2006 All Truck Nationals

[Rich@Carsatcarlisle]

Hello everyone. My name is Rich, I am the new event manager for the All Truck Nationals. If there is anything you liked/disliked about the show in the past, please let me know here. We are planning for the 2006 season and I want to make it one for the records!
What entertainment do you want to see? What kind of judging do you like (walk around, drive-thru, other ideas)? What special guests would you like to see? What kinds of vehicles do you want to see in a display? And anything else you want to let us know about!
Thanks for the input.
Rich Dallas

[Bagged89Mazda]

This is sad . 40 Views and no responses . I guess ppl like the way things are running at carlisle All trucks . thats a shame . i know That there was alot of ppl upset with the way it was last year and previous years. I miss camping i know it won't be back though .The ppl walkin around asking ppl to do a burn out - tisk tisk. ppl just don't care about how much blood /sweat /tears /money went into some of these trucks that make the trek to carlisle all trucks . Ppl drive for hours to get to this show some from as far south as north carlolina (or even further) and as far north as Canada From what i understand! It must mean something if ppl are driving that kinda distance to go to a show that isn't even in THIER STATE!

i have to agree with my fellow DRAGGERS on drop n drag that carlisle productions seem to be pushing the minis -out of the field all to gether .. They're moving us from one section to the other . 3 years ago when i took my walk thru truck we were parked (fun field) along the back fence behind the consession stands and all .. now thats all big rig section . Is showing off big rigs that hot and popular now??? honestly i don't know if theres even a class for that i heard of ... Do they actually use them for daily use ? i highly doubt they get the daily use/abuse . they are taking up 2 times the space now . .. LAST year they had fun field like right when you enter gate 3 to the right of the sub way . i wentin there this year expecting it to be at the same place and had a hard time lookin for my friends . you know i spent 3 hrs lookin for my friends cause it wasn't at the same spot???? Part of that was my fault for not having a phone with me . but non the less . The issue with the hill where camping used to be is a no - no - i know its been said 100 times on other sites hopefully carlisle gets it thru thier head that its not good to have a mini truck with a body drop on the hill . who wants to see grass stuck under a truck? Heres ' another topic to discuss ... How come for the 3rd year in a row that carlisle didn't cut the grass prior to the show ????? Not good! We put alot of money out weither or not we pay for fun field or show field .. We'd like to get our money's worth and seeing the grass high im sure you can see it in your budget to cut the grass 2-3 days b4 all truck nationals . You have the equipment Use it !!

How bout working a deal with the hotels ?? Seems like every year i hear the same thing hotels boosting their rates up last minute cause they forgot its all truck weekend . The custom automotive enthusiasts spend alot of money in carlisle . If it wasn't for the fairgrounds and thier shows that town wouldn't have any extra revenue . I hear the town makes a pretty decent chunk of change off ppl in 1 weekend . I THINK the figures are in 2 or 3 figure range .thats alot of money to make . Carlisle has an averge of 5 thousand ppl come to show - at 55-60 a entrance - show per vehicle .. carlisle productions is making a killer pocket . I KNOW of some ppl who enter 3 thats right 3 trucks a year ! thats alot of money to dish out in a weekend with the cost of gas /hotel/food .and any thing else they may need or want .. How bout helping us out ???



Michael .
idragmazda@Earthlink.net

[Bagged89Mazda]

well you got vendors .. gee thats great . but uhh what a bout the import truck guys ?? You know the guys who drive nissan's mazda's , toyotas ,mitisbushi's ???


you have a vast amount of chevy /ford parts . Vendors like cervanis' (sp?) don't carry parts for import trucks to much . WHAT bout ppl who have used parts for imports ? I seen trailers full of 60's - 70's chevy c10 parts .. trucks beds from -FORD/chevy /dodge ... Can't you find any vendors to bring in some import body parts ?

In my case my truck is becoming a rare Breed in junk yards locally . the truck is over 10 years old . junk yards around here say they don't take anything older the a 95 - which is pretty young if you ask me . any thing older then that goes to the crusher all parts with it . its sad . some ppl are trying to fix up thier trucks that are older . some trying to make their truck last longer with the cost of cars today . It would be nice to see some import part vendors in your vendor row . you do have TO many ppl tryin to sell tools tho .i could see if they each sold a different tools . but 99% of em sell the exact tool . Some prices are reasonable some aren't For tools. I'd just like to see some space free'd up for some other type of vendor .

