WILDWOOD TAIL-GATOR!
FOOD, FUN & FRIENDSHIP IN FLORIDA
If your idea of a great truck show includes the top working and show rigs in the country, fabulous food, family, hospitality and a whole lot of fun, then the 75 Chrome Shop Truck Show in Wildwood, Florida is for you. This year’s 10th annual event, held on April 25-27, was once again hosted by the Farkus family, owners of the 75 Chrome Shop, one of the largest (and nicest) chrome stores we have ever seen. Over the years, we have heard nothing but good things about this show, so we decided to go and check it out for ourselves – and boy were we impressed.
As you can imagine, Florida in the spring can get pretty hot and humid, and this year was no exception. With temperatures in the 90’s and high humidity (at least for us Californians), it was not an uncommon occurrence to be dripping sweat. But hey, that’s the price you pay to have some fun in Florida, right? Unfortunately, the high fuel prices did keep some folks away from the competition, but 40 or so of the finest trucks and their owners still showed up to compete for the big, beautiful trophies and the recognition that comes along with them.
One competitor that was unable to attend was truck show veteran Bill Sandvik of Sandvik Trucking in Valley Center, CA. Bill sent one of his trucks and a trailer directly to Florida after the Louisville show, and was excited about flying in and competing at this show for the first time. But just a few days before the show, Bill’s mother passed away, forcing him to miss the event. His truck was there, parked in front of the chrome shop for all to see, but he and his wife Marie were not. We at 10-4 would like to extend our sympathies to Bill and his family, and hope to see him at the next show.
On Friday, the trucks were staged and parked and the vendor tents were set up. The show began on Saturday morning and ended late Sunday in the afternoon. The folks in Florida obviously know how to turn on the hospitality – the Farkus family could not have done anything else to make everyone at the show feel more comfortable or more entertained. We have never seen so much “entertainment” at a truck show ever. There were stilt walkers, Lucy & Ricky Ricardo look-a likes, bounce houses, watermelon seed spitting contests, a chicken toss competition, an airbrush tattoo artist, lots of balloons and plenty of food – especially on Sunday.
And when the sun went down, the lights came on. In addition to the awesome truck light show, there were rotating spotlights, a laser light show and then hours of great live music performed by Matt Coleman and his band who sang cuts off their new album “Cowboys Don’t Drive Minivans,” including their smash hit “Fire It Up” (the Chrome Shop Mafia theme song). The crowd went crazy all night. Some fans even climbed up onto the stage and joined Matt and the band for a few songs (the stage was a flatbed trailer in the parking lot). The fun went on until about midnight.
Sunday featured much of the same entertainment as Saturday, but the food came out in full force. Wow, what a spread! They even had a pretty lady standing in the middle of a table looking like she was wearing a dress made out of fruit – that you could eat! Our hats go off to everyone at the chrome shop that made this event so much fun. But now it was time to get down to business and announce the winners at the awards ceremony – or so everyone thought, until Lucy & Ricky showed up to help hand out the trophies, goof off and lighten up the tension and stress.
At this show, like most of the others, there are always a small handful of trucks that dominate the competition and win big. One of those winners was Vinnie Diorio of Rollin’ Transport in Richfield, WI. Vinnie and his orange and grey 2005 Peterbilt 379 and matching 2008 Mac curtain van took top honors in several of the Limited Mileage Combo classes, including Best Engine, Best Paint (he tied with another truck) and Best of Show. Another big winner was Brad Caton of Eilen & Sons Trucking in Hampton, MN. Brad’s beautiful blue and silver (and a bunch of other colors) 2007 Peterbilt 379 and matching 2007 Mac end dump earned 1st place awards in the Working Combo class, Interior (Cab Only) and Paint & Graphics classes, as well as the big Best of Show Combo trophy.
In the working truck bobtail classes, Robert & Shelley Brinker of Grayling, MI and their “Legend of the Black Pearl” Freightliner won the Bobtail (1994-2000) class as well as Best Interior (OEM Sleeper), Best Engine, Best Paint & Graphics (Bobtail), and the Best of Show Bobtail award. Their Pirates of the Caribbean-themed truck is covered from top to bottom with plunder-related paraphernalia – the details on this truck are amazing! Another big winner in the Limited Mileage Bobtail class was Canadian trucker Ryan Danylchuk of Winnipeg and his purple Peterbilt 379 with metallic orange fenders. Ryan’s cool truck took home the big trophy for Best Limited Mileage Bobtail. Some other notable winners included Gene McKinney, John & Jandy Lee, Truett Novosad and Doodle “Bug” Blizzard.
We would like to thank everyone who bit the bullet and braved the high price of fuel and came out to the show despite the “doom and gloom” everyone keeps talking about. We’d also like to thank everyone at the 75 Chrome Shop for putting together such a fine event and for making us feel so welcome – these folks are first class all the way. If you are looking for a terrific tailgater-style truck show (or in this case a “tail-gator” truck show), than Florida is the place for you. Don’t miss this one next year.
BOBTAIL (SPECIALIZED): 1st Marcus Copeland, 2007 Peterbilt 335; 2nd David Yeager, 2008 Chevrolet; 3rd James L. Joiner, 2005 Peterbilt 357.
BOBTAIL (1993 & OLDER): 1st Freddy Hebbeler, 1986 Kenworth W900; 2nd Bob Passera of Extreme Hauling, 1984 Peterbilt 359.
BOBTAIL (1994-2000): 1st Robert & Shelley Brinker, 2000 Freightliner Classic XL; 2nd Gene McKinney, 2000 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Ronnie King, 1994 Peterbilt 379.
