Featured article: Texas Showdown

Updated Nov 5, 2009

Outstanding entries wow crowds at the Great American Trucking Show

Floyd Moore won Best of Show Working Bobtail with this 2000 Peterbilt 379, which he runs 150,000 to 160,000 miles a year.Floyd Moore won Best of Show Working Bobtail with this 2000 Peterbilt 379, which he runs 150,000 to 160,000 miles a year.

The Mendez brothers knew they had something special to enter into Overdrive’s Pride & Polish in Dallas. They’d been working 18-hour days for nearly four months to transform the family-owned 1997 Peterbilt 379 into a one-of-a-kind. They hoped their Texas Chrome Shop’s efforts would put Project One on the lips of everyone attending the Great American Trucking Show.

Some 625 miles north of the San Antonio customizing shop, the Boyz at the Chrome Shop Mafia in Joplin, Mo., were undertaking a very similar build. Thomas Ivy, a passionate lover of custom rigs, had brought in his 1986 Pete from Kilgore, Texas, to have it turned into a one-of-a-kind. CSM employees worked overtime to get it finished for its Pride & Polish debut in Dallas.

Neither custom shop had any idea what the other was building. That’s typical of many new builds showing up at Pride & Polish truck beauty shows – and one of the surprises attendees savor when coming to such events.

When both rigs rolled off their respective trailers and took up key positions on the truck show floor, people were drawn to them like bees to clover.

When the judging was done, the votes were close for the top prize – the Texas shop taking home the coveted Best Limited Mileage Bobtail trophy.

“This truck is the 651st truck we’ve customized in one way or the other, but it’s the first one we’ve done for ourselves,” says Texas Chrome Shop marketing manager Raul Mendez Jr. “Everyone at our shop put their soul into building Project One. It’s our statement to the truck customizing community of what we can do out of a little shop in San Antonio.”

No less impressive was the customizing done on the Best of Show winners in the working divisions. Floyd Moore, of Cagle Rock Trucking, won bobtail honors with his 2000 Peterbilt 379. Moore, who mostly hauls Peterbilt products in a dry van, was proud in particular of custom oak cabinetry in the truck’s interior.

Raul and Roland Mendez won Best Limited Mileage Bobtail with their custom shop's latest creation, Project One.Raul and Roland Mendez won Best Limited Mileage Bobtail with their custom shop's latest creation, Project One.

“I had a guy build them,” he says. “With the stainless and chrome, the fellow I bought it from, we installed it together. I took the truck off the road this year three weeks before the show and me and two other guys worked on it, polished it and painted the frame.”

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The top prize for working combos went to Brad Johnson of Lindamood Demolition, for the 2007 Peterbilt 379 with a 2008 CPS round bottom dump.

The dump’s used for hauling debris at the demolition jobs Lindamood gets, Johnson says. “It’s used every day,” he says. “It’s in landfills” like the one he encountered a week before showing at the Pride & Polish in Wildwood, Fla. “Five days before we were going to leave, it started raining in the middle of a landfill, and there’s some nasty stuff that comes up off the ground in a landfill. As clean as I got it, you couldn’t tell. I like knowing where it was the week before and seeing it sitting on the show floor all cleaned up.”

Johnson’s particularly proud of the hand-scraped hardwood floors. “They actually came out of a house that we tore down,” he says. “It’s the same floor that we have in our office here at the shop, and I have the same floor in my house.”

Though the total number of rigs entered was down about from previous years, the turnout overall was still impressive.

“We had nearly 50 custom rigs here,” Neal Holsomback said.

The long list of other winners included working-class combos owned by Farmers Oil, Hall’s Trucking, Z-Bar Transportation, Bill Hall Jr. Trucking and Jade Transport, to name a few.

Bobtails were also well represented. Larry Swingle of Kenny Yeary Trucking was honored with the Roadworks Best Use of Chrome award for his 1978 Kenworth W900.

Elvis Williamson of Southern Miss Trucking won the Rising Star Award (first time showing) with his 1995 Peterbilt 379, and Kelly Ast’s grain trailer-pulling ‘87 Peterbilt 359 won first in the Working Combo 2002 & Older class.