[Rich@Carsatcarlisle]

Thanks for the input.
As for the vendor situation, we can't force them to come; and trust me, we contcat everyone to be at our shows so people like you can find what you want. There are just a lot more domestic vendors out there.
And as I mentioned on drop & drag, I'm working on all of the other issues.
Oh, and this year I'll make sure they cut the grass because my truck will be out here and I don't want to be in the weeds either :) Thanks agin for the good input. Keep it coming.

[Tsunami]

How about going back to the walk around judging. Drive up judging is a great idea, but the problem was that there were so many trucks this last year with the great weather that they clogged up all of the aisles. I didn't really mind because I stay from 8am until security asks us to leave, but I can see it being a real pain to some people, and the contestants who's vehicles are in the aisles have to deal with the spectators walking all around thier vehicles while they wait to be judged risking scratches and dents.

That was the only thing I thought needed improvement from the last show. The event staff let us stay at the field untill almost midnight on Saturday as long as we didn't go crazy or do anything stupid which was awesome since the motels are patrolled by police and your not allowed to socialize outside there. Everyone of the staff was great to us and we made sure we didn't give anyone any grief. We had almost 40 trucks in our little group and had an awesome time.

Dave

[offroadford4x4]

Personaly I like the drive up judging cause my whole club parks together and isn't separated by judged and non judged classes.

For the most part, I like it the way it is. My only dislikes is having to sit there and hear all the lowriders draggin their frames. But I guess its their truck to ruin. I'm just waitin to see one fall apart cause they ground away too much frame from draggin Lol. I don't mind the hiss of the air bags. But that one dude who has the train horn on the lowered blue S10 with the chrome rollbar, He needs to stop blowin that thing every 2 minutes.

[Bagged89Mazda]

Personaly I like the drive up judging cause my whole club parks together and isn't separated by judged and non judged classes.

For the most part, I like it the way it is. My only dislikes is having to sit there and hear all the lowriders draggin their frames. But I guess its their truck to ruin. I'm just waitin to see one fall apart cause they ground away too much frame from draggin Lol. I don't mind the hiss of the air bags. But that one dude who has the train horn on the lowered blue S10 with the chrome rollbar, He needs to stop blowin that thing every 2 minutes.



first of all the event is ALL Trucks! YOU Don't like lowered trucks? TO BAD We are here TO STAY! Wtf is ppls problem with ppl in this customizing sport with hate for mini trucks (yes thats what we are mini-trucks NOT f- in lowriders ! ) thats like sayin im not going to taco bell cause mexicans own it . if U have a problem with ppl with lowered suspension trucks Go back to BLOOMSBURG And stay there . This sport (hobby ) is for everyone . I don't like big rigs there but you know what theres probably 10 thousand other ppl who do like em . Big deal! The only point you have is about the guy in the s10 extreme with the train horns . Theres some things that shouldn't be bought buy the consumer and that is one of em .

[joew]

before we commit to the 06 triuk nats i would like to know how the classes are going to be split. if its the same as last year in ford 1948-1996 we will not be attending. i hope you go back to proper classes as i have enjoyed this event for over a decade. joe w

[Tsunami]

I know those train horns are annoying, but they are pretty funny. 2 years ago I convinced him to blast them at 8am at the Motel on Saturday morning! :D Hey, as far as I'm concerned the more DIFFERENT kinds of stuff the better. I can appreciate any vehicle that someone wants to bring to the show. They're all there to have fun and enjoy the hobby( or obsession ). I would like to see the mini's off the hill though. They are better off on flat ground. Years ago they had the Big Rigs up there and it worked great. The only reason they moved them was because there was a lot of trouble between them and the campers. Now there is no camping so it may be better. There is also a lot less room on the main field with the expansion of the manufacturers midway. That took away a lot of spaces right in the middle of the field.

Dave

[offroadford4x4]

first of all the event is ALL Trucks! YOU Don't like lowered trucks? TO BAD We are here TO STAY! Wtf is ppls problem with ppl in this customizing sport with hate for mini trucks (yes thats what we are mini-trucks NOT f- in lowriders ! ) thats like sayin im not going to taco bell cause mexicans own it . if U have a problem with ppl with lowered suspension trucks Go back to BLOOMSBURG And stay there . This sport (hobby ) is for everyone . I don't like big rigs there but you know what theres probably 10 thousand other ppl who do like em . Big deal! The only point you have is about the guy in the s10 extreme with the train horns . Theres some things that shouldn't be bought buy the consumer and that is one of em .


damn, chill dude. I never said I don't like lowered trucks. I don't mind the lowriders, or mini trucks, what ever is politicaly correct now, I like trucks of all sorts. I just use lowrider as a generic term for anything thats lowered. I was just simply trying to say I hate hearing the frame draggin, that grinding metal to pavement sound is just as annoying as the train horn. I just realy hate that sound. I even said originaly I don't mind hearing bags hissin and stuff. There's tons of lowered trucks I like, hell I even want to build one eventualy, only it'd be a fullsize.