BOBTAIL (2001-2006): 1st Truett Novosad of Novosad Enterprises, 2001 Peterbilt 379; 2nd Tom & Daveda Reitz, 2005 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Hector Colon, 2004 Kenworth W900L.
BOBTAIL (2007 & NEWER): 1st Brad Simpson of Brad Simpson Hauling, 2009 Peterbilt 389; 2nd Greg Smith of Brad Simpson Hauling, 2007 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Mary Ann & Randy Humphrey of O.R. Humphrey Inc, 2007 Peterbilt 379 Legacy.
LIMITED MILEAGE BOBTAIL: 1st Ryan Danylchuk of EBD Enterprises, 2001 Peterbilt 379; 2nd Ronnie Adams, 1986 Peterbilt 359; 3rd A&A Stainless Steel Plus, 1998 Peterbilt 379.
COMBO (FIRST SHOW): 1st Chris Fitch, 1995 Peterbilt 379 & 2000 Cottrell Car Hauler; 2nd Robert Pressley, 2000 Peterbilt 379 & 2001 Chaparral Stepdeck; 3rd Russell Clim, 1996 Peterbilt 379 & 2000 Transcraft.
COMBO (WORKING): 1st Brad Caton of Eilen & Sons Trucking, 2007 Peterbilt 379 & 2007 Mac End Dump; 2nd Jerry & Allan Asbury, 1999 Kenworth W900L & 2000 Stainless Trailmobile; 3rd Josh Lyles of Taylor Transport, 2006 Peterbilt 379 & 2009 Mac Frameless Dump.
LIMITED MILEAGE COMBO: 1st Vinnie Diorio of Rollin Transport LLC, 2005 Peterbilt 379 & 2008 Mac Curtainside; 2nd John & Jandy Lee of My Car Carrier, 2008 Peterbilt 389 & 2008 Kentucky Enclosed Auto Carrier; 3rd Timmie Fisher of Jerry Giles, 2006 Peterbilt 379 & 2007 Peerless Walking Floor.
INTERIOR (CAB ONLY): 1st Brad Caton of Eilen & Sons Trucking, 2007 Peterbilt 379 & 2007 Mac End Dump; 2nd Tom & Daveda Reitz, 2005 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Doodle Blizzard of D&B Transport, 1990 Peterbilt 379 & 2003 Utility Reefer.
INTERIOR (OEM SLEEPER): 1st Robert & Shelley Brinker, 2000 Freightliner Classic XL; 2nd Truett Novosad of Novosad Enterprises, 2001 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Jerry & Allan Asbury, 1999 Kenworth W900L & 2000 Stainless Trailmobile.
ENGINE (WORKING): 1st Robert & Shelley Brinker, 2000 Freightliner Classic XL; 2nd Truett Novosad of Novosad Enterprises, 2001 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Tom & Daveda Reitz, 2005 Peterbilt 379.
BEST ENGINE (LIMITED MILEAGE): Vinnie Diorio of Rollin Transport LLC, 2005 Peterbilt 379 & 2008 Mac Curtainside.
PAINT & GRAPHICS (BOBTAIL): 1st Robert & Shelley Brinker, 2000 Freightliner Classic XL; 2nd Gene McKinney, 2000 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Truett Novosad of Novosad Enterprises, 2001 Peterbilt 379.
PAINT & GRAPHICS (COMBO): 1st Brad Caton of Eilen & Sons Trucking, 2007 Peterbilt 379 & 2007 Mac End Dump; 2nd Doodle Blizzard of D&B Transport, 1990 Peterbilt 379 & 2003 Utility Reefer; 3rd Jerry & Allan Asbury, 1999 Kenworth W900L & 2000 Stainless Trailmobile.
BEST PAINT (LIMITED MILEAGE BOBTAIL): Ronnie Adams, 1986 Peterbilt 359.
BEST PAINT (LIMITED MILEAGE COMBO): (tie) John & Jandy Lee of My Car Carrier, 2008 Peterbilt 389 & 2008 Kentucky Enclosed Auto Carrier AND Vinnie Diorio of Rollin Transport LLC, 2005 Peterbilt 379 & 2008 Mac Curtainside.
LIGHTS (BOBTAIL): 1st Tom & Daveda Reitz, 2005 Peterbilt 379; 2nd Gene McKinney, 2000 Peterbilt 379; 3rd Truett Novosad of Novosad Enterprises, 2001 Peterbilt 379.
LIGHTS (COMBO): 1st Doodle Blizzard of D&B Transport, 1990 Peterbilt 379 & 2003 Utility Reefer; 2nd Jerry & Allan Asbury, 1999 Kenworth W900L & 2000 Stainless Trailmobile; 3rd (tie) Brad Caton of Eilen & Sons Trucking, 2007 Peterbilt 379 & 2007 Mac End Dump AND Josh Lyles of Taylor Transport, 2006 Peterbilt 379 & 2009 Mac Frameless Dump.
TRUK-RODZ “BEST THEME” AWARD: Doodle Blizzard of D&B Transport, 1990 Maroon & Gold Peterbilt 379 & 2003 Utility Reefer.
ROADWORKS “BEST USE OF CHROME” AWARD: Gene McKinney, 2000 Black with Multi-Colored Stripes Peterbilt 379.
BEST OF SHOW BOBTAIL: Robert & Shelley Brinker, 2000 Muralled Freightliner Classic XL.
BEST OF SHOW COMBO: Brad Caton of Eilen & Sons Trucking, 2007 Blue & Silver Peterbilt 379 & 2007 Mac End Dump.