Lone Star Throwdown – The Nation’s Best Truck Show!
The Lone Star Throwdown is predominantly known as the Nation’s Best Truck Show. Held in Conroe, Texas just north of Houston, it has evolved from a show to a full blown happening, an experience and a culture. Riding low and dragging rocker is celebrated here like nowhere else but so are lifted monsters.
The 2018 LST will be remembered for significant truck debuts, but also for the copious amounts of rain that fell leading to muddy grounds. But ya know what? They came in droves anyway, many laying rocker right down in the sticky ooze. With a scene of this magnitude, the only aim is to represent and take part no matter what. For the best of the best and feature trucks, there are covered pavilions which came in extra handy this year for the featured few.
The Lone Star Throwdown is the brainchild of truck enthusiasts Todd Hendrex and Lonnie Ford. The event was created to bring truck enthusiasts from around the country together for a big party. It was a hit right from the start but has continued to gain momentum.
It’s a unique and sensible setup. There are rules but not many. They cap pre-entries at 2,000 vehicles with registration closing some 45 days prior to the show. There is no vehicle cutoff date allowing for an insane mix of cars and trucks. That’s right – cars come too, many bagged and beautiful just like the hot haulers that dominate the LST. Everyone gets along great. Having fun is the name of the game here.
The awards are as non-political as it gets. The LST staff hands out the “Top 100” spreading the love equally then also selects a few dozen “Best Of” awards. A few sponsored awards are also given out. The format works perfectly. In the end, Nick Germano’s radically customized tomato red ’68 C-10 from Northern California took “Best of Show”.
The beauty of a show like LST is the trends you can spot here as well as the plethora of marques all customized in their each individual way. Phantom extended cab duallies, unibody’s, F-100’s, Squarebodies, campers, Sierra’s, Ukon’s, Denali’s, Blazer’s, Tahoe’s and more offer a dizzying array of potent pickups. Truck peeps are not left wanting. Remember Sam Castronova’s ’79 C-10? He was on hand reppin’ with the Squarebody Syndicate.
Not even inclement weather can dampen this giant Texas-sized party. The spirit of the LST is unbreakable and it’s a one of a kind weekend down in southern Texas. Put it on your bucket list!