And when I said, "But I guess its their truck to ruin. I'm just waitin to see one fall apart cause they ground away too much frame from draggin Lol." I just meant I just don't see the point in deliberatly grinding away at your frame cause eventualy the truck is gonna fall apart or the frame will bend, due to the fact every time they drag, they are slowly removing metal from the frame in turn weakening it. Although some to use replaceable block so they drag them instead, which is a good idea.

I'm sorry you just missunderstood what I was trying to say. Could be I just wasn't clear enough, dunno, but I hope I explained it clear enough now. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend anybody. :(

[Bagged89Mazda]

IM Sorry for my out burst . I along with everyone else in the mini truckin community HATE when ppl say wow look at the lowrider . lowrider - Definition : A vehicle that which has a set of 100 spoke daytons (wire wheels) and are usually equipped with Hydraulics. . You don't understand how much it bothers ppl when ppl mix up lowriders with mini trucks . Its a totally different scene. i Agree the big rigs can go back up on the hill where they were i just don't know if it would be a good idea if they decide they want to go out at some point in the day as its hard to make decent turns in there .. Its ok for miini-trucks and fullsizes to make turns as we have a shorter tighter turning radius. i still say minis back to the flats . offroad4x4 you won't see to many ppl draggin thier trucks in there as Carlisle productions security got a stick shoved up thier back side about draggin . Friend of mine got kicked out for draggin couple years ago .That was a bad call on carlisle side . Why? Because the guy they kicked out shoots coverage for TAILGATE .( hmmm show coverage??) I don't think there was any coverage for that year because of that .Something to think about. He wasn't hurting no one wasn't doing burnouts , He was just draggin his truck .Oh well it was carlisle fault for throwing him out .

[1BAD150]

I think there should be more classes. How can u judge f150 f250 and f350 in the same class. These trucks are completely diff. thanks for listening. :confused:

[offroadford4x4]

Thanks for the explination on that. Like I said I like alot of mini's lowered fullsize and lowrider trucks, but I don't follow them closely like I do fullsize 4x4s so I didn't know all the terminoligy. I'll start using the terms correctly now, I'd hate to say the wrong thing to someone in person and get my azz beat down LOL.

But ATNs are great. I love the diversity of the show, and the amount of vendors there. Compared to bloomsburg, the ATNs are far better. Up there everthing starts looking the same, and its always the same trucks year after year. And they don't have **** for vendors. I ain't going up there anymore. It's not worth my time or money.

I agree with baggedmazda that the minis should be off the hill. give em someplace flat and smooth.

[offroadford4x4]

I think there should be more classes. How can u judge f150 f250 and f350 in the same class. These trucks are completely diff. thanks for listening. :confused:

Thats a good point, like JoeW also said on page about the drastic spam of years also isn't any good. They should be broken up by either body styles, or at least chassis styles. Like ford fullsize fords do like ??-79 then 80-96, and 97-03 F150, and 99-current superdutys, or atleast somethimg of the similar.

[Rich@Carsatcarlisle]

We are working on the classes. Thanks for the input. Once I have a meeting with our judging team I will post what our thoughts are for some feed back. As for the Ford 1948-1996 that will be broken up, when I saw that class I laughed.

[offroadford4x4]

Cool! It's good to know that participants are being heard.

[s10blazed]

One idea - music. I don't remember hearing any music as I browse through trucks. The stage seems vacant for most of the day, so why not use it? A live band(s) would have no problem setting up there. Even a DJ could setup and play some music.

You got to keep the bikini contest. Maybe even add a wet t-shirt contest too. ;)

4x4 Tug of war? (cant think of a good spot to put this though)

rock and/or mud pit? This is a HUUUGE success at Summit Racing's Truck shows. (maybe no one wants to get their pretty trucks dirty)

I'll add any more that come to me.

[Bagged89Mazda]

One idea - music. I don't remember hearing any music as I browse through trucks. The stage seems vacant for most of the day, so why not use it? A live band(s) would have no problem setting up there. Even a DJ could setup and play some music.

