TRUCK FUN IN CARLISLE, PA
BY EAST COAST CORRESPONDENT ANDREW FELTENSTEIN
You could not have asked for nicer weather, on the second weekend in August, to support the 18th Annual Carlisle All-Truck Nationals. Held on August 8-10 at the nice and spacious Carlisle Fairgrounds in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the All-Truck Nationals is a much anticipated and fun-filled weekend that offers something for everyone – and, as always, Carlisle delivered.
There is no disputing that the fuel prices have taken a serious toll on all of this summer’s events, family vacations and the like. This weekend was no different, however the diversity of what this show has to offer made the difference between a wash-out event and a fun time. What makes Carlisle so different is the overall feel and mood of the show. You can tell people are there to have a good time. The fun never stops as people camp out and party late into the night. The show producers pack almost 2000 trucks into the fairgrounds for this event; from frame draggin’ minis, to low riders, big rigs and 4x4’s. Each year in Carlisle you can see how far the envelope is pushed on custom fabrication, innovative ideas and some of the most beautiful paint jobs you’ll ever see.
At the hub of the Big Rig show field sat Elizabeth Truck Center and their world renowned “The Beast” custom Pete. This year they added “Mayhem” – one of their latest custom creations – a radically tricked out International ProStar sporting a stretched frame, scissor-type doors, smooth curved back panel, monster stacks, custom interior, custom fenders and one of the most radical paint jobs ever done on a big rig (10-4’s August 2008 cover feature). The Chrome Shop Mafia “boyz” also came out to sign some autographs and show off a few of their creations, and legendary off-road racer Ivan “Ironman” Stewart made an appearance.
And just when you thought it was time to go home, the fairgrounds came back to life, with a party hosted by Elizabeth Truck Center, at their busy booth, Saturday night, followed by the big rig light show. With Jake brakes snorting, horns blaring and lights flashing, the party meter jumped into the red as the “boy” in every trucker boiled over.
Some of this year’s special winners included Richie Ruiz from Exotic Carriers. Richie took home Best of Show honors as well as Best Stainless, Best Interior, Best Paint and best in his class. Anthony Guida and Son Scrap Metal took home Best Fleet and several individual awards in the Best Bobtail 2006-Newer Daycab class. Top honors also went to Chet Ciaglo for Best Antique, Carl Pimmerman for Best Specialty Rig, John Jaikes for Best Bobtail 1995-1999 Sleeper, Casey Beers for Best Tractor/Trailer Combo (Flatbed), Milestone Towing for Best Wrecker, David Detomas for Best Bobtail 2000-2005 Daycab, Clint Bleacher for Best Bobtail 2006-Newer Sleeper, Michael Muro for Best Tractor Trailer Combo (Other), George Parkinson for Best Dump, as well as many others. Also worth mentioning were two beautiful combo dumps belonging to Al Pomponio Trucking. Both of these trucks, including a metallic teal green and purple needlenose Pete, were hooked to ultra clean, mirror-polished, aluminum dump trailers.
In addition to the usual show awards, Cool Truck Components, new-comers to the custom fiberglass fender market, presented two dynamite custom made trophies for “Cool Bobtail” and “Cool Combo” determined by people’s choice ballots. Paul Vanker took home the “Cool Bobtail” award for his 1996 Peterbilt 379, which is painted metallic teal green with nude sirens (girls) intertwined with purple flames rushing across the front and sides of the hood. The “Cool Combo” plaque went to Anthony Guida and Son’s latest addition to their cool fleet, a 2009 Kenworth W900 pulling a specially-designed trailer for hauling crushed cars, decked out in metallic gunmetal black paint and their signature silver pinstriped flames.
Jimmy Baron and his ever-morphing Purple Peterbilt has been a staple at the Carlisle show for as long as I can remember. Jimmy, owner of Monmouth Materials, has a fleet of purple trucks, but the flagship of the fleet is his very own Peterbilt that he has put his heart and soul into. Each year he surprises us with a newer, more tricked-out version of his sweet ride. This year we saw this awesome creature slammed so low to the ground it may have taken root during the show. He’s completely redone the interior with smooth matching panels to the exterior and an ultra clean billet dash with centered gauge cluster absent of any switches (all of his switches are lined up at knee level in a clean line). And his front bumper doesn’t just flip up like most of the trucks out there now – his moves forward and then up in a two-stage motion. His deck plate opens to one side by powered actuators, as well as the rear panel behind the fifth wheel. This truck is clean and mean. I can’t imagine what else Jimmy could do to this truck, but something tells me he will surprise us yet again next year in Carlisle.
In addition to the hot big rigs, each year some of the best custom built pickup trucks in the region gather for the huge invitational display. My personal favorite this year was the 1936 Ford Australian UTE, with a 454 big block engine, air-ride, custom chassis, 18” front and 20” rear wheels, removable engine panels and a spectacular two-tone metallic and candy paint job. Wow!
Thrill seekers were able to try their hand at maneuvering a 4x4 up the Rock Crawl, or they could take a monster truck ride on the Virginia Giant and go out and crush some cars. Other highlights included the “Mud Room” pavilion, showcasing some of the dirtiest trucks ever seen and “1UP, 1down” where two trucks were transformed (one was lifted while the other was lowered) during the event. And if that weren’t enough, you could enter (or just watch) the lawn mower races, burnout contest, neon light contest, frame dragging session, truck Tug-O-War or the bikini contest. And if you were really brave, you could ride the mechanical bull.
New this year to Carlisle was the “Women’s Oasis” where the women got to be pampered and relax with free therapeutic massages, manicures, pedicures, seminars, demonstrations and activities. The “Kids at Carlisle” area welcomed children 3-12 with a host of fun activities, toys, an outdoor swing set and playhouse, pedal car track, a balloon blowing clown, spin art, air brush tattoos and even a truck model building contest.
As you can see, there really is a lot to do at the Annual Carlisle All-Truck Nationals. It is always a great weekend for all ages and a good time for the whole family. And that is what makes this event one of my favorite shows of the year – it certainly is the most fun! The 2009 show is scheduled to be held on August 7-9, so put it on your calendar now and start making your plans. Don’t miss this one – you will not regret it!