Lady Luck showed two sides to Michael Most when he came to Las Vegas in June. He arrived three days before Overdrive’s Pride & Polish judging was to begin at the Great West Truck Show. His Corvette yellow 1998 Freightliner Classic, Legends & Heroes, was in perfect shape.
But as he was unhooking the trailer from his M&Ms-themed rig, the trailer slipped and crushed both custom fiberglass driver fenders and put a nasty crease across the mirror-finish deckplate and frame wrap.
“I was in a total panic,” says the owner of Michael Most Trucking. “I immediately got on the phone and called in every favor I ever had and indebted myself to others.” Thanks to all-night work by the local Freightliner dealer and expedited parts service from 4 State Trucks, the new fenders and deckplate were in place by move-in.
Most’s M&Ms truck went on to garner four awards, including First in Bobtail Custom Paint & Graphics or Mural.
Top awards went to Michael Salcido, a company driver for Arrowhead-Nestle Water, who took Best of Show Working Combo with his 2007 Freightliner Columbia, and to Homer Schultz III, of Homer’s Towing & Service, whose 1993 Peterbilt 379 tow truck won Best of Show Working Bobtail.
But the biggest crowd draw was Randy Grubb’s creation – a 1960 Peterbilt 351 logging truck artfully sculpted into an oversized coupe dubbed Piss’d Off Pete. The Oregonian’s hand-crafted, twin-supercharged Detroit-V-12-powered Blastolene creation attracted a lot of attention, as did Californian Mike Harrah’s hand-crafted Peterbilt hot-rod convertible driven by an 1,800-hp Patton tank engine.
Great West Truck Show winners
BEST OF SHOW WORKING BOBTAIL
Homer Schultz III, Homer’s Towing & Service, 1993 Peterbilt 379 tow truck
BEST OF SHOW WORKING COMBO
Michael Salcido, Arrowhead/Nestle Water, 2007 Freightliner Columbia/1991 Brenner tanker
BEST LIMITED MILEAGE BOBTAIL
Andy Zary, 1959 Mack B61, Touch of Class
PEOPLE’S CHOICE WINNER
Marcel Pontbriand, TLC Systems, 1989 Peterbilt/1993 Stoughton dry van, Little Train
ROADWORKS BEST USE OF CHROME
Juan Gonzalez, A&L Truck Supply, 1957 Peterbilt 350, El Chapulin
TRUK RODZ BEST THEME
Andy Zary, 1959 Mack B61, Touch of Class
WORKING BOBTAIL 2004 & Older
First: Homer Schultz III, Homer’s Towing & Service, 1993 Peterbilt 379 tow truck
Second: Michael Most, 1998 Freightliner Classic, Legends & Heroes
Third: Wes Malmgren, 2004 Peterbilt 379
WORKING BOBTAIL 2005 AND NEWER
First: Bruce Malmgren, 2006 Peterbilt 379
Second: Jeff Botelho, 2007 Peterbilt 379
Third: Alex Fimbres III, 2005 Peterbilt 379
NEW TRUCK BOBTAIL
First: New Venture Award – John Gonzalez, Yamko Trucklines, 2009 Peterbilt 388
Second: Michael Winburn, Shetakis Wholesalers, 2009 Peterbilt 335 Hybrid, Go Green
HOT ROD TRUCK (new class)
First: Randy Grubb, Blastolene, 1960 Peterbilt 361, Piss’d Off Pete
Second: Jeff Botelho, Peterbilt 377 combined with other models
Third: Mike Harrah/Shawna Thornton, 1964 custom Peterbilt, Sneeky Pete
ANTIQUE, NON-WORKING (new class)
First: Grand Antique Ruben Cendejas, Arrowhead/Nestle Water, 1931 Ford A Cab
Second: A&L Truck Supply, Juan Gonzalez, 1957 Peterbilt 350, El Chapulin
WORKING COMBO 1998 AND OLDER
First: Jeremy Smith, First Class Transportation, 1994 Peterbilt 379/2007 Wilson ALF300
Second: (TIE) Scooby Meltcher, 1994 Freightliner FL80/2007 McClendon Wedge car hauler, Bling Shaker; and Marcel Pontbriand, TLC Systemes, 1989 Peterbilt/1993 Stoughton dry van, Little Train
Third: Kris Gaare, 1998 Peterbilt 379/2001 Great Dane reefer.