You got to keep the bikini contest. Maybe even add a wet t-shirt contest too. ;)

4x4 Tug of war? (cant think of a good spot to put this though)

rock and/or mud pit? This is a HUUUGE success at Summit Racing's Truck shows. (maybe no one wants to get their pretty trucks dirty)

I'll add any more that come to me.
Wet t-shirt idea will Most Likely not HAPPEN as this is a family event show .if ppl really wanta see boobies then you'll have to go to the strip club . They just won't do it to satisfy some young boys . they have a big turn out of families with little ones every year ! Just something to think about.

[RODHALL]

Why don’t they judge the truck show like they do other shows?

Look at how the Chrysler event is judged
Every entrant gets a ballot they may judge cars on there field, or not judge any if they so choose too. If you don’t want your car to be judged you don’t put the paper on your dash.

You don’t have the congestion of cars setting the aisles and people trying to walk beside them. like you have at the truck event.

Get the 4x4 off the hill. Top heavy trucks sideways on steep hill is recipe for disaster.

[CKTA]

Can the show be moved back to July like it once was?

[Tribalvision]

Last years judging classes were absolutely horrible. You guys put me in GM 4x4 truck Radical. No year breakdown.. What kind of class is that??I will not be getting judged this year. I didn't really care for the drive up judging, and I don't like parking in classes because We have a group tent. It serves no purpose to have a group tent if youre getting judged and are required to park by class. You can only park there on Sunday when most people are leaving. I will still be attending because it's a chance to meet friends every year, I just won't take it as serious as I used to.

enough about judging. The show is still a great time. I agree with the above statement on some bands playing. That would be a great addition, and probably wouldn't cost much. You could probably find a bunch of up and coming bands who would be willing to play in front of a few thousand people. Draggin would be cool, but I don't see that being feasible with the fairground layout and keeping safety in mind. I think Carlisle should make better use of the grandstand. It seems all the show content is in the burnout pit and it makes it tough for people down the end to get a good view. Extend the asphalt down the full length of the bleachers to improve spectator viewing.

Security really needs to calm down. I've seen them treat people like criminals.

If I think of more, I'll contribute.

[Rich@Carsatcarlisle]

Wet T contest, that would be great - I'll pour the water, but like someone said, not at a Carlisle Show.

The 4x4 tug-o-war was a fun idea, but I changed my mind due to saftey issues. As for a mud pit, yes at Truckfest that is huge, but we cannot do that because of the spring and fall swap meets because every space on the grounds is sold and there is a waiting list for open spaces! So we cannot take away spaces.

Music on the stage, I'll look into that. That isn't a bad idea, but I am afraid the band might get discouraged if the stands arent full. We'll see, that may work.

Judging, this is a hot topic no matter who you talk to they like something different. As for ballot judging, that just won't work for a show like this or our Performance & Style crowd, they like to have some formal judging for some reason.

The show was never in July, it was in June; and sorry, it is in August for good now because of how our other show dates fall.

The classes will be much better in 2006. I have been in the truck market since I was 15, that is 13 years now, so I have a good understanding of things.

Thanks again for the input.

[Tsunami]

How about a Carlisle version of a Drive-in at night. Erect some kind of temporary screen on the grounds somewhere and let the entrants bring chairs down around it to watch. I know it sounds crazy but one year we brought a 10 ft. screen and watched Hollywood Knights. I was up front and when I turned around halfway through the movie there was almost a hundred people that pulled up lawnchairs to watch the movie. It was pretty cool.

Also, any thoughts on bringing back the light parade they used to have? I know they used to have it go through Carlisle and then it was on the field for a few years but now it seems to have disappeared.

[AIminiS10]

I posted in another topic within the truck section and it stated about the whole dragging aspect. A lot of people have said something about it, but Rich hasn't really said anything about it. I like hearing the trucks drag and that is what a lot of my fellow mini's have built there trucks for. I would also agree with moving the show back to the end of June. It would be a better turnout. I know it isn't feasible with your current schedule, but you should move the GM nationals to August and put the truck show in the GM nats spot. I know the GM show isn't the best turnout so put it in August.

Overall, if the show is going to be anything like last year.....don't count me and many others there. The whole grandstand security thing is stupid also. Security who think they are the almighty won't let you in the grandstands because they are full, but when you look over their shoulder there are a lot of seats open. I was not happy with that whole situation with wristbands and what not. Come on.....lets get security to calm down and not act like they are the police. Straighten out the grandstands, the security, the dragging, and the whole parking things and this show might actually be back to having over 3000 trucks there.

