Robert and Shelly Brinker’s Legend of the Black Pearl dominated the 75 Chrome Shop Truck Beauty Show with five awards.
Robert and Shelley Brinker’s Legend of the Black Pearl and Brad Caton’s Eilen & Sons truck and trailer took top spots at the Overdrive Pride & Polish 75 Chrome Shop Truck Beauty Show in Wildwood, Fla., April 25-27.
The two trucks also dominated the Paul K. Young Memorial Truck Beauty Championship, presented by Pride & Polish at the Mid-America Trucking Show in March.
The Brinkers’ 2000 Freightliner Classic XL, whose graphics and décor pay homage to Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” films and the Brinkers’ daughter, Amie Knight (who died in 2005), won five awards at Wildwood: Best of Show Bobtail, First in Bobtail 1994-2000, First in Interior OEM Sleeper, First for the Mobil Delvac Working Class award and First in Bobtail Custom Paint & Graphics. Robert Brinker says he loves competing at the 75 show because its hosts are “top of the line. They put on a great show and they take care of everyone who is competing in the show.”
The Brinkers are not done competing for the year. Legend will appear at the Great West Truck Show in Las Vegas and the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, among others. Prior to Mid-America, the couple added pirate song lyrics and characters from the films to the rear fenders and painted the engine to look like a treasure chest. Other recent changes include television screens installed throughout the rig, including the doors, that show the “Pirates” film series at various shows.
Between Mid-America and 75, the couple only cleaned the truck, Brinker says. Still, it pulled a constant flow of fans. “There’s always a crowd around it compared to the other trucks,” he says. “It seems to be a crowd favorite, I guess, because of the movies being so popular, and everything on the truck looks so real.”
Eilen & Sons’ 2007 Peterbilt 379 extended hood and 2007 Mac dump trailer captured Best of Show Combo, First in Working Combo, First in Interior Cab Only and First in Combo Custom Paint & Graphics. Like Legend of the Black Pearl, Caton’s flame-licked blue and silver Pete has appeared at several shows under a different paint scheme. Caton told Overdrive at Mid-America that while repairing a cracked hood the previous year, “we decided to change the paint scheme.”
Because of high diesel prices, organizers say total entrants dropped this year. “Yet, we had a full lot of trucks and the largest crowd we have had during the three years we have been doing this event,” says Pride & Polish’s Bud Farquhar.
Winners
Best of Show Bobtail:
2000 Freightliner Classic XL, Robert and Shelley Brinker
Best of Show Combo:
2007 Peterbilt 379, Brad Caton of Eilen & Sons Trucking
Limited Mileage Bobtail:
Best of Show: 2001 Peterbilt 379, Ryan Danylchuk of EBD Enterprises
2nd 1986 Peterbilt 359, Ronnie Adams
3rd 1998 Peterbilt 379, Armando Garcia of A&S Stainless Steel Plus
4th 2001 Kenworth T300, Ronald Bilbrey
Limited Mileage Combo:
Best of Show: 2005 Peterbilt 379, Vinnie Diorio of Rollin Transport
2nd 2008 Peterbilt 389, John and Jandy Lee
3rd 2006 Peterbilt 379, Timmie Fisher and Jerry Giles
4th 2007 Kenworth W900L, R.J. Martin, Taylor Transport
5th 1988 Peterbilt 379 extended hood, Raymond Brown
Bobtail Specialized:
1st 2007 Peterbilt 335, Marcus Copeland
2nd 2008 Chevrolet, David Yeager
3rd 2005 Peterbilt 357, James L. Joiner
Bobtail 1993 & Older:
1st 1986 Kenworth W900, Freddy Hebbeler
2nd 1984 Peterbilt 359, Bob Passera
Bobtail 1994-2000:
1st 2000 Freightliner Classic XL, Robert and Shelley Brinker
2nd 2000 Peterbilt 379, Gene McKinney
3rd 1994 Peterbilt 379, Ronnie King
Bobtail 2001-2006:
1st 2001 Peterbilt 379, Truett Novosad
2nd 2005 Peterbilt 379, Tom and Daveda Reitz
3rd 2004 Kenworth W900L, Hector Colon
Bobtail 2007 & Newer:
1st 2009 Peterbilt 389, Brad Simpson
2nd 2007 Peterbilt 379, Greg Smith of Brad Simpson Hauling Inc.
3rd 2007 Peterbilt 379 Legacy, Mary Ann and Randy Humphrey of O.R. Humphrey Inc.
First Show Combo:
1st 1995 Peterbilt 379 extended hood, Chris Fitch
2nd 2000 Peterbilt 379, Robert Pressley
3rd 1996 Peterbilt 379 extended hood, Russell Clim
Working Combo:
1st 2007 Peterbilt 379, Brad Caton of Eilen & Sons Trucking
2nd 1999 Kenworth W900L, Jerry and Allan Asbury
3rd 2006 Peterbilt 379, Josh Lyles, Taylor Transport
Truk Rodz by Jones Performance Best Theme Award:
1990 Peterbilt 379, Doodle Bug Blizzard
Interior Cab Only:
1st 2007 Peterbilt 379, Brad Caton of Eilen & Sons Trucking
2nd 2005 Peterbilt 379, Tom and Daveda Reitz
3rd 1990 Peterbilt 379, Doodle Bug Blizzard
Interior OEM Sleeper:
1st 2000 Freightliner Classic XL, Robert and Shelley Brinker
2nd 2001 Peterbilt 379, Truett Novosad
3rd 1999 Kenworth W900L, Jerry and Allan Asbury
Road Works Best Use of Chrome Award:
2000 Peterbilt 379, Gene McKinney
Mobil Delvac Working Engine Class:
1st 2000 Freightliner Classic XL, Robert and Shelley Brinker
2nd 2001 Peterbilt 379, Truett Novosad
3rd 2005 Peterbilt 379, Tom and Daveda Reitz
Mobil Delvac Best Limited Mileage Engine:
2005 Peterbilt 379, Vinnie Diorio of Rollin Transport
Bobtail Custom Paint & Graphics:
1st 2000 Freightliner Classic XL, Robert and Shelley Brinker
2nd 2000 Peterbilt 379, Gene McKinney
3rd 2001 Peterbilt 379, Truett Novosad
Best Limited Mileage Bobtail Paint:
1986 Peterbilt 379, Ronnie Adams
Combo Custom Paint & Graphics:
1st 2007 Peterbilt 379, Brad Caton of Eilen & Sons Trucking
2nd 1990 Peterbilt 379, Doodle Bug Blizzard
3rd 1999 Kenworth W900L, Jerry and Allan Asbury
Best Limited Mileage Combo Paint (tie):
2008 Peterbilt 389, John and Jandy Lee; and 2005 Peterbilt 379, Vinnie Diorio of Rollin Transport
Bobtail Lights:
1st 2005 Peterbilt 379, Tom and Daveda Reitz
2nd 2000 Peterbilt 379, Gene McKinney
3rd 2001 Peterbilt 379, Truett Novosad
Combo Lights:
1st 1990 Peterbilt 379, Doodle Bug Blizzard
2nd 1999 Kenworth W900L, Jerry and Allan Asbury
3rd (tie) 2007 Peterbilt 379, Brad Caton of Eilen & Sons Trucking; and 2006 Peterbilt 379, Josh Lyles, Taylor Transport