Anytime you have a show in the dairy rich state of Wisconsin, you can bet there will be plenty of tall rides. Such was the case on Father’s Day weekend, June 14-16, when trucks came from all over Wisconsin and afar for the first stop of the 2019 American Truck Show Circuit (ATSC) and the second annual Amcan Truck Fest at the Racine County Fairgrounds in Union Grove, Wisconsin. Compared to last year’s venue in Waukesha, Wisconsin, this setup was much more truck friendly and drew a larger crowd due to being out in the country. It also drew in a bunch of cool trucks, as folks competed for points, trophies, prizes and cash!
On Friday, some of the trucks were getting parked in the grass, while others were being lined-up on the pavement. Leading into the evening, everyone was having a great time talking and looking at trucks, as they were all getting ready for the local truck and tractor pulls, which went almost all the way until midnight. With the venue being much nicer than the previous one last year, there was a lot of lush grass, trees, flowers and photogenic barns to take pictures of trucks in front of. Also, there was camping on the grounds, which was very nice, lots of food vendors and a DJ playing music. Word on the street was that this is where the truck show will be in the future.
Although there were lots of amazing competitors in the National Championship Series (NCS) classes, the more casual Wash and Show contest was just as good. Some honorable mentions to companies with lots of trucks were Always Haulin, Jack C. Moss Trucking, Rollin Transport, Flattop Transport, Ridge Crest Trucking and Pagels Trucking. Drivers in the Wash and Show have a chance to win lots of great giveaways and prizes from the many fine sponsors of the show.
As you walked into the event, you were greeted by some of the finest trucks on the road, including two previous champions of the ATSC circuit – Aaron Spiniolas and his flawless “Cream of the Crop” Peterbilt and Brad Garetson, former driver of the famed “Tough Act to Follow” Peterbilt from Rollin Transport. At this event, both of these rigs were parked and on display, but they were not competing, as their owner and driver respectively were both judges for the rigs competing in the National Championship Series (the Wash and Show winners are all determined by a competitor’s choice).
Just as you reached the tip of all the trucks, to your left were a handful of the circuit bobtail show trucks, including Steve Sontag, Grant Alderman and Austin Gottman. Through social media, I have been keeping tabs on Austin and his freshly built blue Peterbilt. Knowing that it was going to be here, I was eager to see it – and it turned out amazing! Austin calls the truck “Family Tradition” as he is the fourth generation of his family to drive for his grandpa’s company that was started back in the 1970s. Austin built the truck in honor of his grandfather, Chuck Brauer. The truck is a 2019 glider powered by a 550-hp 3406E Cat, an 18-speed, 3.36 rears and a modest 260-inch wheelbase.
Austin was fortunate to see his truck be built at the Peterbilt plant in Denton, TX. “What an unforgettable experience,” he said. But then he brought it home and decked it out with lots of chicken lights, chrome and pinstriping. One secret to those who are fans of the railroad, is that Austin fitted this truck with an electronic train bell, the same setup they use on late model diesel locomotives. It sounds cool when he uses the train whistle on the truck with it, too. There are lots of little things that most people wouldn’t even notice on this truck. The best and worst part about this truck is that the day after the show ended, it went to work. Through all the hard work and dedication to cleaning the truck, Austin took Best of Show in his class.
I got the rundown from Brad about how the judging works. The NCS features electronic judging, bias-eliminating scoring and an accruing points system. Competitors show based on mileage and usage of their truck in one of two divisions: Elite Working or Limited for Show. Using a mobile app, five judges score NCS competitors in Interior, Engine, Exterior and Driver Presentation. An algorithm then drops high and low scores from each category and then averages the remaining three for a single TruckScore™ tally. This modernized system of judging allows for a transparent breakdown of scores after the event, so competitors can see where they did well and could have done better. First place Best of Show winners get custom trophies made by Dynaflex Products and $1,000. Second and third place Best of Show finishers earn cash and cool trophies, as well. NCS competitors also gain points towards a national championship title based on their finishing position at each event.
After checking out all the competition and the awesome light show on Friday night, everyone was worried that it was going to rain on Saturday. Fortunately, it didn’t – but instead, a giant cold front rolled in around 2:00 PM and the temperature went from a perfect 74 degrees down to a chilly 54 and, with the wind, it felt like it was in the 40s! Last year, it was 100+ degrees, so a lot of people this year came wearing shorts. Due to the sudden temperature drop, some of the general public got scared away because, in all honesty, it was nasty. But on the bright side, everyone loved Carl Carstens’ (Rockwood Products) complementary root beer floats with meat, cheese and crackers, despite the cold.
As the day turned to night, the light display began and, thankfully, the wind also died down. Most people were huddled in groups to stay warm, and some left the show to go to local pubs and restaurants to get out of the cold and chat the night away.
When Sunday rolled around, everyone was eager to find out who won the coveted Best of Show awards, but first, there was a breakfast for the competitors. While this Father’s Day morning started out as wet, cold and gloomy, it only got better. After the awards were handed out, people started firing up their trucks and moving them around, deciding to take advantage of the nice surroundings and buildings on the grounds, doing impromptu photo shoots. Also, all the Best of Show winners got their pictures taken by the event’s producers, Cory and Ivana.
