By Rob Fortier – Images by the Author
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—it takes a lot to get me excited about traveling out of state for events, especially after 30-plus years! The one thing that’s kept me from being totally anti-shows is simple: the people. Seeing lots of old friends and acquaintances on a yearly basis is what’s kept the same events from getting completely played out … but still, the excitement level does continually diminish.
Well, that all changed two years ago, at least when it comes to the weekend after Labor Day. Thanks to the efforts of two industry leaders—Bobby Alloway (Alloway’s Hot Rods) and Gary Case (Case Design Group)—the icons of the hot rod world have gathered together at Nashville Superspeedway for the annual Triple Crown of Rodding: the event that has basically resurrected the true spirt of outdoor car shows—enough so that I now have a renewed tolerance in dealing with domestic air travel and hotel life … at least the first weekend in September!
This year marked the third installment of the Triple Crown, and with that brought a new “kickoff”: the annual Vendor’s Kickoff party, which traditionally had been held at the host hotel. A high school reunion of sorts, as it has managed to gather individuals within the industry who I’ve had the pleasure of working with (and subsequently befriending) over the last few decades, 2025’s venue, the Williamson Family Farm just across the way from the host hotels, absolutely emphasized that reunion atmosphere. Though fellow All Chevy Performance editor Nick Licata and I didn’t arrive till the evening’s event was more than half over (due to that previously mentioned domestic travel), we still experienced a great time catching up with everyone—and enjoying some free ice cream to boot.
Come bright and early Friday morning, we were back on the infield of Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee, once again, this time surrounded by even more vendors and participant vehicles than last year (nearly 200 vendors and well over 3,500 vehicle entries). But before wearing down the soles of our tennies exploring those masses, Nick and I headed straight to Pit Row, where all the “elite”-contending vehicles were displayed—including the trucks—for subsequent “of the Year” and other top awards to be given out at the close of the event Saturday afternoon.
As mentioned in last month’s editorial, the Triple Crown has established three distinct categories for their LMC Truck of the Year award program based on year breaks: Up to 1972, 1973-87, and 1988-98. Along with the trophy, each winner also gets a limited-edition, Josh Shaw–flamed Fender Telecaster (with stand and travel bag) and a Griot’s Garage car detailing pack. After the CPP Top 30/Elite 10 were announced, this year’s three Truck of the Year winners were finally revealed: Truck of the Year Up to 1972 went to Curt Wittman and his 1955 Chevy Cameo, Truck of the Year 1973-87 to Frank Walsh for his Lakeside Speed & Shine/Mobile Toys–built 1975 Chevy C10, and Truck of the Year 1988-98 to Brian Wojcik and his Scott’s Hotrods–built 1995 Chevy CK1500.
Following the trophy presentations, Gary and Bobby got around to dispersing some cash to a fortunate winner, raising even more for charity, and once again, giving out a brand-new truck! The highly anticipated 50/50 raffle totaled $20,500—half to the winner, David Vos, with the other half going to the Gary Sinise Foundation, which raised a total of $75K by the end of the day. The BluePrint Engines LS giveaway went to one of my favorite builders, Mike Goldman, while the 2025 Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop custom Chevy Silverado keys were handed to Dean Hutchinson. Lastly, but by no means leastly, the Triple Crown’s Pinstripe Auction for Speedway Children’s Charities ultimately raised $63K (Triple Crown of Rodding has raised over $150K since 2023!).
Again, this is all on top of one well-attended car show—3,600 hot rods, muscle cars, and, of course, some of the best classic trucks from far and wide take up quite a bit of real estate with the Nashville Superspeedway … and that’s not including the hundreds of vendors displayed within the infield as well! Long story short, the Triple Crown of Rodding 2026 should be a bucket list event for any self-proclaimed gearhead, regardless of where you reside or by what means you get there! See you next September 11-12 in Nashville!
Check out this story in our digital edition here.
