The 8th Annual Southeast Showdown

We sometimes take great car and truck shows for granted, but the job of a show promoter is not an easy one. He can do everything right, but he knows lots of things are beyond his control. Even if you arrange the perfect venue, contact all the local clubs, publicize the dates in magazines and on the Internet, establish the event activities, and attend to dozens of details like organizing the judging and coordinating parking, a thunderstorm on the day of the event can ruin months of hard work. Most offer up a little prayer, hoping for bright, sunny weather.

But be careful what you wish for. The eighth-annual Southeast Showdown didn’t have to worry about rain. Not a drop fell from the sky. High temperatures, however, were a whole different story. With 104 degree readings on both days, an occasional rain shower started to sound good! Truckers are a hardy bunch, however, and made the best of a very hot situation.

SESD has been a successful event for many years, thanks to the dedicated team led by Jon Fulmer, an active enthusiast, featured car and truck builder, and knowledgeable show promoter. Several years ago, Jon decided to put on his own shows after being disappointed with some of the old get-togethers on the circuit. Anyone attending SESD will tell you Jon probably knows them by name and is always just a welcoming handshake away. For the last several years, his show has been held at the Anderson County Fairgrounds, but this year Jon found a new venue, just over the county line in Williamston, South Carolina. The Anderson Motor Speedway is an active racetrack that serves up adrenaline-packed, stock car racing action every weekend to an enthusiastic crowd. It was the perfect place for a car and truck show—just remote enough for some raucous action without worrying about disturbing the neighbors. More than 400 custom vehicles lined the track at this year’s event, with more than 2,000 spectators enjoying the display. The unusually high temperatures kept most activities subdued, and lots of folks headed out early each day for their air-conditioned hotel rooms or hotel pools. In the cool of the evening, however, late-night after-parties reestablished the fun, with the gathering at the local Hooters topping the list.

The scorching temperatures did not discourage the number of hot rides at the event, though, with Jonathan Taylor’s cool dualie capturing the 8-Lug Editor’s Choice award. His fabulous ’50s-themed, bagged Chevy C-3500 sported a ground-hugging profile, satin black paint, wide whites on 15-inch rims, and an elaborate ’50s-style interior that was unique enough to capture the Best Interior award. Watch for more on him soon. Former 8-Lug feature vehicle, Chase Webb’s ’00 Ford F-350, took Best Fullsize with its image-changing’07 front end, bagged suspension, 24-inch rims, stereo-filled interior, and custom paint. We were also impressed by Adam Heglar’s ’94 Chevy dualie, complete with a ’96 bed and ’99 Escalade front end. Adding to the uniqueness of this ride was the wild stereo inside and the aggressive 496 stroker motor under the hood, capable of spinning the 22.5x10 Alcoa wheels. Watch for more on this one, too.

The Sunday afternoon awards ceremony saw the presentation of custom Plexiglas trophies to the Top 100 along with 30 specialty awards, followed by laser-cut steel trophies for Club Participation (Twisted Minis), Best Quality Club (Aftermath), and Best Attitude (No Regrets). The 2012 event is scheduled for July 21 and 22 at the Speedway. You can get more details at www.southeastshowdown.com. Special thanks to Presenting Sponsor Auto Extremes along with PRW, Hooters, Rusty Nuts Originals, TC Rodz, Tint Plus, Mautofied.com, and Sam’s Garage. Lots of hardworking folks braved the heat to put this show on, so even more thanks go to Lucas, Melissa, Jonathan, Cagney, Logan, Allison, Clell, and the guys from Connecticut who flew in to help.