Held at Victory Lane sports park in Glendale, Arizona, Art of Noize car club hosted the Bring the Noize car and truck show on February 12 with Arizona's and California's best custom trucks on hand. With beautiful 68-degree sunshine, it was hard to beat the candy, pearl, metallic, and flaked paintjobs glistening to perfection. Fullsizes, minis, classics, and even import cars were well represented as the show continues to grow year after year. For more information on next year's event, check out www.artofnoize.com.

Sparking interest all over the country, we're bringing our THROWDOWN performance truck shootout to one of the hottest areas for go-fast trucks—Bowling Green, Kentucky. As seen in this issue on page 92, we're once again partnering up with Holley's LS Fest to show muscle car, Corvette, and hot rod owners that trucks can do more than just help people move. Held at Beech Bend Raceway, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, we're going to have a 600-foot slalom, speed stop challenge, autocross course, and as much quarter-mile drag racing as you have fuel. Making the weekend a complete custom truck experience, we're bringing back the HAVOC truck show as part of the LS Fest show 'n' shine. It will be a weekend filled with custom trophies for the deserving winners, Top 50 trophies, and the ability to see our THROWDOWN performance truck shootout up close and personal. We'll also continue our West Coast THROWDOWN in Southern California in May, so be on the lookout for the nation's most complete muscle trucks on full display right here in Truckin. For more information, check out www.truckinweb.com and www.holley.com/lsfest.

The sounds of screeching tires, roaring burnouts, and fans cheering could be heard from Beech Bend Raceway, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, for Holley's 2nd Annual LS Fest. Held over the weekend of September 9-11, cars, trucks, racecars, and anything else you can imagine powered by GM's venerable LS engine was on display and racing. Complete with a show-'n'-shine area, drift exhibition, side-by-side drag racing, an autocross course, and vendor row, LS Fest is the Mecca for 4.8, 5.3, 5.7, 6.0, and 6.2L engines. Imagine seeing a rockcrawler driving around the showgrounds, then watching an 8-second quarter-mile pass, only to be blown away by a truck slamming around the autocross course giving the muscle cars a run for their six-digit money. In addition to the multiple events going on throughout the three days, Truckin was on hand with our THROWDOWN performance truck shootout. The entire weekend was an absolute blast and a definite must if you like to do more than sit under an Ez-Up and drink cold beverages all day. For more information, check out www.holley.com/lsfest.

For all you guys (and girls) out there who want to do more than sit next to your truck at a show and cool yourself with frosty beverages, we have THROWDOWN. To coin a phrase, if you build it, they will come. And build it, we have. We've been like the fight club for trucks. Traveling this great country to bring you performance truck events that will keep your brow moist with perspiration and your hands gripped tightly on the steering wheel. THROWDOWN at Holley's LS Fest in Bowling Green, Kentucky, was no different. Working with Holley, they invited us to come out to Beech Bend Raceway and show the muscle car and Corvette owners how fast a truck could go straight, make tight turns, and stop. Because this particular event was for LS engine-equipped cars and trucks only, it provided a great opportunity for '99-and-later GM trucks and SUVs to shine, and also opened the door for S-10 owners who had hot-rod pickups ready to burn rubber. After three days of going fast and having a blast, the competition proved to be a white-knuckle ride all the way to the end; with an amazingly tight finish we couldn't have set up any better ourselves.

Show Name: Spring Break Nationals
Dates: March 24-25, 2012
Venue (city/state): Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, Florida
Special Events: Live bands, stereo competition, pizza-eating contest and bikini contest
Contact for Future Events: SpringBreakNationals.com.

