rodriquez, 2015 Peterbilt 389; 3rd Nick Rosenberger, 2017 Kenworth W900.
LIMITED FOR SHOW COMBO (DRIVER PRESENTATION): 1st Nick Rosenberger, 2017 Kenworth W900; 2nd Ray Rodriquez, 2015 Peterbilt 389; 3rd Dustin Shipman, 2008 Kenworth W900L.
ELITE WORKING BOBTAIL (BEST OF SHOW): 1st Aaron Spiniolas, 2001 Peterbilt 379; 2nd Nick Flores, 2018 Peterbilt 579; 3rd Anthony Munguia, 2001 Peterbilt 379.
ELITE WORKING COMBO (BEST OF SHOW): 1st Brad Garetson, 2016 Peterbilt 389; 2nd Robbie Basse, 2016 Kenworth, W900L; 3rd Terry Aslinger, 1996 Peterbilt 379; 4th Colton Chase, 2002 Peterbilt 379.
LIMITED FOR SHOW COMBO (BEST OF SHOW): 1st Dustin Shipman, 2008 Kenworth W900L; 2nd Nick Rosenberger, 2017 Kenworth W900; 3rd Ray Rodriquez, 2015 Peterbilt 389.
PEOPLE’S CHOICE (CHOSEN FROM ALL THE TRUCKS AT THE SHOW): Dustin Shipman, 2008 Kenworth W900L.
THE ATSC NATIONAL CIRCUIT BIG BOSS CHAMPIONS FOR 2017
ELITE WORKING BOBTAIL: Aaron Spiniolas of Ridge Crest Trucking out of Harvard, IL – 2001 cream and maroon Peterbilt 379.
ELITE WORKING COMBO: Brad Garetson of Rollin Transport out of Richfield, WI – 2016 black and purple Peterbilt 389.
LIMITED FOR SHOW BOBTAIL: Bob Harley of RD Excavating & Trucking out of Burbank, OH – 1972 purple Peterbilt 358A.
LIMITED FOR SHOW COMBO: Dustin Shipman of J & L Contracting out of Springfield, MO – 2008 red and white Kenworth W900L.
1 Comment
Hey 10-4 any chance you took pictures of every individual truck from the show?I would sure like one from my 09 pete fertilizer tanker trailer. The red one. I would sure appreciate it.