"if the sparks don't fly, you are too high"

[Rich@Carsatcarlisle]

The carlisle drive-in, that is funny you mention that. I thought about that and it was brought to my attention that we would have to get permission to play a movie like that because we could be making money off playing the movie. I know no one is coming to the show because we are playing a movie, but you never know. If anyone knows a way around this, I'd love to do it and I have a company that sets up screens that are 30' tall.
As for the light parade, it won't happen thru town, but I'll see what I can do about having something on grounds.
The dragging, I'm sorry if I didn't talk about it. I am meeting with out facilities director tomorrow to talk about having a drag contest. So, it is something that I want to add to the show. It is just a matter of how, when and where.
As for not wanting to come back, I hope you change your mind. With me at the controls the show will get the attention it needs and the show will become one of the greats again.

[AIminiS10]

You won't be making money if you have a "non-worker" setting up the screen and playing the movie. There are ways around it. I am guessing it is considering making money off of it since everyone is paying to get into the overall show?? Sounds like a good idea to do.

[s10blazed]

You can't just have a 'non-worker' play a movie for a bunch of people. Read the copy write laws at the beginning (at least if you are using a vhs, dvd's skip this). But how about a grassroots video or something? I know there are people who make truck related videos. The Domination series comes to mind as well as a few others here: http://www.suicidedoors.com/Videos.php These types of videos without the big name brand attached to them would more than likey not have all the copywrite mumbo jumbo attached to them.

my $.02

[Tsunami]

There used to be a Vollyball contest at the show but it hasn't been around in a few years. How about bringing that back. It should be relatively harmless to implement. Heck, that contest actually started our truck club( The Purple Helmet Surfers ). But that's a story for another time :D .

[Rich@Carsatcarlisle]

More club games are on my plate and an idea. I'll let you know what I come up with. Anyone else have suggestions?

[DanL]

As part of the inaugural events that each event planner puts together, it's a requirement that they rent and occupy a dunk tank during the first 3 hours of their show. :D

[CKTA]

More club games are on my plate and an idea. I'll let you know what I come up with. Anyone else have suggestions?


Bring back the "Mist" tents. ;) They are a lifesaver in the heat.

[Rich@Carsatcarlisle]

Thanks Dan :D
Mist tents....I'll look into that as well. Or we could all just head to the Purple Helmet Surfer's pool :cool:

[xtreme4x4toy]

How about bringing back the neon show on Sat. Night. You dont need Street Glow to put it on and I know you could do it your self or find a vender like Custom Performance Products to help with prises and trophys. This was one event that I looked forward to doing and since it was dropped, I have not been back to all truck since then.

[tazpar]

We were at last years truck show and had a great time, lots of trucks some new ones we havent seen. We were judged for the first time at the truck show since we built the truck. My son and I have a 57 dodge truck and we knew we be in the radical dodges, no problem there, but we wondered why some of the others was in our class. Some of them were nothing more than a few bolt on parts, some fancy paint jobs, a tv or big old stereo system, bolted to a truck just brought off the lot. no motor changes or other major changes plus they were mostly 92 and up, we felt like we were a lil out of place. We know that there are not a lot of older dodges being built yet but i think their on the way. So this year don't forget the older dodges,fords or chevys too .

[Tsunami]

Oh man, we're gonna need a bigger pool. :eek:

[98 nascartruck]

The 05 show was my first and it was awesome show and the only thing that I heard from our club members that have been in past shows, was how it was judged. I would like to see classes judge by body changes and I am not sure if you can do every body change!!!! Here is something else and that is when being judged,maybe the owners of the truck say a few things about there trucks. I know with some of the wild trucks the owners have done alot to there trucks that the judges won't see, unless told about it.

[Rich@Carsatcarlisle]

We do want to bring the neon contest back. I have been playing phone tag with Dave at Custom Performance Products for weeks now :)
The judging (or classification) will be a bit different in 2006. The reason why someone with a lot done could be in with someone who has a lot of bolt ons is the point system used in the past. This year everyone should be classed very fair. And don't worry, I won't forget about the old trucks. They are making a huge come back at shows and I want them to keep showing up here! As for the participants talking to the judges...I will talk to our team and tell them to ask each particpant this question, "Is there anything you want to point out about your truck that I might overlook?" I have been having my judges at my Ohio show do that for years because you're right, a lot of mods can go over looked.

[CKTA]

Thanks Dan :D
Mist tents....I'll look into that as well. :

Yeah, they had them at the '02 and '03 show and have'nt been back since. All they were was the Cookies Canopies tent w/ some PVC pipe plumbed in and alot of little holes drilled in. It put out a nice mist that cooled you down as people walked through it. :cool: