Being a contributor for 10-4 and somewhat of a veteran of the magazine, I’m often asked two questions: what makes for a good truck show and what is it about each event that makes it worthwhile to write about? These are very good questions, and I will try to answer those questions in this report. I’ll begin with the premise that the Top Gun LargeCar Shootout is held at a location centrally located in the Midwest, at a very large and spacious venue, with an abundance of friendly Midwest people, and most importantly, a large selection of top notch large cars.
Rantoul is in east central Illinois and just a 60-minute drive from my home in Normal, IL. With it being a short drive from where I live, it’s almost in my backyard. So, it’s convenient to attend and one I anticipate going to each year. For the first time in a long time, this year’s show was not affected by bad weather. But more on that topic later. The 17th annual event took place at the Aviation Center the weekend of July 26-28, 2024. It’s a working-class show that continues to grow in significance and popularity each and every year.
There has been a steady increase in participants to this event from year to year for the past three years. The total number of trucks that participated in this year’s show was 270, which was an increase from the 2023 truck show by roughly 17 trucks. The show opened at 9:00 AM on Friday and Saturday and shut down at midnight both days. There were 126 trucks that drove in the Friday Night Lights Parade from Rantoul, south on 42 to Thomasboro, and then returned to the show field. The parade started at dusk, and from the beginning to the end, when the last truck was parked, took roughly three hours to complete.
Saturday’s activities included the fun Kiddies Pedal & Pull Competition near the registration tent from 3:00 to 4:00 PM. This event was followed by the crowd favorite Jake Brake and Stereo Competitions from 4:00 to 5:00 PM in the huge parking lot east of the show field. Saturday’s soulful musical entertainment was provided by the Parrish Trio, a family band, locally from Rantoul. The band played center stage under the big white tent, framed with a backdrop of the central Illinois skyline and lights, reflecting from the trucks and trailers, parked around the show field.
Food vendors provided a variety of fare at the event Friday and Saturday that included Camelo’s Tacos, Grandpa’s Ice Cream, Island Snow & Go, Podium BBQ, and TK’s Wings. I sampled the tacos from Camelo’s and BBQ from Podium and the food from both vendors was good quality and tasty. The number of food vendors continues to grow each year, which benefits all who attend.
When I go to truck shows at all these various locations, I always look for local restaurants to check out and sample their food offerings. One of my favorites is Agave Mexican Restaurant on the east side of Rantoul. On Thursday evening, I had the opportunity to have dinner with Guthrie Waechter and Kelly Fore from HD Equipment at Agave where we all enjoyed great Mexican cuisine and some stimulating conversation. On Saturday evening, a group of us from the truck show traveled to the small central Illinois town of Fisher, home of the Fightin’ Bunnies, where we had great bar food at the Wild Hare. It was a large group with some real characters. I won’t mention any names, but they all did a good job of providing the evening’s fun entertainment.
It’s always important to mention the various vendors and sponsors who play a significant role at Top Gun. Not only do they offer their products and services at the show, but they also provide critical financial and promotional support. This year’s sponsors and vendors were A&M Entertainment, Bennett Transportation, CIT Trucks, Dickerson Custom Trucks, Diesel Ride, Dominguez Iron Works, HD Equipment, JX Enterprises, Large Car Magazine, OOIDA, RoadWorks, Schaeffer’s Lubricants, Truck Parking Club, Truck-n-Awesome, Valley Chrome Plating, and 10-4 Magazine.
It would not be a Top Gun LargeCar Shootout in Rantoul, typically held at the end of July, without either very hot and humid weather or severe thunderstorms, but this year we managed to avoid both. At previous shows, at some point during the weekend, a major storm would pass through, and we would have to take down our booth, seek shelter, and sit out the storm. This year was the exception. It was very pleasant and comfortable, with lots of sunshine and very moderate temperatures, on Friday and Saturday. As the awards ceremony was wrapping up late Sunday morning, the summer showers finally moved in, and I had to cut short my photography work. At that point, all the trucks and attendees were beating a fast path out of the Rantoul Aviation Center and heading home.
