One of the best ways to close out the summer is to visit Britt, IA over Labor Day weekend and attend the No Coast Large Cars Truck Show. In its fourth year now, this working-class truck show is produced by Lifetime Nut Covers, and it boasts a weekend full of events that are centered on the celebration of the drivers and their families. Featuring food booths, music and truck accessory vendors, there is something for everyone to enjoy, while observing the spectacular craftsmanship of these trucks. But we can’t forget that there is also serious hardware to win, in several of the judged classes, and the competition was fierce this year with 107 truck entries.
Bordered by several large cities such as Des Moines, Minneapolis and Kansas City, Britt is a picturesque Midwestern town. Kevin and Heather from Big Rig Chrome Shop happily took the six-hour drive from Oshkosh, WI to partake as one of the show sponsors, with a trailer full of products, in tow. Having been to the inaugural show, Kevin couldn’t wait to be a part of this event once again, which is quickly becoming a premiere event to attend in the industry.
The success of this event is due to the dedication of Nicky, JR and the rest of the passionate crew at Lifetime Nut Covers, whose factory is just a short distance away from the event grounds. The company was formed in 1990, with the focus on quality wheel and interior accessories, with original designs, and everything being exclusively produced here in America. The innovative and tested products are a testament of their commitment to the owner operators of the industry. The rising popularity of this show demonstrates how loyal and supportive a customer base can be when an incredible company such as Lifetime provides great products and outstanding service.
As Kevin and Heather arrived Friday night, there were dozens of trucks already lined-up in the cornfield at the Hancock County Fairgrounds, but that was just the beginning – the next two days would be full of events. Come Saturday afternoon, as the truck registration number surpassed 100, the smell of culinary specials such as tacos, gourmet hot dogs and pizza filled the air, while MOJO Productions continued to mix a great soundtrack for the crowd. At night, the judged light show certainly showcased countless ingenious LED patterns on many incredible trucks and trailers. Sunday morning means putting on the finishing touches, as judging occurs from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., along with a raffle and silent auction, which featured lots of valuable prizes donated by the sponsors.
Here are a few highlights from the wide variety of trucks that were represented. A popular one was a clean 2004 Peterbilt 379, dominated mainly by a single color called Bordeaux, with Black Cherry fenders and tanks, owned and operated by Levi Moren of Minnesota. Monson and Sons brought several polished and stunning 379s and 389s from their extensive fleet. Alex and Matt Strottman’s 389s were well-dressed and impressive, with plenty of custom work, as well. A styling red 2007 Peterbilt 379 bobtail with single-axle fenders, driven by Big Jim of Minnesota, was very inspiring, as well. IMT Transport drove about 20 trucks into the event, which caught everyone’s attention, as they are a very recognizable company in the immediate area.
Other sponsors of the show included Outlaw Truck Parts from Mason City, IA (who has helped on JR’s projects over the years), Capital City Chrome & Custom of Pataskala, OH, Roadsknz out of Big Lake, MN, Hogebuilt out of Springfield, TN (who donated merchandise for the silent auction), IMT Transport of Garner, IA, and Commercial Services of Algona, IA, who contributed all of the trophies for the event.
Mark your calendars for next Labor Day, as this show will continue to surpass expectations and become a must-visit destination point for any and all drivers. Congratulations to Lifetime Nut Covers for another amazing and fun truck show! And the 2018 winners were:
BOBTAIL (1994 & OLDER): 1st Dave Gulich of Dave Gulich Trucking (1987 Peterbilt 359); 2nd Matt Schleuger of Matt Schleuger Trucking (1993 KW K100E); 3rd Chase Monson of Monson & Sons (1985 Peterbilt 359).
BOBTAIL (1995-2002): 1st Laird “Spike” Fuller of Spike Transportation (1995 Peterbilt 379); 2nd Jerry Boehm of LB Transport (1999 KW W900); 3rd Darek Joubert of IMT (2001 KW W900L).
BOBTAIL (2003-2009): 1st Shannon Lique of 7 Aces Trucking (2006 Pete 379); 2nd Steph & Jake Robak of Robak Auto Transport (2006 Pete 379); 3rd Ben Monson of Monson & Sons (2005 Pete 379).
BOBTAIL (2010 & NEWER): 1st Ken Cunningham of IMT (2015 Pete 389); 2nd Bobby Holland of IMT (2018 Pete 389); 3rd Matt Wagner of IMT (2018 Pete 389).
COMBO (1994 & OLDER): 1st Austin Jamvold-Banks of Jamvold-Banks Trucking (1994 Peterbilt 379); 2nd Trent Busma of Busma Trucking (1980 Peterbilt 352); 3rd Mike Walstead of Walstead Farms (1985 Freightliner Cabover).
COMBO (1995-2002): 1st Lee Vaske of Vaske Trucking (1997 Peterbilt 379); 2nd Travis Thull of Eich Trucking (2002 Peterbilt 379); 3rd Kyle Bellcock of Bellcock Farms Trucking (1999 Peterbilt 379).
COMBO (2003-2009): 1st Levi Moren of Seifert Transport (2004 Peterbilt 379); 2nd Ben Schultze of Commercial Services (2006 KW W900); 3rd Pat Hoffman of Pat Hoffman Trucking (2007 International 9400).
COMBO (2010 & NEWER): 1st T.J. Kounkel of Kounkel Trucking (2016 Peterbilt 389); 2nd Matt Strottman of Figanbaum Trucking (2017 Peterbilt 389); 3rd Pauly Manderfeld of Manderfeld Trucking (2013 Peterbilt 389).
LOCAL BOYS: 1st Ben Monson of Monson & Sons (2005 Peterbilt 379); 2nd Matt Trask of Matt Trask Trucking (2014 Peterbilt 389); 3rd Trent Busma of Busma Trucking (1980 Peterbilt 352).
LIGHTS AT NIGHT (BOBTAIL): 1st Laird “Spike” Fuller of Spike Transportation (1995 Peterbilt 379); 2nd Steph & Jake Robak of Robak Auto Transport (2006 Peterbilt 379); 3rd Dave Gulich of Dave Gulich Trucking (1987 Peterbilt 359).
LIGHTS AT NIGHT (COMBO): 1st Matt Strottman of Figanbaum Trucking (2017 Peterbilt 389); 2nd Robbie Christiansen of Cronin Farms (2014 Peterbilt 389); 3rd Alex Strottman of Figanbaum Trucking (2017 Peterbilt 389).
FARTHEST TRAVELED: Laird “Spike” Fuller of Spike Transportation (793 miles traveled from Broomfield, Colorado).
PEOPLE’S CHOICE: T.J. Kounkel of Kounkel Trucking (2016 Peterbilt 389).
BUTCH SCHLEUGER TROPHY: Chase Monson of Monson & Sons (1985 Peterbilt 359).
LIFETIME’S CHOICE: Steven Ostercamp of Jaeschke Trucking (2017 Peterbilt 389).
BEST OF SHOW BOBTAIL: Laird “Spike” Fuller of Spike Transportation (1995 Peterbilt 379).
BEST OF SHOW COMBO: T.J. Kounkel of Kounkel Trucking (2016 Peterbilt 389).
