This year’s Top Gun Largecar Shootout was again held at the Rantoul Aviation Center in Rantoul, Illinois, and brought out some of the “top guns” of trucking. Held on July 23-25, 2021, this show is in my back yard (about 60 miles from where I live in Normal, IL). I’ve been going to this show for many years, and it’s where I first met Erik “Big E” Sieben of 10-4 Magazine (RIP). It was typical central Illinois summer weather at Rantoul – sunny, hot and humid all weekend! The only break in the weather was Saturday night when the rain rolled in all around Rantoul.
Many people are unfamiliar with the history of the Rantoul Aviation Center. Prior to 1993 it was an active United States military base named Chanute Air Force Base. It was commissioned in May of 1917 during World War I as one of 32 Air Force technical training bases across the United States. It’s a very large and open facility that covers over 1,100 acres, and its perfect for a truck show. Chanute Air Force base was named after Octave Chanute, a pioneer aeronautical engineer and experimenter, and a friend of the Wright Brothers. Interestingly, one of my uncles served a tour of duty in the 1950s at Chanute.
Arriving at the show, I noticed many staging areas for cleaning, polishing and detailing rigs near the entrance. Several polishers and detailers were on-site and getting trucks and trailers polished and detailed to a show quality shine. They were extremely busy preparing trucks and trailers for judging. Some of the trucks I saw getting their shine on was Tony Huttenstein and his gray W900, and Dill and Dave McKinney with their two Peterbilts. It’s amazing to watch these polishers and detailers, and the magic they perform, on all this equipment.
Typical of previous Top Gun shows, there was a full agenda of planned events Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning. The Friday schedule was light for the first day, with the following activities of registration and truck parking, vendor setup, and opening of the beer garden, sponsored by Shooters Bar & Grill. The highlight of Friday is the Parade of Lights at dusk, which goes from Rantoul to Thomasboro, and then back to the truck show grounds. Personally, this is my favorite event of the weekend.
At dusk, trucks began pulling out to the north side of the show grounds onto Veterans Parkway of Rantoul. The cool thing about this event is the parade goes through the town of Rantoul, then south on Highway 45 for about six miles, to the small town of Thomasboro, IL, then back to the show grounds. All along the parade route, people are camped out to watch the parade of brightly lit show trucks and trailers. There is always a big outpouring of support by the people of Rantoul, Thomasboro, and surrounding areas, and this year was no different. Fortunately, Mother Nature provided us with good weather for the light parade.
Saturday is typically the busiest day of the weekend. By noon on Saturday, truck show registration had ended, and I was informed there were 235 trucks registered for the event. In all the shows I’ve attended at Rantoul, this was the most trucks I’d ever seen, and trucks were parked in nearly every area of the show field. The final tally I was given on Sunday at the awards presentation was 238 trucks, which was awesome.
Another fun event and one of my favorites on Saturday afternoon is the Kiddie Tractor Pull. Sponsored by our good friends from the Chrome Shop Mafia, the 10-4 Magazine booth was located just opposite of the Kiddie
Tractor Pull area, so I was able to watch most of the kids make their pulls. I’m always amazed at how far these young girls and boys can pull the weighted sled with their little pedal-powered tractors. Another neat aspect of this event is watching the participants being cheered on and encouraged by their family and friends. It’s truly a family affair!
The top finishers in each class of the Kiddie Tractor Pull were as follows. In the 4–6-Year-Old class, it was 1st Knox Grinsteed, 2nd Lane Johnson, 3rd Stella Bussell, and 4th Gabriel Krumne. In the 7–8-Year-Old class, it was 1st Braylee Carl, 2nd Adelene Witvoet, 3rd Owen Lawrence, and 4th Xander Krumrie. In the 9–10-Year-Old class, it was 1st Jaxx Pruit, 2nd Evan Carl, 3rd Jaxson Huberts, and 4th Gunner. And in the final class of 11-12 Year Olds, it was 1st Alyssa Osterbur, 2nd Bailey Carrington, and 3rd Malakai North.
