This is our fourth year of bringing you coverage of one of South Carolinas favorite shows, Southeast Showdown. Held just outside the city limits of Anderson, South Carolina, at the Anderson Motor Speedway, this event gets bigger and better every year. It has also gained a strong following in the eight-lug community as a place to go if you want to see your truck in the magazine.

Unless youre new to the truck show scene in the Southeast, you probably already know about the LNO show. For the last several years, weve been bringing you coverage of this event, which is put on by the members of Hardcore Minis in Orlando, Florida, as a tribute to a fallen friend. Larry Neal Oliver was killed by thieves who stole his truck. The show, now in its 17th year, has been a way to keep his memory alive. Each year, Larrys parents join the event, traveling from their home in South Carolina to be with their extended family. While Larry may be gone, hell never be forgotten by the Hardcore Minis crew. Although it has its serious side, the show has always been about fun, and this year was no exception. A great collection of cars and trucks entertained the spectators, with the location adding even more to the fun. The Sanford Hooters restaurant was the site of this years get-together, with hot wings and beautiful girls adding a whole new dimension.

Not so long ago, the word diesel didnt gain the attention of the gearhead, but more of the working man. For many, the most recognizable diesel application would have to be the semis that haul our goods each day. Now, though, in an ever-changing world, diesel has taken on a new roll. Each and every day, hardworking guys and gals push the limits of this fuel, turning it into its own sport. With its widespread popularity, many folks have turned to festivals of diesel eventsor perhaps we should call them extravaganzas? The Scheid Diesel Extravaganza is absolutely one of the best.

H&S Performance pulled off a stunning victory in St. George, Utah, with the first-ever Fall Fuel Fest. This one-day event managed to pack in a sled pull, Ultimate Moto Challenge, UTV races, dyno competition, and the famous Nitro Circus to end the day.

Established in 2009 with just six people who were enthused about lifted trucks, Central Florida’s High Altitude Truck Club membership is up to about 16, a number still small enough to keep it family-oriented. You know this group is serious about their club as soon as you check the website and read what it takes to become a member. Sure, they have a few rules about what your truck must be in order to join, but read on a little further. Rather than having a ton of jaw-dropping trucks on the rolls and emphasis on insane customizing, the High Altitude club members are more concerned with the character of the owner. The amount of lift or the dollars spent are secondary to the new member fitting in with the group. It’s the right way to establish a club, creating a feeling of family first and club members second.

Overcast but thankfully dry, the Sunday afternoon festivities kicked off with Slamfest’s traditional club games and most everyone joined in. Everything from the Dizzy Izzy to the turkey leg eating competition entertained the more than 1,500 spectators and helped to clear the cobwebs from the Saturday night after-parties. The crowd favorite was next with a half dozen of the area’s hottest ladies looking for a share of the $1,000 Miss Slamfest prize money. It was a tough call, but beautiful Hope took home the lion’s share of the cash. The awards ceremony presented awards to the Top 20 Best of Show with the Best Truck and Best Car winners pocketing $500 each. Freaks of Nature captured the Club Participation award.

The Work Truck Show, held in conjunction with the annual NTEA Convention, is a must-attend industry event featuring the newest products, dozens of intensive training programs, and technical engineering support from hundreds of exhibitors. It’s a great way to see new products, interact with other people who use their truck to make a living, and have a great time in Indianapolis, Indiana.

EVENT: H&S Fall Fuel Fest 2012
DATE: September 21-22, 2012
LOCATION: St. George, Utah
Full story in 8-Lug Magazine coming soon!

The National Hot Rod Diesel Association came back to Speedworld Raceway Park in Wittmann, Arizona, for fun under the sun for the 5th Annual Desert Diesel Nationals (presented by Strictly Diesel). Diesel drags are growing fast in popularity. Where else can you tow your race car to the track, unhook it, and enter both vehicles to race? The amount of spectators present was impressive.

The inaugural Lone Star Throwdown show, hosted by Negative Camber, boasted a very impressive turnout—especially for its first year. When we arrived at the gate Saturday at 7:45 a.m., there was a line of trucks already forming to enter the show. By 2 p.m. that Saturday, one of the show’s promoters, Todd Hendrex, rode by and exclaimed, “Last I heard, there were more than 700 entries already. I never thought it would be this great of a turnout!” But it’s common knowledge that people in Texas do things BIG.

If you like heart-pounding, diesel-powered action, then Bowling Green, Kentucky, in May is the place to be. Home to both TS Performance and the annual TS Performance Outlaw event, Bowling Green plays hosts to the biggest and most fun diesel drags and sled pulls in the eastern part of the United States. Fierce competition can be found as the biggest names in the business compete for the top prize in both the drag races and sled pulls. The show ’n’ shine has grown each year to the point where it’s a definite must for those with shiny trucks. The magazine editors turn out in droves for this event, so the chances of seeing your truck in print are very good—hence a whole lot of people make the trek to Kentucky.

For those of you who know about Florida’s long-running LNO Show, you’ll notice that although there’s been a little change to the name, nothing’s changed about the way the crew from Hardcore feels about one of their members. For the last 15 years, the event has been held in memory of Larry Neal Oliver, a Hardcore club member who was murdered by thieves who stole his truck. The title of the show was simply LNO. While the thought remains the same, the title of this year’s show and the location is just a little different.

The 5th annual California Mustang Club All American Car and Truck toy drive to benefit a local charity called Brighter Christmas Organization was a big success in the Central California town of Tracy, drawing more than 65 trucks and cars this past December.

Lots of toys and an impressive amount of cash were collected to help out the less fortunate. If you want to get involved this year, check for the 2012 dates at www.ca-mustangs.com.

