10-4 Magazine / December 2025 69 tire – I can sure remember that being a big thing at one point in time, and it really took me back. Evan Steger went to seven shows throughout the year, all across the country, choosing trucks that stood out for him, and then invited them to compete at this national championship event. To be a part of the national championships, you had to be invited, but there was a whole other part of the show that you did not need to be invited to compete in. The national championship “qualifier” shows were Large Cars & Guitars, the Woodstock Truck Show in Ontario (Canada), SWVA, 10-4’s Truckin’ for Kids Show & Drags in California, Rigs on Route 66, Semi Casual and Old Town Rig Down. Proudly presented by the Bennett Family of Companies for the first time last year, all the donations from this show go directly to Wreaths Across America. Now, between this show and the Taylor Family Foundation, they will donate what it takes to put a wreath on every grave at Arlington National Cemetery. Every driver there was proud to be part of such a prestigious event. The Wash and Park portion of this show, which did not require an invitation, was another way truckers could not only participate in the event but, on Friday, they could help raise money for Wreaths Across America by purchasing laps around the track in their trucks. It was awesome watching the trucks run around the track and listening to the sound of Jake Brakes, and in my mind, I saw a little bit of history being repeated. I personally think it’s okay to take pictures of trucks running around the track, but the better place to shoot is from the cab of a truck driving as fast as it will go around the track. Thank you to the people at Bennett for making it happen. I got to ride with their 2024 Driver of the Year AJ Haley. The truck he drives has a wrap of pictures of his wife Loretta when she was younger and a nurse in the Army on one side, and a veteran themed wrap on the other side. As I sat in the passenger seat of that truck, I thought of all the times Bette rode with us in our passenger seat, shooting pictures over the hood of the different trucks I drove – it was pretty overwhelming, to say the least. Friday night turned ducky, and a shower dampened the festivities, along with the live concert Tony Justice was putting on. But, looking at the bright side, the water left behind from the rain on Friday night created spectacular
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