Other events that took place on Saturday afternoon were the Dinosaurs Motorcycle Club bike show, a Jake Brake Competition, and a Light Show at night. Rags down for cleaning was called at noon, then judging began for all the trucks registered for the truck show. The bike show judging began at 2:00 pm and awards were handed out to the winners at 3:00 pm. I’m a motorcycle guy and rode for several years, so I made it point to stop and check out all the beautiful and expensive motorcycles. Nearly all of them were Harley-Davidson bikes, with every imaginable accessory and paint scheme. My personal favorites were the highly customized Baggers.
Like on Friday night, the truck and trailer light show began turning on at dusk. The only difference being this was a light show in place (not a parade). Nevertheless, the crowd truly enjoyed all the impressive trucks and trailers being illuminated by their many lights. As most of our readers know, the Davis Bros. built an impressive 40,000-watt stereo system on an RGN platform pulled by their highly customized and matching Peterbilt. Their stereo platform, along with the RoadWorks Peterbilt next to it, provided a variety of music, at very high decibels, throughout the day. Around 8:00 pm, the stereos were turned off and the band Smoke ‘N Whiskey cranked things up and provided a wide selection of Rock, Classic Rock, and Country music for the rest of the evening.
Sunday brought blue skies, abundant sunshine, and a nice southerly breeze. The score sheets were in, tallied, and award winners determined. The awards ceremony began at 9:30 am and lasted until 11:00 am. Some of the big winners included Dave Marti and his 2020 Pete (Best of Show Bobtail), Andrew Schwarz and his 2019 Peterbilt 389 and 2020 Mac End Dump (Best of Show Combo), and Jay Hawthorne. Jay’s dark blue “Dirty Business” 2018 Peterbilt 389 and 2016 Reitnouer Curtain Van took home the coveted Competitor’s Choice award, along with the Best of Show Combo Limited Miles trophy.
Another notable truck was the Best of Show Limited Miles winner Chad Foss. Chad’s “Silver Lining” 2020 Pete 389, built by Clint Moore and his team at Kansas City Peterbilt and featured in our September 2021 edition, made its debut and really made an impression on many folks. We at 10-4 Magazine liked it so much, we used it on our next t-shirt, which is now available. In honor of the show’s founder, Tom Reitz, who passed away a couple years ago, a new award – the Reitz Stuff Choice – was given to Randy Victory and his “Wild Child” black 1999 Peterbilt 379 with flames. Lastly, each year, attendees vote for the two trucks that will be featured on the following year’s event t-shirt. This year’s winners (for next year’s shirts) were John Treadway and his turquoise pearl, white and gray 1998 Peterbilt 379, and Don Wood and his baby blue 2003 Peterbilt 379 with yellow stripes.
A highlight of the awards ceremony was a presentation made by Tom Davis to Jeanne Marcotte. He presented Jeanne with a beautiful photo of her husband, the late Paul Marcotte, who passed away earlier this year. He was a big presence and influencer in the trucking industry and this show, a consummate gentleman, and a true professional. It was a moving ending to the Top Gun awards ceremony, as Paul will surely be missed.
One of the key ingredients to a good truck show is the many sponsors who make a variety of contributions. The major sponsors for this event were 4 State Trucks, Country Supply, Davis Bros., Farmers Ag Services, Fleenor Bros., Jones Performance Truck Hoods, Lincoln Chrome, Performance Diesel Inc, RoadWorks, Rockwood, and 10-4 Magazine. A big thanks to all of them who help make the Top Gun Largecar Shootout a reality and a big success.
Top Guns are normally associated with jet fighters and movies, but in this case, the Top Guns for the weekend were the people and trucks that participated in this year’s Top Gun Largecar Shootout, held on the prairie that surrounds the Rantoul Aviation Center in Illinois. A big and well-deserved “thank you” to DaVeda Reitz and her staff for putting on another incredible event that exceeded everyone’s expectations.
BOBTAIL (2020-2022):
1st David Marti, Forrest, IL;
2nd Todd Workman, Morrison, IL;
3rd Tony Huttenstine, Queen City, MO.
BOBTAIL (2009-2019):
1st Peter Norton, Franklin, IN;
2nd Josh Arthur, Alhambra, IL;
3rd Scott Lynch, Witt, IL.
BOBTAIL (2001-2008):
1st Cale McCord, Anderson, IN;
2nd Murl Nolder, Warren, OH;
3rd Doug Cantwell, Toulon, IL.