Pride and Polish Winners

BEST OF SHOW WORKING BOBTAIL

Floyd Moore, Cagle Rock Trucking, 2000 Peterbilt 379

BEST OF SHOW WORKING COMBO 

Brad Johnson, Lindamood Demolition, 2007 Peterbilt 379 with a 2008 CPS round bottom dump

BEST LIMITED MILEAGE BOBTAIL

Roland Mendez, Texas Chrome Shop, 1997 Peterbilt 379

BEST LIMITED MILEAGE COMBO

Jeremey Graves, Farmers Oil, 2007 Peterbilt 379 with a 2008 Mississippi tank

PEOPLE’S CHOICE WINNER

Jeremey Graves, Farmers Oil, 2007 Peterbilt 379 with a 2008 Mississippi tank

CLASS WINNERS

WORKING BOBTAIL

FIRST Mike Bresino, Lindamood Demolition, 2006 Pete 379

SECOND Floyd Moore, Cagle Rock Trucking, 2000 Peterbilt 379

THIRD J.R. Scheuger, Lifetime Nut Covers, 2003 Kenworth W900

NEW TRUCK BOBTAIL, UNDER 75,000 MILES

FIRST New Venture Award, Kenny and Stacy Yeary, 2010 Kenworth W900

SECOND Victor Maiden, Stevens Transport, 2010 Kenworth T660

FIRST SHOW BOBTAIL

FIRST Rising Star Award, Elvis Williamson, Southern Miss Trucking, 1995 Peterbilt 379

SECOND Mark Elkins, William Parker, 1988 Peterbilt 379

THIRD Michael Holland, 2007 Peterbilt 379

ANTIQUE, NON-WORKING

FIRST Grand Antique, Jimmy Wiley, Kenny Yeary Trucking, 1986 Kenworth W900

SECOND Larry Swingle, Kenny Year Trucking, 1978 Kenworth W900

THIRD Justin Smith, US Truck Parts, 1967 Mack B61

WORKING COMBO 2002 & OLDER

FIRST Kelly Ast, 1987 Peterbilt 359 extended hood with a 2010 Timpte grain trailer

SECOND James McPherson, Lindamood Demolition, 2002 Peterbilt 379 with a 2008 Reitnouer flatbed

THIRD Tommy Roach, 1999 Peterbilt 379 extended hood with a 2005 Wilson CF-900 flatbed

WORKING COMBO 2003 & NEWER

FIRST Jonathan Dyck, Jade Transport, 2007 Peterbilt 379 Legacy with a 2000 Polar tanker

SECOND David Kosar Jr., Rite Way, 2007 Peterbilt 379 with a 1998 Great Dane van

THIRD Greg Wood, 2004 Peterbilt 379 with a 2006 Timpte hopper bottom

SPECIALIZED COMBO

FIRST Brad Johnson, Lindamood Demolition, 2007 Peterbilt 379 with a 2008 CPS round bottom dump

SECOND Pete Zamora, Z-Bar Transportation, 2002 Peterbilt 379 with a 2006 CTS end dump

THIRD Henry Hall, Hall’s Trucking of Texas, 2004 Peterbilt 379 with a 2007 Clements Dump

FIRST SHOW COMBO

FIRST Rising Star Award, Justin Hall, 2003 Kenworth W900L studio with a 2008 Clement Starlite dump

SECOND Bill Hall Jr., 2004 Peterbilt 379 with a 2000 Travis Powerlite end dump

THIRD (Tie) Larry Payne, 2005 Peterbilt 379 with a 2007 Barret livestock trailer; Cody Lindamood, Lindamood Demolition, 2000 Peterbilt 379 with a 2000 J&J dump

INTERIOR, CAB ONLY

FIRST Jake Lindamood, Lindamood Demolition, 2007 Peterbilt 379 with a 2008 CPS round bottom dump

SECOND Kenny Ast, 1987 Peterbilt 379 extended hood with a 2010 Timpte grain trailer

THIRD Jonathan Dyck, Jade Transport, 2007 Peterbilt 379 Legacy with a 2000 Polar Tanker

INTERIOR, OEM SLEEPER

FIRST Henry Hall, Hall’s Trucking of Texas, 2004 Peterbilt 379 with a 2007 Clements dump

