10-4 Magazine August 2022

Truck Show Report: By Daniel J. Linss It’s always nice to get away for the weekend and enjoy the beach. The American Truck Show Circuit (ATSC) has produced 14 great events across the country since its inception in 2015, and their most recent, held in Ventura, CA on Father’s Day Weekend (June 17-19) was ATSC’s first since 2020, when it hosted an event in Wisconsin amid the covid lockdowns. Dynaflex Products, a key sponsor of ATSC, along with Big Strappers Apparel, teamed up to produce this fun, industry leading event. Set in an idyllic location with the Pacific Ocean as its backdrop, the 2022 Dynaflex Original Monster Stacks Shootout featured 72 registered trucks, which is a special number for the 1972 established company that is celebrating its 50th year of making high quality, American-made, chrome-plated exhaust parts. The beachside event featured two ATSC sanctioned contests – the National Championship and the more casual Wash and Show competition. On Friday, a few vendors setup their booths, and trucks began being parked. This was a painstaking process, as Cory and his crew had a well thought out and organized plan for getting all the trucks straight and spaced just right. They did finally accomplish that goal, but it did take some time. On Friday night, Dynaflex brought out the In-N-Out Cookout Truck and treated everyone to dinner. It was a nostalgic moment that brought back memories of In-N-Out bringing their beautiful fleet of trucks to all the shows back in the 90s. Since we didn’t have a booth and we were there to just walk around, take pictures, and have fun, we arrived at the show on Saturday afternoon. The lot was pretty full, and most of the trucks were parked and on display in all their glory under the warm sun. We were graced with amazing weather that weekend, which featuring blue skies and temps in the low 70s. Staged directly at the front of the event, with twice as much space between the trucks compared to the Wash and Show sections of trucks, were the top notch competitors of the National Championship presented by Dynaflex. The competitors in the National Championship contests are separated into divisions based on mileage (limited or working) and display type (bobtail or combo). Five industry experts judge all aspects of a National Championship competitor’s truck – interior, exterior, engine – as well as the quality of the driver’s presentation of their equipment. Featuring an electronic, bias eliminating scoring system where high and low scores from each judged category are dropped, the ATSC judging platform continues to set the standard for highly competitive truck contests with its fair and consistent results. In addition to premium parking positioning and being part of the most esteemed contest on the lot, National Championship competitors also got a shot at winning ATSC’s renowned Best of Show trophies. Made by Dynaflex and customized to each event location and host, this year’s trophy featured chrome palm trees at varying heights, on a large chrome base, with blue lighting details – a nod to the event’s California beachfront location and manufacturing company’s home state. Situated in a different portion of the lot and staged perpendicular to trucks in the National Championship was the Wash and Show contest, that was presented by Big Strappers. Wash and Show competitors judge one another in various exterior focused categories and get an exclusive entry to the Wash and Show Giveaway. This year’s big Wash and Show prizes included a Dynaflex “RP” Exhaust Kit, Dynaflex Air Intake Kit, Big Strappers step pads, and a $500 gift card to the Big Strappers website. Although having a good time and minimal cleaning is the focus, the Wash and Show competition was still hot with rides from notable fleets like Double E Trucking (featuredon lastmonth’s cover), Central Valley Transport (with six rigs), 22 10-4 Magazine / August 2022 A BEACH GETAWAY