PRO TOURING TRUCK SHOOTOUT
Right Out of the Box and Straight to the Top
THE FIRST ANNUAL PRO TOURING TRUCK SHOOTOUT presented by LMC Truck is in the books and widely considered a terrific success. With more than 70 competitors battling it out for the fastest times in the biggest checks, the weekend felt like it went faster than expected thanks to the non-stop racing action from sun-up to sundown. The battlefield for this build-o was in Bowling Green, Kentucky, at the world famous NCM Motorsports Park. Remember that Corvette Museum that sank into a sinkhole? Yeah, that’s this place, and now it’s fully rebuilt and absolutely stunning inside and out!
Unlike most rookie events we attend, all of the pre-scheduled activities were completed without complication, and the time frames for each event were spot on with what we were told. The ability to successfully promote, put on and even participate in a major motorsport event is a trait that only few are naturally born with. Luckily for everyone who committed to attending this first-time event, the man in charge was not only born with this wild work ethic, but he bleeds it each and every day throughout all aspects of his life. Ask anyone who’s hung out with Arnie Gonzalez for more than 24 hours and they will tell you— he’s hard to keep up with, but he’s fascinating to watch!
With the Eddie Motorsports sponsored Autocross pre-race weighins on Friday night like a major UFC event, we were all able to watch all the trucks line up one by one and bare all to their division competitors. These Pro Touring events have more guidelines than you may think, and building a truck to compete with the top dogs in the class requires a whole lot of attention to detail. Weight, structure, suspension, safety and are just a few of the factors to consider
when building a Pro Touring truck. With all the boxes checked, the trucks were allowed to stage in their designated areas and the banter began.
Unfortunately, due to restrictions, this event was not able to be open to the public so the incentive for the show truck guys to fill the Trique Manufacturing truck corral was taken away. The show field may have been light, but the quality of competing trucks was easily compared to most major shows in the U.S.
In addition to attending the event, this was our very first live stream of a weekend event and boy, did we learn a lot. From sound to signal, we fought with it all, but by the end of the weekend we were able to bring the events to your phone and computer for free thanks to the great sponsors that were on board including Air Lift Performance, Premier Street Rod and Baer Brakes.
Once the Eddie Motorsports track event was over and everyone crossed the No Limit Engineering finish line on Saturday, the entire field of race trucks headed off the track and on to their next event, the American Powertrain Drivability Cruise. This was a way to weed out the full-time race trucks with limited fuel capacity or cooling issues. A 45-minute cruise through the back roads of Tennessee was the requirement, and that’s a lot to ask of a truck that has been competing hard all day long. The cruise ended up at the National Corvette Museum for a nightlife cruisein and awards ceremony where Arnie presented the Eddie Motorsports sponsored Autocross awards and a free dinner for all those who competed and their families!
Finally, the weekend concluded with a full day of fantastic truck sliding! What is that? Take a high-horsepower truck and add a set of massive brakes, give the driver a long runway and a short landing area. Only thing left is to add a timer and a cash prize, the rest will handle itself. This was called the Belltech Speed and Stop Challenge, and it was so much fun to watch. Head over to our Youtube page to see a highlight video from this fun show. Plans are already in the process for the 2021 race, so follow them on Instagram if you want the latest updates.
I’ve said for years that one major thing our industry lacked was a way to compete against each other at regulated, fun and friendly race weekends. Proof is in the pudding as they say, and this event simply solidified the fact that these trucks are not just pretty, but they can and will compete against any other truck on the street, too—but only at safe and organized events like this one.