WORKING COMBO 2000 AND NEWER
First: Michael Salcido, Arrowhead/Nestle Water, 2007 Freightliner Columbia/1991 Brenner tanker
Second: Cliff King, Castle Rock Transportation, 2007 Peterbilt 386/2007 Wabash dry van
Third: Stephen Ashburn, 2005 Peterbilt 379/2006 Boydston 9100ST car hauler
INTERIOR, CAB ONLY
First: Stephen Ashburn, 2005 Peterbilt 379/2006 Boydston 9100ST car hauler
Second: Michael Salcido, Arrowhead/Nestle Water, 2007 Freightliner Columbia/1991 Brenner tanker
Third: Scooby Meltcher, 1994 Freightliner FL80/2007 McClendon Wedge car hauler, Bling Shaker
INTERIOR, OEM SLEEPER
First: Michael Most, 1998 Freightliner Classic, Legends & Heroes
Second: Marcel Pontbriand, TLC Systemes, 1989 Peterbilt/1993 Stoughton dry van, Little Train
Third: Homer Schultz III, Homer’s Towing & Service, 1993 Peterbilt 379 tow truck
INTERIOR, CUSTOM AFTERMARKET SLEEPER
First: Cliff King, Castle Rock Transportation, 2007 Peterbilt 386/2007 Wabash dry van
MOBIL DELVAC WORKING ENGINE CLASS
First: Michael Most, 1998 Freightliner Classic, Legends & Heroes
Second: Marcel Pontbriand, TLC Systemes, 1989 Peterbilt/1993 Stoughton dry van, Little Train
Third: Homer Schultz III, Homer’s Towing & Service, 1993 Peterbilt 379 tow truck
BOBTAIL CUSTOM PAINT AND GRAPHICS OR MURAL
First: Michael Most, 1998 Freightliner Classic, Legends & Heroes
Second: Wes Malmgren, 2004 Peterbilt 379
Third: Jeff Botelho, 2007 Peterbilt 379
COMBO CUSTOM PAINT AND GRAPHICS OR MURAL
First: Marcel Pontbriand, TLC Systemes, 1989 Peterbilt/1993 Stoughton dry van, Little Train
Second: Ray Rodriguez Jr., 2000 Peterbilt 379 extended hood/2006 Transcraft flatbed
Third: Michael Salcido, Arrowhead/Nestle Water, 2007 Red Freightliner Columbia/1991 Brenner tanker
LIMITED MILEAGE BOBTAIL
First: Andy Zary, 1959 Mack B61, Touch of Class
Second: Isaac Aguilar, Sandvik Trucking, 1992 Peterbilt 379, Still Deliriouz
Third: Bill Sandvik, 1998 Peterbilt 379
LIMITED MILEAGE INTERIOR – Andy Zary, 1959 Mack B61, Touch of Class
LIMITED MILEAGE PAINT – Isaac Aguilar, Sandvik Trucking, 1992 Peterbilt 379, Still Deliriouz
MOBIL DELVAC BEST LIMITED MILEAGE TRUCK ENGINE
Bill Sandvik, 1998 Peterbilt 379
Pride & Polish sponsors
10-4 Magazine; 75 Chrome Shop; Custom Rigs magazine; Dynaflex Exhaust Technologies; Firestone; Howes Lubricator Products; Truk Rodz by Jones Performance; Mobil Delvac; OOIDA; Overdrive Radio Network; PPG; Roadworks Manufacturing; Rockwood Products; Valley Chrome/Wingmaster; and WTI Fenders.