Show Name: Lay’d Out at the Park (L.O.A.T.P.)
Dates: April 14-15, 2012
Venue (city/state): Cherokee Park, Morristown, Tennessee
Spectator Attendance: 2500+
Total Vehicle Entrants: 1027
Special Events: Live band and bikini contest
Sponsors / Vendors: Drop Em’ Wear?, East Tennessee Nissan, KIK Clothing, Kinetik, Lowrider Depot, Waylayd, Audio Concepts, C&J Fabrications, Lay'd Out Video, and Drop Jaw magazine
Contact for Future Events: Jeffery Dillard at laydoutshow@yahoo.com or visit www.laydoutatthepark.net

In the northeast part of Tennessee lies Morristown, a small town located about thirty minutes north of Knoxville. Fortunately, many people have realized that even though it’s small, it’s a location that can handle a serious car show. For the past nine years Morristown has been the site for one of the fastest growing (and now one of the largest) east coast shows in existence. That show is known as Lay’d Out at the Park. Jeffery and Jessica Dillard are the sole organizers of this event, with help provided by some friends and family members. The event has been held at Morristown’s gorgeous Cherokee Park for the past nine years. This year’s event was by far the biggest yet. With over a thousand vehicles and well over 2500 spectators, this show had everything imaginable on display. There were plenty of trucks, cars and hot rods for everyone to “ooh” and “ahh” over all weekend.

Not only were there some of the east coast’s coolest vehicles, but also some of the industry’s biggest vendors showing off merchandise all weekend long. Big names such as Drop Em' Wear?, Metal Werks, KIK, Lay'd Out Video, Illusive design and fabrications all had booths at the show. There was also a live band playing throughout the day Saturday, followed by a bikini contest sponsored by the guys over at Chromed Out Customs. If you haven’t seen this event yet, quit lollygagging and come out. There’s no telling what Jeff and his crew are going to do next. For more information about the show, contact Jeffery Dillard at laydoutshow@yahoo.com or check them out at www.laydoutatthepark.net. Next year’s event is already in the works, so mark your calendars for April 12-14, 2013. This is one show you don't want to miss!

Stillwater, Oklahoma, is a relatively small town. The biggest establishments in Stillwater are Oklahoma State University and Stillwater Designs, aka Kicker Audio. For the past three years at the end of March, Kicker has put together a show at their facilities with a great response. The latest show, held the weekend of March 31st-April 1st, was the biggest show yet. Over 350 cars, trucks, motorcycles, and even a lawnmower cruised in and enjoyed the amazing weather. Dynamite Dogs from Oklahoma City and Texas Roadhouse served up food while vendors including KEG Media, Solo Films, Tuckn' Clothing, Air Lift, and KP Concepts were selling product and giving out freebies.

Speaking of freebies, Kicker held contests in front of their big car hauler, and was giving away everything from L7 subs to earbuds. Inside the trailer, show participants could experience a sound chamber filled with Kicker audio equipment to see just what Kicker can do. At the end of the weekend, custom awards were given out to the top 30 participants and several best of trophies were given out. An announcement was made that this would be the last show for Kicker Marketing Queen, Casey Murphy, as she is leaving Kicker to open a restaurant in Stillwater. We wish Casey our best in all of her endeavors. For more information on this and next year's show, visit http://kicker.com/bash.

SHOW: 21st Annual Midnight Fantasies' 2012 Lake Front Tour Show
DATE: March 31 - April 1, 2012
LOCATION: Lake Charles, LA

This was the 21st anniversary of the show and, as always, never failed to please the crowds coming through their gates.

Being held at the Lake Charles Civic center, there was plenty of room for the cars and the spectators coming from several states in the gulf coast area. Just off the Calcasieu River, there was a gentle breeze which would cool the crowd as the Spring sun gave plenty of light for all the great vehicles.

One of the biggest crowd pleasers was the display put on by Hurricane Off Road, one of the title vendors. Their car crush demonstration had several cars being driven over by a few off-road trucks. In hearing the yells and screams from the crowd, seeing cars destroyed sure can make people happy...