SECOND Kenny Yeary, 2010 Kenworth W900

THIRD Floyd Moore, Cagle Rock Trucking, 2000 Peterbilt 379

MOBIL DELVAC WORKING ENGINE CLASS

FIRST Jake Lindamood, Lindamood Demolition, 2007 Peterbilt 379 with a 2008 CPS round bottom dump

SECOND Pete Zamora, Z-Bar Trucking, 2002 Peterbilt 379 with a 2006 CPS end dump

THIRD Henry Hall, Hall’s Trucking of Texas, 2004 Peterbilt 379 with a 2007 Clements dump

BOBTAIL CUSTOM PAINT & GRAPHICS OR MURAL

FIRST Kenny Yeary, 2010 Kenworth W900

SECOND Floyd Moore, Cagle Rock Trucking, 2000 Peterbilt 379

COMBO CUSTOM PAINT & GRAPHICS OR MURAL

FIRST Jake Lindamood, Lindamood Demolition, 2007 Peterbilt 379 with a 2008 CPS round bottom dump

SECOND Pete Zamora, Z-Bar Transportation, 2002 Peterbilt 379 with a 2006 CPS end dump 

THIRD Jonathan Dyck, Jade Transport, 2007 Peterbilt 379 Legacy with a 2000 Polar tanker

LIMITED MILEAGE BOBTAIL

SECOND Isaac Aguilar, Sandvik Trucking, 1992 Peterbilt 379

THIRD Thomas Ivy, 1986 Peterbilt 359

LIMITED MILEAGE COMBO

SECOND Jerry Kissinger, 1991 Mack Superliner with a 2006 Great Dane reefer

THIRD RJ Martin, Taylor Transportation, 2007 Peterbilt 379 with a 2008 Mac flatbed

LIMITED MILEAGE INTERIOR

Roland Mendez, Texas Chrome Shop, 1997 Peterbilt 379

LIMITED MILEAGE BOBTAIL PAINT

Thomas Ivy, 1986 Peterbilt 359  

LIMITED MILEAGE COMBO PAINT

Jeremey Graves, Farmers Oil, 2007 Peterbilt 379 with a 2008 Mississippi tank

MOBIL DELVAC BEST LIMITED MILEAGE TRUCK ENGINE

Isaac Aguilar, Sandvik Trucking, 1992 Peterbilt 379

ROADWORKS BEST USE OF CHROME

Larry Swingle, Kenny Year Trucking, 1978 Kenworth W900

TRUK RODZ BEST THEME

Jerry Kissinger, 1991 Mac Superliner with a 2006 Great Dane reefer

FIRESTONE’S MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED CAB

Roland Mendez, Texas Chrome Shop, 1997 Peterbilt 379

VALLEY CHROME PLATING BUMPER TO BUMPER AWARD

Pete Zamora, Z-Bar Transportation, 2002 Peterbilt 379 with a 2006 CTS end dump

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; Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association; Overdrive; Overdrive Radio Network;  PPG; Rand McNally;  Roadworks Manufacturing; Rockwood Products; Valley Chrome/Wingmaster; and WTI Fenders. n

Up and coming

Teenager Cody Lindamood is all smiles and full of the enthusiasm shown by a lot of first-time Pride & Polish entrants. Having a Third Place Rising Star trophy sitting on the passenger seat of a 2000 Peterbilt 379 as a result of his effort adds to the excitement.

“I started driving a truck when I was 10,” says the 15-year-old cousin of Irving, Texas-based Lindamood Demolition’s Jake Lindamood. “That was the age when I could push the clutch pedal down. My dad [Elmer Lindamood] gives me a lot of support and I learn a lot about driving from him and the rest of the guys at the shop. I can’t wait to get my CDL and start driving trucks for my dad.”

It was Jake who offered Cody, at the last minute, the opportunity to show the Lindamood Demolition dump combo at the Great American Trucking Show.

The young Lindamood takes great pride in the trucks he and the rest of the Lindamood Demolition crew bring to shows. “When I get to show a truck, I make sure it’s clean,” he says. “The next time I show this truck, it’ll be spotless under the hood and the undercarriage will be detailed. That’ll get me up there from Third, where I placed this time.”