The weekend of activity concluded with the always fun and exciting awards ceremony under the registration tent located in the center of the show field. The awards ceremony started promptly at 9:30 AM and was finished in just over two hours. That’s incredible considering the number of people attending and the number of awards handed out. At the beginning of the ceremony, memorial comments were made for people who were very important to the development and growth of the Top Gun LargeCar Shootout which included Tom Reitz, Mike Horan, Troy Huddleston, Paul Marcotte, and Kameron Wilken. Unfortunately, we will miss all these incredible gentlemen and, sadly, this list seems to increase each year.
There were 126 awards presented at the ceremony. First, second, and third place awards were presented for each class, that totaled 12 different classes. The most sought-after awards are the Best of Show trophies, and some of those award winners for 2024 included Zach Curry and his 2016 Peterbilt 389 (Best Working Bobtail), Josh Eaton and his 2016 Peterbilt 389 and 2022 Westmor Bottle (Best Working Combo), Casey Conrey and his 2008 Kenworth W900 (Best Over the Top Bobtail), and Dane Hartman and his 2024 Peterbilt 389 and 2024 Wilson Hopper (Best Over the Top Combo). The big Competitor’s Choice trophy went to John Treadway and his 1998 Peterbilt 379, while the Stereo Competition was won by Joel Anker, and the Jake Brake Competition was won by Sean Moseley.
However, the big award winner at this year’s event was Andy Pagels with his red, black and gold 1972 Peterbilt 359 with an extended hood. He won the Dickerson Custom Trucks “Best Use of Paint” award, Best of Show Limited Mileage Bobtail, 1st Place in the Limited Mileage Bobtail class, 1st Place in the Limited Mileage Interior class, 2nd Place in the Limited Mileage Bobtail Lights class, and more. Congratulations to all the participants who won an award!
There was an incredible array of trucks at this year’s Top Gun show, and I would have not relished being a judge who had to select the eventual winners. As I’ve written in previous articles in 2024, the quantity and quality of show trucks gets noticeably better each year. Some of my favorite trucks this year included Dominguez Iron Works and their light blue and light green 2012 Peterbilt 389, Josh Eaton’s orange and white 2016 Peterbilt 389, and Tarik Al-Amin II’s silver and green 2023 W900 Kenworth and matching trailer.
Something unique to the Top Gun show is that participants competing in the event are given the opportunity to vote on whose trucks will appear on next year’s show shirts. This year’s selection for the 2025 show shirt were Brayton Duff with his 2022 Peterbilt 389 and 2023 Jet RGN and Andrew & Seth Pagels and their 1972 Peterbilt 359. Congratulations to Brayton, Andrew, and Seth for this recognition and honor!
Watching all the commitment, hard work, and dedication of show producers DaVeda, Joe, and Rueben, by the end of the truck show I could see the smiles of contentment and satisfaction on their faces for a job well done. Listening to DaVeda as she emceed the awards and speaking to her afterwards, I could hear the excitement in her voice, as she was already planning for the 2025 show. They are always exceptional to work with, run an organized event, and are always very accommodating to all of us at 10-4 Magazine. Thank you for always taking great care of us.
I have not attended every Top Gun LargeCar Shootout, but I have been to many, and this year’s show was the biggest and best one I’ve attended so far! Every aspect of this year’s event was outstanding and memorable. With all the vendors, food trucks, expansive parking, the cleaning area for the trucks, Saturday night concert, the Friday Night Lights Parade, and all the planned activities for the participants and their families, it was a jam-packed weekend. If you want to attend an action-packed truck show, with lots of open space, friendly people, and a venue parked with Top Notch Large Cars, swing by the Aviation Center in Rantoul the last weekend of July 2025. You won’t regret it! And this year’s winners were:
1989 & OLDER WORKING BOBTAIL: 1st JR Thomson, 1981 Kenworth 900A; 2nd Aaron Copeland, 1985 Peterbilt; 3rd Charlie Osborne Sr., 1986 Kenworth W900.
1990-1995 WORKING BOBTAIL: 1st Raiko Graveran, 1995 Freightliner FLD120; 2nd Johnny Payten, 1993 Peterbilt; 3rd Chester Grant, 1995 Peterbilt 379.
1996-1999 WORKING BOBTAIL: 1st John Treadway, 1998 Peterbilt 379; 2nd Dustin Donnan, 1996 Western Star 4964; 3rd Julie Grant, 1997 Peterbilt 379.
2000-2004 WORKING BOBTAIL: 1st Michael Bolyard, 2002 Peterbilt 379, 2nd Keith Wetzel, 2001 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Zack Krenkel, 2000 Kenworth W900.