BOBTAIL (1994-2000):
1st Jeff Oxley, Lake Village, IN;
2nd Scott Horvath, Kankakee, IL;
3rd Tyler Emmons, Chesterfield, IL.
BOBTAIL (1993-OLDER):
1st Brodie & Ozzie Neblock, Bradley, IL;
2nd Dill McKinney, Lexington, AL;
3rd Mike Britton, Sikeston, MO.
BOBTAIL (LIMITED MILES):
1st Chad Foss, Dixon, IL;
2nd David Marcotte, Momence, IL;
3rd Drew Plumer, Toulon, IL.
COMBO (2020-2022):
1st Rob Hallahan, LaCrosse, WI;
2nd Arlyn Workman, Morrison, IL;
3rd Larry Sanders, Kingman, IN.
COMBO (2014-2019):
1st Andrew Schwarz, Davenport, IA;
2nd Ryan Shanahan, Grand Mound, IA;
3rd Dean DeSantis, Apache Junction, AZ.
COMBO (2005-2013):
1st Danny Kimball, Burlington, WI;
2nd Rick Wann, Farina, IL;
3rd Ozzy Serna, Fort Atkinson, WI.
COMBO (2000-2004):
1st Marty Bauer, Cissna Park, IL;
2nd Wesley Ward, Maynardville, TN;
3rd Kameron Wilken, Danforth, IL.
COMBO (1995-1999):
1st Trevor Markley, Farina, IL;
2nd Dennis Sikorski, Bancroft, WI;
3rd John & Kim Jaikes, Nanticoke, PA.
COMBO (1994-OLDER):
1st Theresa DeSantis, Apache Junction, AZ;
2nd John Dunnigan, Bloomsdale, MO;
3rd Adam Johnson, Spring Valley, WI.
COMBO (LIMITED MILES):
1st Don Wood, Denmark, WI;
2nd Jay Hawthorne, Grand Mound, IA;
3rd Chad Smith, Upper Sandusky, OH.
ANTIQUES:
1st Barry Myers, Rosholt, WI;
2nd Doyle Oxley, DeMotte, IN;
3rd Mark Fief, Momence, IL.
INTERIOR:
1st Tony Huttenstine, Queen City, MO;
2nd Dill McKinney, Lexington, AL;
3rd Adam Johnson, Spring Valley, WI.
INTERIOR (LIMITED MILES):
1st Jay Hawthorne, Grand Mound, IA;
2nd Chad Smith, Upper Sandusky, OH;
3rd Don Wood, Denmark, WI.
LIGHTS (BOBTAIL):
1st David Marti, Forrest, IL;
2nd Tony Huttenstine, Queen City, MO;
3rd Ron Brubaker, Sigourney, IA.
LIGHTS (COMBO):
1st John & Kim Jaikes, Nanticoke, PA;
2nd Andrew Schwarz, Davenport, IA;
3rd Danny Kimball, Burlington, WI.
LIGHTS BOBTAIL (LIMITED MILES):
1st Drew Plumer, Toulon, IL;
2nd David Marcotte, Momence, IL;
3rd Chad Foss, Dixon, IL.
LIGHTS COMBO (LIMITED MILES):
1st Chad Smith, Upper Sandusky, OH;
2nd Jay Hawthorne, Grand Mound, IA;
3rd Derek Graham, Carlinville, IL.
JAKE BRAKE COMPETITION:
1st Brandon Lanoue, Ashkum, IL;
2nd Alex Castro, Aurora, IL;
3rd Jamie House, Oneida, WI.
THE REITZ STUFF CHOICE:
Randy Victory, Jonesboro, AR.
COMPETITOR’S CHOICE:
Jay Hawthorne, Grand Mound, IA.
BEST OF SHOW BOBTAIL (LIMITED MILES):
Chad Foss, Dixon, IL – 2020 Peterbilt 389.
BEST OF SHOW COMBO (LIMITED MILES):
Jay Hawthorne, Grand Mound, IA – 2018 Peterbilt 389 and 2016 Reitnouer Curtain Van.
BEST OF SHOW BOBTAIL:
David Marti, Forrest, IL – 2020 Peterbilt 389.
BEST OF SHOW COMBO:
Andrew Schwarz, Davenport, IA – 2019 Peterbilt 389 and 2020 Mac End Dump.