By 3:00 PM everything was all wrapped up and done. What a great show, which would not have been possible without the help and support of Nick Kimball and all his family, friends and affiliates at Amcan Truck Parts. And, congratulations and thanks to Cory and the rest of the ATSC crew for pushing this event even higher than before. Next year, plan to stop by Moo Town and check it out for yourself! This year’s winners were:
LIMITED FOR SHOW BOBTAIL / NCS
EXTERIOR:
1st Austin Gottman (2019 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Grant Alderman (2008 Peterbilt 389);
3rd Steve Sontag (2007 Peterbilt 379).
ENGINE:
1st Grant Alderman (2008 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Austin Gottman (2019 Peterbilt 389);
3rd Steve Sontag (2007 Peterbilt 379).
INTERIOR:
1st Grant Alderman (2008 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Austin Gottman (2019 Peterbilt 389);
3rd Steve Sontag (2007 Peterbilt 379).
DRIVER PRESENTATION:
1st Austin Gottman (2019 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Grant Alderman (2008 Peterbilt 389);
3rd Steve Sontag (2007 Peterbilt 379).
BEST OF SHOW:
1st Austin Gottman (2019 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Grant Alderman (2008 Peterbilt 389);
3rd Steve Sontag (2007 Peterbilt 379).
ELITE WORKING BOBTAIL / NCS
EXTERIOR:
1st Cory Worline (2016 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Nicholas Krueger (1994 Peterbilt 379);
3rd Buck Crombie (1989 Peterbilt 379).
ENGINE:
1st Cory Worline (2016 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Miles Ronald (1998 Peterbilt 378);
3rd Nicholas Krueger (1994 Peterbilt 379).
INTERIOR:
1st Cory Worline (2016 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Miles Ronald (1998 Peterbilt 378);
3rd Buck Crombie (1989 Peterbilt 379).
DRIVER PRESENTATION:
1st Buck Crombie (1989 Peterbilt 379);
2nd Cory Worline (2016 Peterbilt 389);
3rd Nicholas Krueger (1994 Peterbilt 379).
BEST OF SHOW:
1st Cory Worline (2016 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Nicholas Krueger (1994 Peterbilt 379);
3rd Buck Crombie (1989 Peterbilt 379).
ELITE WORKING COMBO / NCS
EXTERIOR:
1st (tie) Brian Dreher (2016 Peterbilt 389);
1st (tie) Gary Jones (1999 Peterbilt 379);
3rd Josh Irwin (2007 Kenworth W900L).
ENGINE:
1st Brian Dreher (2016 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Jacob Lavey (2019 Peterbilt 389);
3rd Dom Falson (2019 Peterbilt 389).
INTERIOR:
1st Brian Dreher (2016 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Mike Rafferty (2019 Peterbilt 389);
3rd Gary Jones (1999 Peterbilt 379).
DRIVER PRESENTATION:
1st Brian Dreher (2016 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Gary Jones (1999 Peterbilt 379);
3rd Justin Vandenbeldt (2017 Peterbilt 389).
BEST OF SHOW:
1st Brian Dreher (2016 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Gary Jones (1999 Peterbilt 379);
3rd Josh Irwin (2007 Kenworth W900L).
WASH AND SHOW BOBTAIL
LIGHT DISPLAY:
1st A.J. Dawes (1988 Peterbilt 379);
2nd Emmanuel Valadez (1999 KW W900);
3rd Kevin Pfeffer (2018 Kenworth W900L).
EXTERIOR STYLING:
1st Kevin Pfeffer (2018 Kenworth W900L);
2nd Timothy Sasman (2005 KW W900L);
3rd Jared Mehring (2019 Kenworth T800).
PAINT/VINYL:
1st Andy Pagels (2003 Peterbilt 379);
2nd Andy Pagels (2001 Peterbilt 379);
3rd Mark Szczerba 2015 Peterbilt 389).
BEST OF SHOW:
1st Andy Pagels (2003 Peterbilt 379);
2nd Ryan Krahn (2017 Peterbilt 389);
3rd Nicholas Spohr (1990 Peterbilt 379).
WASH AND SHOW COMBO
LIGHT DISPLAY:
1st Dom Falson (2019 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Mike Rafferty (2019 Peterbilt 389);
3rd Osvaldo Serna Jr. (2005 Peterbilt 379).
EXTERIOR STYLING:
1st Patrick Sullivan (1979 Kenworth K100);
2nd Mike Rafferty (2019 Peterbilt 389);
3rd Tyler Lamkins (2000 Kenworth W900L).
PAINT / VINYL:
1st Mike Rafferty (2019 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Kiegan Nelson (2013 Peterbilt 389);
3rd Brian Mathison (2019 Peterbilt 389).
BEST OF SHOW:
1st Mike Rafferty (2019 Peterbilt 389);
2nd Hernan Arcila (2018 Peterbilt 389);
3rd Tyler Lamkins (2000 Kenworth W900L).
PEOPLE’S CHOICE:
A.J. Dawes (1988 Peterbilt 379).
