Virginia-based owner-operator Michael Manuel jotted down ideas for years — in the middle of the night occasionally, sometimes when he was driving one of his flatbed fleet’s trucks — for a truck build he’s long wanted to build.
Last October, he took ownership of a new 2015 Peterbilt 389 Fitzgerald glider kit, and he immediately began work, stripping the truck down and prepping it to be the canvas for the idea notebook he started almost a half-decade ago.
“Autism: One of Many” wasn’t only built as a dedication to Manuel’s daughter Kara, but it also serves as a broader awareness campaign to help destigmatize autism, Manuel says. Kara, 23, is autistic.
Manuel’s Pete and matching MAC curtainside trailer capped a triumphant year on the show circuit on Saturday, being named one of six Overdrive’s Pride & Polish National Championship winners. Manuel and his rig won the Builders Combo category, following two Pride & Polish Best of Show victories earned at show’s held earlier in the year.
The other five winners were: Jonathan Eilen’s 1990 Peterbilt 379, which won the Builders Bobtail category; Jordan Jay’s 2015 Peterbilt 389 and 2016 Western flatbed in the Limited-Mileage Combo category; Josh Skidmore’s 2016 Peterbilt 389, winner of the Limited-Mileage Bobtail category; Joe Regalodo’s 2000 Peterbilt 379 and matching ‘16 CTS dump, which won the Working Combo category and Sid Calangelo and Kyle Cousins’ 2015 Peterbilt W900L in the Working Bobtail category.
The Pride & Polish National Championship crowns the country’s top show trucks each year via a special round of judging at the Great American Trucking Show. The finalists in the competition qualify by winning Best of Show at Pride & Polish contests held throughout the season.
The winners were announced Aug. 27 at a ceremony held in Dallas at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas, at the Great American Trucking Show.