Several other vendors were available to purchase many different items...Bailey's Audio, KIK, Ekstensive, MadGear, Pro Paint, Drop Em Wear, and more were in attendance. Two of the most popular booths were the lemonade stand (with discounted refills) and the snow cone stand. Did I mention it was sunny?

Those who wished to show off their stereo could with the U.S.A.C competition trailer on hand.

With over 80 classes and more than 20 categories of best overall, there were over 400 awards available; including cash. Needless to say, there were several happy registrants who went home with great trophies.

2012 Midnight Fantasies Lake Front Tour

SHOW: Dangerous Toys' 2012 Danger Zone
DATE: March 31, 2012
LOCATION: Mooney Grove Park in Visalia, CA

Look no further for a reason to spend a few days in Las Vegas than the annual SEMA show. Whereas the indoor show area is only open to members of the auto industry, the outdoor area is open to the public and provides an exceptional experience for lovers of all things custom. This year, trucks were back and better than ever. From 2011 Super Duty trucks lifted sky-high, to Raptors with the latest in off-road technology, and of course, the lowest trucks on the planet taking center stage, SEMA left all of us truck guys excited about 2012.

Southern California is the ideal location for custom car and truck shows. Beautiful weather, beautiful women, and a vast variety of lowered and lifted trucks, off-road Jeeps, chopped classics, lowriders, and VWs gave Viair the perfect excuse to open their doors on August 13 for a show 'n' shine. As an industry leader in the world of air compressors, Viair is widely regarded as a must-have when adding airbags or needing to air up your off-road tires when heading off the beaten path. With cool, custom trophies up for grabs, everyone enjoyed a day filled with blue skies, tacos from Chronic Tacos, and air suspension parts from Mac Springs and AVS. If hanging out with like-minded custom car and truck people is your idea of a good time, don't miss next year's show.

February

February 12
Bring the Noize
Glendale, Arizona
www.artofnoize.com

February 24
Lone Star Throwdown
Conroe, Texas
www.facebook.com/lonestarthrowdown

SHOW: 2012 Forbidden Fantasy Show 'n Shine
DATE: March 24-25, 2012
LOCATION: Perris, CA

SHOW: 2012 Inaugural Third Coast Nationals
DATE: March 24-25, 2012
LOCATION: Houston, TX

I showed up at the Hawgstop Bar out in East Houston about 8:45am and the custom cars and trucks never really stopped rolling in throughout the day. Of course, the tried and true were there early and mostly set up when I arrived. The Texas sun was ever shining which really helped show off the assorted vehicles. It wasn't really too hot, but many took to the shade of trees, pop up covers, or some went in the pond; which was the centerpiece of the park.

The show was very family friendly, as many brought their children to the show. Quite a few even camped out on the grounds. DJ Get Low supplied the musical entertainment.

There were food vendors selling burgers, hot dogs, etc. as well as a fully stocked bar selling the full assortment of adult beverages.

Overall, I think the show went well. The weather, people, and staff all cooperated to make a calm, and relaxing show which was compact, full of nice rides, and just a nice time to hang out with friends.

March 2-4, 2012, marked the return of the Gator Drag show in Rayne, Louisiana. With the show being out of commission the past couple years, the show promoters put on a solid comeback. The show grounds were packed with 375 registered show vehicles and over 1,500 gazing spectators. One thing you cannot control when putting on a show is the weather. Saturday morning consisted of overcast clouds and some rain, which luckily, didn't last too long. No one seemed to let the weather bring down the fun level of the show. Sunday's weather definitely made up for it though with the sun making all the custom rides shine.

For awards, there were Top 75 and numerous "Best Of's" which were made out of actual alligator heads. If you had never tried eating gator, there were a couple different food vendors frying up tasty batches of them. Some more on site vendors slanging products were KIK, KP Concepts, Solo Films, Tuckin' Clothing, The Better Half Accessories, Sparkles Detail, Cambered Video, Tantric Sounds, Economy Signs, Battle Drag, Mad Gear, and Twisted Inc DVD.