2005-2009 WORKING BOBTAIL: 1st Brad Kirchner, 2007 Peterbilt 379; 2nd Mike Brown, 2005 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Cooper Egolf, 2007 Peterbilt 379.
2017-2019 WORKING BOBTAIL: 1st Tim Cody Jr., 2017 Peterbilt 389; 2nd Kip Johnson, 2019 Peterbilt 389; 3rd Mason, 2019 Peterbilt 389.
2020-2024 WORKING BOBTAIL: 1st Tad Cane, 2024 Kenworth W900; 2nd Tim Davidson, 2021 Peterbilt 389; 3rd Duane Pedon, 2024 Peterbilt 389.
WORKING BOBTAIL LIGHTS: 1st Zach Curry, 2016 Peterbilt 389; 2nd Jr. Thomson, 1981 Kenworth 900A, 3rd Brad Steel, 2024 Kenworth W900.
WORKING BOBTAIL INTERIOR: 1st Zach Curry, 2016 Peterbilt 389; 2nd Tim Cody Jr., 2017 Peterbilt 389; 3rd John Treadway, 1998 Peterbilt 379.
1995-1999 WORKING COMBO: 1st Trevor Markley, 1996 Kenworth W900L & 2019 Mac Flatbed; 2nd Yoanny Rodriquez, 1998 International 9400 & 2016 Great Dane Reefer; 3rd Brody Markley, 1998 Peterbilt 379 & Reitnouer Flatbed.
2000-2004 WORKING COMBO: 1st Jared Nelson, 2003 Peterbilt 379 & 2024 Mac Tanker; 2nd Terry & Chris Schultz, 2001 Peterbilt 379 & 2024 Mississippi LP Tanker; 3rd Nadster, 2002 Peterbilt 379.
2005-2009 WORKING COMBO: 1st Zach Gluek, 2006 Peterbilt 379 & 2016 Mac Conastoga; 2nd Clint Leemon, 2007 Kenworth W900 & 2020 Wilson Hopper; 3rd Lee Campbell, 2008 Peterbilt 388 & 2021 Wilson Hopper.
2010-2014 WORKING COMBO: 1st Dave Marti, 2011 Peterbilt 389 & 2022 Mac Tanker; 2nd Ben Flaugher, 2013 Kenworth W900L & 2025 Mac End Dump; 3rd Dalton Tabler, 2012 Peterbilt 389 & 2021 Mississippi Tank.
2015-2019 WORKING COMBO: 1st Josh Eaton, 2016 Peterbilt 389 & 2022 Westmor Bottle; 2nd Lynton Yost, 2019 Peterbilt 389 & 2019 Mac Dump; 3rd Maylon Unruh, 2017 Kenworth W900 & 2024 Wilson Livestock.
2020-2024 WORKING COMBO: 1st Jade Transport, 2020 Kenworth & 2020 Polar Tanker; 2nd Arlyn Workman, 2020 Peterbilt 389 & 2013 Mac Conastoga; 3rd Sy Kunesh, 2024 Peterbilt 389 & 2014 Mac Flatbed.
WORKING COMBO LIGHTS: 1st Zach Gluek, 2006 Peterbilt 379 & 2016 Mac Conastoga; 2nd Lynton Yost, 2019 Peterbilt 389 & 2019 Mac Dump; 3rd Dave Marti, 2011 Peterbilt 389 & 2022 Mac Tanker.
WORKING COMBO INTERIOR: 1st Josh Eaton, 2016 Peterbilt 389 & 2022 Westmor Bottle; 2nd Dave McKinney, 2016 Peterbilt 389 & 2019 Reitnouer Flatbed; 3rd Dave Marti, 2011 Peterbilt 389 & 2022 Mac Tanker.
LIMITED MILES BOBTAIL: 1st Seth Pagels, 1972 Peterbilt 359; 2nd Jordan Houzel, 2024 Peterbilt 389; 3rd Dustin Dickerson, 2025 Peterbilt 589.
LIMITED MILES BOBTAIL LIGHTS: 1st Dustin Dickerson, 2025 Peterbilt 589; 2nd Seth Pagels, 1972 Peterbilt 359; 3rd JR Hubly, 2024 Peterbilt 389.
