10-4 Magazine November 2024

56 10-4 Magazine / November 2024 Bottle (Best Working Combo), Casey Conrey and his 2008 Kenworth W900 (Best Over the Top Bobtail), and Dane Hartman and his 2024 Peterbilt 389 and 2024 Wilson Hopper (Best Over the Top Combo). The big Competitor’s Choice trophy went to John Treadway and his 1998 Peterbilt 379, while the Stereo Competition was won by Joel Anker, and the Jake Brake Competition was won by Sean Moseley. However, the big award winner at this year’s event was Andy Pagels with his red, black and gold 1972 Peterbilt 359 with an extended hood. He won the Dickerson Custom Trucks “Best Use of Paint” award, Best of Show Limited Mileage Bobtail, 1st Place in the Limited Mileage Bobtail class, 1st Place in the Limited Mileage Interior class, 2nd Place in the Limited Mileage Bobtail Lights class, and more. Congratulations to all the participants who won an award! There was an incredible array of trucks at this year’s Top Gun show, and I would have not relished being a judge who had to select the eventual winners. As I’ve written in previous articles in 2024, the quantity and quality of show trucks gets noticeably better each year. Some of my favorite trucks this year included Dominguez Iron Works and their light blue and light green 2012 Peterbilt 389, Josh Eaton’s orange and white 2016 Peterbilt 389, and Tarik Al-Amin II’s silver and green 2023 W900 Kenworth and matching trailer. Something unique to the Top Gun show is that participants competing in the event are given the opportunity to vote on whose truck will appear on next year’s truck show t-shirts. This year’s selection for the 2025 show shirt were Brayton Duff with his 2022 Peterbilt 389 and 2023 Jet RGN and Andrew & Seth Pagels and their 1972 Peterbilt 359. Congratulations to Brayton, Andrew, and Seth for this recognition and honor! Watching all the commitment, hard work, and dedication of show producers DaVeda, Joe, and Rueben, by the end of the truck show I could see the smiles of contentment and satisfaction on their faces for a job well done. Listening to DaVeda as she emceed the awards and speaking to her afterwards, I could hear the excitement in her voice, as she was already planning for the 2025 show. They are always exceptional to work with, run an organized event, and are always very accommodating to all of us at 10-4 Magazine. Thank you for always taking great care of us. I have not attended every Top Gun LargeCar Shootout, but I have been to many, and this year’s show was the biggest and best one I’ve attended so far! Every aspect of this year’s event was outstanding and memorable. With all the vendors, food trucks, expansive parking, the cleaning area for the trucks, Saturday night concert, the Friday Night Lights Parade, and all the planned activities for the participants and their families, it was a jam-packed weekend. If you want to attend an action-packed truck show, with lots of open space, friendly people, and a venue parked with Top Notch Large Cars, swing by the Aviation Center in Rantoul the last weekend of July 2025. You won’t regret it! n EDITOR’S NOTE: To see a full list of all the winners, visit our website at www.tenfourmagazine.com.