For those with the boom in their trunk, there was a USACI stereo contest going on during the show. Kristy Broussard from the popular TV show "Swamp People" was in attendance signing autographs and taking photos for everyone. Saturday night, the show promoters held an after party which included free crawfish and beer.

Gator Drag 2013 is already in the works so stay tuned for more info by checking out their page on Facebook.

Triple-digit temps, hot ladies, and even hotter trucks made La Paz County Park in Parker, Arizona, the place to be over the weekend of September 23-25. West Coast Nats was in town, and that meant good times, plenty of hydration, and of course, river fun that brought back the feel of a classic river run. After a short, four-hour drive, we arrived Friday afternoon to a park full of minis, fullsize, and custom classic trucks of all makes and models. Hosted by Sunset car club, security kept everyone in check, and if a hotel room wasn't your cup of tea, a tent was all you needed to camp out next to your truck. As a bonus, Saturday saw the Sunset team open up the grass infield for the show trucks, and you could peruse the aisles all day with every custom color under the Arizona sun on display. For more information about next year's show, which will be even better with the help of a new bar/restaurant set to open up called The Pirate's Den, go to www.wcnevents.com.

Toyo Tires was proud to present Sittin Pretti’s Summer Slam on August 20 at the Arlington Airport in Washington. The best trucks from the Northwest converged for what has become a late summer tradition in the Seattle area. Great weather, along with great sponsors made for a one-day custom truck gathering that no one will forget any time soon. Thanks to the vast expanse of the airport’s layout, the show provided row after row of minis, fullsizes, and classics. Custom-made trophies were presented to the deserving owners, and several vendors were on hand to answer questions and sell parts. Go to www.sittinpretti.com for info on next year’s show.

ATTENTION: CANCELLED!!

Sparking interest all over the country, we're bringing our Throwdown performance truck shootout to one of the hottest areas for go-fast trucks—Houston. Known for their extreme dragstrip pickups, we're going to challenge Texas' fastest trucks to do more than just go fast in a straight line. Held at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas, on Saturday, April 7, we're going to have a 600-foot slalom, speed stop challenge, autocross course, and thanks to www.houstonperformancetrucks.com, we're going to have a quarter-mile shootout as part of our competition. Making the day a complete custom truck experience, we're bringing back the Havoc truck show to the parking lot of Royal Purple Raceway. Imagine a ‘bagged truck shining in the Texas sunshine parked next to a fully caged 1,000hp race truck—sounds like a good time to us. It will be a day filled with custom trophies for the deserving winners, Top 50 trophies, a bikini contest, burnout contest, and the ability to see our Throwdown performance truck shootout up close and personal. We'll also continue our west coast Throwdown in Southern California in May and head to the East Coast for Holley's LS Fest in September. For more information and to register for the event, check out www.truckinweb.com or email Maxwell.matthewson@sorc.com.

Held at Victory Lane sports park in Glendale, Arizona, Art of Noize car club hosted the Bring the Noize car and truck show on February 12 with Arizona and California's best on hand. With beautiful 68 degree sunshine, it was hard to beat the candy, pearl, metallic, and flaked paintjobs glistening to perfection. Fullsizes, minis, classics, and even import cars were well represented as the show continues to grow year after year.

This year’s Scrapin’ the Coast is now in the books, but we can’t stop thinking back on the great weekend we had at the show. Held annually at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center, the show drew crowds from all around as well as show trucks from as far as Miami, Florida, and beyond. This year the show fell on the weekend of June 24, 25, and 26 and was met with great weather and good times. Scrapin’ is known for their surfboard awards, and this year was no different, except for the Best of Show Car and Best of Show Truck. These were all metal, 3½-foot-tall tikis made by Robbie Azevedo at Pacific Coast Customs. The rest of the Best Of trophies were custom-painted skim boards and the First, Second, and Third Place club trophies were full-fledged custom-painted surfboards.

The 63rd Grand National Roadster Show is in the books. Being my first GNRS, I returned from the show awestruck. The quality of the vehicles at the show far surpasses any show I have been to. Held the weekend of January 27-29, the GNRS is one of the oldest and longest running car shows in the world. The theme was futuristic, which seemed fitting because the cars and trucks were out of this world. The show was put on with the help of O’Reilly Auto Parts, Meguiar’s, Peterson Automotive Museum, and Galpin Auto Sports among others. Just like it has been for the past nine straight years, the show was held at Fairplex in Pomona, California, and drew in thousands of spectators trying to get a glimpse of the hundreds of premier customs. Along with the beautiful rides, there were vendors on hand selling everything from vintage metal signs to hot-rod inspired art. Food vendors made sure that all the spectators had full stomachs and live classic rock bands kept the atmosphere nostalgic all weekend. If you didn’t get a chance to go this year, definitely try to make it next year. To see the winners of the 2012 Grand National Roadster Show, visit rodshows.com.

At this year’s Texas Heatwave show in Austin, Texas, the temps were in the triple digits, the sun was shining brightly, and the sound of screeching tires could be heard from the north side of the parking lot. Those tires screaming for help were part of the first-ever Truckin’ Autocross Challenge that we, in conjunction with the Heatwave staff, provided for performance-minded enthusiasts. Like us, these guys were tired of sitting under an EZ-Up and getting drunk in the heat. To remedy the same old thing at a truck show, they fired up their trucks and cars and whipped around our autocross course. Everyone had a great time, especially the new drivers who had never driven around a coned course before. One truck owner hopped out of his truck and said, “Forget building trucks to drag and tear stuff up, this going fast and actually driving is where it’s at.” We agree with that sentiment and honestly, we were surprised how many “fast” trucks said they would come out and race, but then wussed out because of worrying about getting a nick in their paint or scratching a wheel. Come on, get out there and drive your pride and joy.

One of the most prestigious shows of the year was the 11th Annual Goodguys Rod & Custom gathering held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, in Del Mar, California. Del Mar is nestled up against the sandy beaches of the blue Pacific. Del Mar’s picturesque fairgrounds feature breathtaking colorful gardens, well manicured landscaping, and Spanish Mission-style architecture. The Goodguys Del Mar three-day extravaganza treated thousands of spectators and participants to an incredible gathering of more than 2,000 custom cars and trucks thru ’72. Hundreds of mild to wild custom trucks were on display for all to admire.

The 7th Annual Turkey Drag car and truck show is in the books. Being one of the last truck shows of the season, this year’s show was held on December 3-4, 2011. The weather on Saturday was windy but the high was around 70. Sunday was a bit less inviting with the high being in the 50’s and rain falling lightly throughout the day. The rain made things muddy at the Sky Vue Theater, where the show was held, but only a couple trucks got stuck and in Texas, they love the mud. Two years ago, attendees were greeted with snow, so a little rain was a much better sight. The show was as big as ever with over 400 trucks in attendance.

This year’s Turkey Drag was also one of United States Autosound Competition International’s (USACI) double points competitions. The USACI guys kept the environment loud and energized. Food and merchandise vendors were on hand making sure that everyone in attendance had full bellies and empty wallets.

Down to Earth Day in Visalia, California, proved yet again that the custom truck scene is alive and well in California’s Central Valley. Cutler Park was filled with an assortment of fullsize and mini trucks, as well as cars and even bikes. The event was held in an ideal location for spectators and truck owners alike, with ample room for parking, food vendors, and plenty of shade under the many trees in the park. Airbagit.com and several other companies sponsored this year’s show. Spectators got a chance to see an airbag install on a truck, participate in a tug of war contest, eat from one of the several vendors, and even try to dunk Airbagit owner, Joe Morrow, in the dunk tank.