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.

Amongst the most scenic areas in the country is Fletcher, North Carolina. Fletcher is home to the Smoky Mountain Range, which is nicknamed for the fog or “smoke” that surrounds the mountainous region. It’s also home to one of the most popular truck shows in the state. Scrapin’ the Smokies was started by Brandon Burrell and his wife, Christine, and is in its fifth year at the WNC Agricultural Center. The two-day event hosted 250 of the finest trucks in the South, as 2,000 spectators enjoyed the warm, June sun.

The judging was quick and effective, with the show crew handling the task of placing the trucks in proper categories and fairly judging the quality of each custom addition. While the trucks on display may have seemed like the main event, hundreds of guests stayed for the games throughout the day and were treated to an eye-popping bikini contest. The night ended with an on-site dragging contest that kept the bystanders at a safe distance.

There’s a reason why the word “extravaganza” is attached to the three-day Terre Haute, Indiana, show called the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza. Many people know this event, held at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds, as a great place to watch a top-notch sled pull. But the eighth-mile drag racing is just as competitive with tons of classes. Two dynos are running all weekend—the Scheid Mustang dyno and David Dunbar’s DynoJet. The show ’n’ shine draws some of the nicest trucks in the country and is fodder for magazine features. And we haven’t even mentioned the exhibitor hall or the aftermarket product seminars yet!

Since 2004, Clint Cannon and his staff at ATS Diesel Performance have hosted Diesels on the Mountain, which has grown into a three-day event centered around diesel-powered trucks. The diesel truck market is rapidly transforming itself into that of the muscle car era of the ’60s and ’70s, but with a significant twist—these trucks are made for work, too. Nothing demonstrates that work better than day one’s event: sled pulling. Adams County Fairgrounds in Brighton, Colorado, was the site for the sanctioned diesel sled pull event conducted by the National Sled Pullers Association. Contestants were divided into four classes based on turbocharger inducer size.

Weekend on the Edge is an outstanding event held in and around the Edge Products facility in Ogden, Utah. This event allows anyone to bring their diesel truck to the Edge facility and get it dyno tested, show off their custom truck, talk to vendors about speed parts, have some free food…and also attend diesel truck drag races in nearby West Valley City, Utah. As if that wasn’t enough, a sled pull was held at Pioneer Stadium in Ogden and proved to be a very popular spot with both competitors and spectators. All in all, it was an awesome display of diesel power.

The 2011 Specialty Equipment Market Association annual trade show is always a great place to see some of the highest quality trucks in the nation. If your vehicle is accepted into the SEMA show, it says something. These trucks were built using the newest, most sophisticated, coolest parts available (and, in some cases, not available). After you peruse these fine trucks, head over to www.8-Lug.com for a whole lot more.

The National Hot Rod Diesel Association opened its Division 4 drag racing season at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida. Sixty-eight trucks came from Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and even one each from Michigan and Ohio to take part in this opening event. The event was held in conjunction with the weekly open drags at the raceway. The gate opened at 3 p.m., and more than 3,000 spectators took to the stands to watch these black smokers race down the quarter-mile.

The plan was to have a dyno competition, but due to mechanical difficulties with the dyno, it was not held. Sun Coast Diesel Transmissions was the event’s major sponsor, and the company was on hand in the vendor midway with all its products for the spectators to check out. Also on hand was Airaid Filters, MBRP Performance Exhaust, Ford Power Stroke diesel engines, Southeast Power System, and Flo-Pro Performance Exhaust.

Drivers from throughout Florida, along with hundreds more from neighboring states, joined up in the Panhandle to enjoy one of the best season-opening shows of the year. The Vital Signs crew invited all their close friends to the annual get-together in Panama City, and the weekend was a blast. Everything was well thought out, beginning with Frank Brown Park, which afforded grassy display space for the more than 650 vehicles at the show.

Conveniences like drive-thru judging under the huge, white tent got the administrative details out of the way quickly—and the Chamber of Commerce weather throughout the weekend only added to the fun. Of course, everyone’s first priority on Saturday was checking out the cool collection of rides during the day.

If you’re going to have a well-known performance shop for diesel trucks, you might as well have a piece of property big enough for events of all kinds. And if you’re located in the middle of Tennessee, like Bean’s Diesel Performance, a sled pulling track is icing on the cake.

In the 10 years the TS Performance Outlaw Drags and Sled Pull has been running, one thing is for sure: it’s the place to be! Even if it’s a monster drive for you, if you can find a way to get there next year, it should be on your must-do list.

8-Lug has attended several times, and the quality of the trucks (and the people) keeps bringing us back. Here’s a photo essay of the two-day event.

The threatening rain showers held off for approximately 6 or 7 hours Friday afternoon—which was enough time to get a lot of diesel drag racing in. A big thunderstorm accompanied by lightning shut the race down before a clear winner could be determined in each class, so the remaining competitors split the payout.

Saturday was cold and rain was always a threat, but the sled pull and show ’n’ shine events managed to squeak by without any weather interruptions.

If you’re a stereo enthusiast, you probably know all about Daytona’s annual Spring Break Nationals Car Audio Expo and Tuner Jam. Mobile electronics enthusiasts come from around the world to reacquaint with old friends, take part in the Great American Sound Off, and participate in some great car audio giveaways in the process.

A little more than six years ago, two friends decided they needed to combine their passion for trucks and diesels and start a business. Truck Source Diesel of San Antonio, Texas, was the result. Owners Chris Alaniz and Chris Buhidar wanted to make a statement on the diesel scene when it first started morphing into the juggernaut it is today. After the two opened the doors of their business, they quickly showed they had the knowledge and know-how to keep customers happy and coming back for more.