Slamfest punctuates the Southeastern show season with an exclamation point. It sprawls across a section of the Florida State Fairgrounds and takes over what used to be the home rink for the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team. The 2005 show pulled 7,000 people and 1,200 trucks, cars, and SUVs into Tampa during the first weekend of October. Attendees basked alternately in the bright sunshine of warm October mornings and thundering, rain-strewn afternoons as a wild performance of Florida's bipolar weather took place before a rambunctious crowd. A burnout contest probably bumped up the city's air quality index, and dB Drag Racing rumbled the rafters, while the bikini contest created a little thunder of its own. Vendors and sponsors (AVE, Car stereo Warehouse, DC Customs, Mad Mark's Stereo, Scrape-n-Customs, Street Options, Suicide Doors) showed off their logos and wares.
With one eye to the weather, the show's promoters, Mini Madness truck club, moved up the awards ceremony on Sunday to give everyone the option of scooting before the sky dropped another load. And the winners for the 2005 Slamfest were: Jen Lacey's S-10 (Best of Show, Mini), and Ken Knaebel's '55 Chevy Second Series (Best of Show, Full-sized). Look for our story on Jen's and Ken's pickups in future issues of Truckin'. Charities were winners, too. Mini Madness donates a part of Slamfest's proceeds to deserving organizations, and this year supported various non-profits providing hurricane relief.
For information about Slamfest '06, which will happen October 7-8, e-mail minimadnessinc@hotmail.com or go to www.minimadness.com.