’m not going to lie, prior to launching this magazine back in 2020, my inspiration for attending events was rather, well, uninspired, to say the least. But then I went to Dino’s Git Down … and then a C10 Intervention … and eventually the Reunion, all of which have given me an entirely fresh outlook on events, so to speak. Despite my severe pessimistic attitude, that outlook was about to get even fresher!

On September 7th, we (we being Nick Licata and myself) packed our suitcases and headed for Tennessee—destination: the inaugural Triple Crown of Rodding at Nashville Superspeedway. Anticipation was kind of high for this particular outing, as our good pal Bobby Alloway was one of the main forces behind the Triple Crown, and there was a huge buzz leading up to it.

Well, no surprise, that buzz proved to be right on the money even before the event actually started, as the Vendor’s Kickoff Party was, as I’ve been saying over and over, more like a 30-year reunion for all the business owners, builders, and vehicle owners I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting and befriending over the years! The high spirits carried over into the following two days and come awards time Saturday afternoon (where the trio of Truck of the Year honors were announced—more on that in next month’s full coverage if you haven’t already read online!) the Triple Crown of Rodding proved itself worthy—not only to me, but pretty much everyone who attended.

Just as soon as I’d returned from Nashville and gotten semi-settled, I was back off to Pomona Fairplex for the first-ever Grand National Truck Show. This time, however, not only was I spectating/covering the event, I had volunteered to be one of the five judges for the distinguished World’s Most Beautiful Truck. That last part in and of itself put my perspective on events in a whole new category, as I’d never been involved in such a high-caliber judging situation like that before!

But “once the dust had settled,” as promoter John Buck put it, not only the Grand National Truck Show but the WoMBaT, as we’ve unofficially dubbed it, was a success from our point of view: great turnout of trucks (both indoor and out), vendors (same can be said for the Triple Crown), and tons of people with smiles on their faces knowing a true truck-only show had finally returned to Southern California!

It should go without saying: I/we will be returning to both events next year—unbegrudgingly—and am really looking forward to Dino’s, at which time you’ll be reading this very issue!