Heading Title
Are we there yet? The last year has taught us a lot about what’s important in our lives. One of the most obvious lessons we’ve learned over the last year is that time with our families and friends, along with our leisure time and hobbies, are some of the most valuable things in life. I think we could also agree that for most of us, our trucks are better off than they were a year ago.
This was pretty obvious by the turnout at the Goodguys LMC Truck 11th Spring Lone Star Nationals at Texas Motor Speedway on March 11-14. The vehicle turnout, along with the spectator turnout, was near an all time high.
As we arrived early Friday, not knowing what to expect for a turnout. Vaccinations were becoming easier to get, but we were still pretty early in the rollout process. Last year this event was shut down early due to the pandemic, but this year it was clear people were eager to get out and go to an event.
The Goodguys organization is known for setting the standard when it comes to putting on an event. They have a lot of different activities going on within their events that you can watch or participate in. The vendor midway at any given Goodguys event is also an activity within itself. All of these things combined add a second and third dimension to just a standard car/truck show.
In recent years, Goodguys has also paid close attention to the ever-changing classic vehicle hobby. One thing you know you will never see at a Goodguys event is a late model vehicle. They only allow 1987 and older vehicles into their events, but at this particular event, they broke their own rule. They allowed 88-98 OBS trucks into the event for the first time.
As you already know, our truck market is the hottest market in “hot rodding”. Goodguys has been able to adapt to that market shift and bring the next generation of enthusiasts into the fold. With their title sponsor LMC, there was also a heavy focus on trucks at this event with special parking and awards.
As with all of their events, family and fun are also a big part of what they do. With activities like autocross, burnout contest, vintage cackle fest and more made for a great couple of days to spend with kids.
Speaking of spending time with your kids, I was able to take one of my three daughters on this trip with me. Since I spend much more time on the road these days, I decided that bringing one kid at a time would be a great opportunity for us to spend time together and give them a chance to learn, and see what I do for a living.
This time it was my 13-year old, Myla. She is a fairly quiet kid, but is one of those “thinkers”. She likes building things, is an amateur inventor at times, and is probably the one kid of the three that is most into cars. Her favorites are round eye Squarebody Blazers and late model ZL1 and SS Camaros.
My wife and I try to teach all of them what hard work is and the value of a dollar. We brought an extra camera for her, and after a quick lesson, she started the hustle all on her own. Asking someone if you can take a picture may seem easy, but when you’re a kid, people don’t take you seriously. 99% of the pics in this article were shot by her. I won’t always have her with me, but if you see a young woman shooting pics at a show this summer wearing a CK Truck Mag shirt, stop her and say hello. She may just be your ticket to getting your truck into this magazine!