LIMITED MILES BOBTAIL INTERIOR: 1st Seth Pagels, 1972 Peterbilt 359; 2nd Jordan Houzel, 2024 Peterbilt 389; 3rd Dustin Dickerson, 2025 Peterbilt 589.
LIMITED MILES COMBO: 1st Jay Hawthorne, 2024 Peterbilt 389 & Reitnouer Curtain; 2nd Douglas Prier, 2022 Kenworth W900L & 2022 Wilson Flatbed; 3rd Nate Rein and Tom Warren Jr., 2001 Peterbilt 379 & 2024 Polar Tank.
LIMITED MILES COMBO LIGHTS: 1st Douglas Prier, 2022 Kenworth W900L & 2022 Wilson Flatbed; 2nd Jay Hawthorne, 2024 Peterbilt 389 & Reitnouer Curtain.
LIMITED MILES COMBO INTERIOR: 1st Douglas Prier, 2022 Kenworth W900L & 2022 Wilson Flatbed; 2nd Jay Hawthorne, 2024 Peterbilt 389 & Reitnouer Curtain.
ANTIQUE BOBTAIL: 1st Rick Wann, 1965 International Emeryville; 2nd Randy Stone, 1963 Peterbilt 351; 3rd Kenny Grove, 1964 Peterbilt 351.
ANTIQUE COMBO: 1st Alec Langley, 1988 Mac Superliner & Mac Step Deck; 2nd Leon Hilmes, 1985 IHC 9670 & 2016 Timpte Hopper.
OVER THE TOP BOBTAIL: 1st Casey Conrey, 2008 Kenworth W900; 2nd Joel Anker, 1990 Kenworth W900L; 3rd Dustin Lopedota, 1990 Peterbilt 379.
OVER THE TOP BOBTAIL INTERIOR: 1st Casey Conrey, 2008 Kenworth W900; 2nd Dustin Lopedota, 1990 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Joel Anker, 1990 Kenworth W900L.
OVER THE TOP BOBTAIL LIGHTS: 1st Casey Conrey, 2008 Kenworth W900; 2nd Dominquez Iron Work, 2012 Peterbilt 389; 3rd Joel Anker, 1990 Kenworth W900L.
OVER THE TOP COMBO: 1st Dane Hartman, 2024 Peterbilt 389 & 2024 Wilson Hopper; 2nd Daniel and Phyllis Snow, 1996 Freightliner Classic XL & 2006 Utility.
OVER THE TOP COMBO INTERIOR: 1st Daniel and Phyllis Snow, 1996 Freightliner Classic XL & 2006 Utility; 2nd Dane Hartman, 2024 Peterbilt 389 & 2024 Wilson Hopper.
OVER THE TOP COMBO LIGHTS: 1st Dane Hartman, 2024 Peterbilt 389 & 2024 Wilson Hopper; 2nd Daniel and Phyllis Snow, 1996 Freightliner Classic XL & 2006 Utility.
BEST STEREO: 1st Joel Anker; 2nd Nadster; 3rd Dominquez Iron Work.
JAKE BRAKE COMPETITION: 1st Sean Moseley; 2nd Alan Brooks; 3rd Nadster.
OVER THE TOP LIMITED MILES BOBTAIL: Seth and Andrew Pagels, 1972 Peterbilt 359.
OVER THE TOP LIMITED MILES COMBO: Douglas Prier, 2022 Kenworth W900L & 2022 Wilson Flatbed.
BEST USE OF PAINT: Seth & Andrew Pagels, 1972 Peterbilt 359.
COMPETITOR’S CHOICE: John Treadway, 1998 Peterbilt 379.
BEST OF SHOW WORKING BOBTAIL: Zach Curry, 2016 Peterbilt 389.
BEST OF SHOW WORKING COMBO: Josh Eaton, 2016 Peterbilt 389 & 2022 Westmor Bottle.
BEST OF SHOW OVER THE TOP BOBTAIL: Casey Conrey, 2008 Kenworth W900.
BEST OF SHOW OVER THE TOP COMBO: Dane Hartman, 2024 Peterbilt 389 & 2024 Wilson Hopper.
EVENT SHIRT TRUCKS FOR 2025: Seth and Andrew Pagels, 1972 Peterbilt 359; Brayton Duff, 2022 Peterbilt 389 & 2023 Jet RGN.
