MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

Living the Life and Printing the Passion

IN THE SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME THAT I HAVE BEEN SPEARHEADING THIS EXTREMELY ICONIC BRAND, EMAILS, PHONE CALLS AND TEXT MESSAGES HAVE BEEN POURING IN DAILY FROM TOP INDUSTRY NAMES THAT I’VE BEEN FOLLOWING SINCE I WAS YOUNG. It’s extremely humbling to answer the phone on a random Tuesday afternoon and spend an hour or so chatting about a lifestyle we all love with an insider who has passion like no other.

There is no doubt that the number of enthusiasts and followers of anything and everything custom truck related is continuing to grow year after year. We see a consistent increase in our fan base, both in print and on the web, which proves that the direction StreetTrucks is headed will continue to trend positively year after year. This is great news for readers as well as manufacturers, especially for the younger generation that hasn’t yet had a chance to take part in a pleasure we all enjoy. Sure, it’s true that trends in the industry tend to change from one generation to the next, but at the end of the day, whether you like your truck lifted, lowered or somewhere in between, your passion is the fuel that keeps the proverbial cylinders firing.

The stories behind the builds and all of the dedicated players involved drive us to document and share this amazing lifestyle with everyone who takes a minute to look. This month’s issue is no different as we bring you a nice mix of young and old.

We highlight some of that millennial passion when we head over to the East Coast for the yearly Daytona Truck Meet, where lifted street trucks from all over the U.S. and Canada meet on the beach to show off their wild designs. Then it’s out to the Midwest for coverage of the Midwest Dragfest in Missouri. Both of these shows turned into great street-truck-style events even though they have dramatically different styles of trucks on display. We dig them all, and as we have eluded to in the past, if your event brings in a ton of cool custom trucks that can be driven on the street, we want to be there to check them out. Do you know of or are you hosting an event that’s coming up that you think we should check out? Send us an email with the details and maybe your hometown will be the next one we visit.

Along with the great event coverage, this issue is packed with feature trucks from all over the country, including our insane cover truck that has the style of a trophy winner and the power to back it up. Another fun special feature we included covers our one-on-one interview with Rick Schmidt, vice president and COO of National Parts Depot (NPD). The interesting tour of NPD’s amazing facility gave us some insight into the aftermarket industry, especially relating to trucks. Naturally, just like past issues, tech is a heavy part of this book as we look beyond lifts to focus on some highly recommended postsuspension upgrades. The crew at Tre 5 Customs brings some of its expertise to the issue and explains all of the steps to install a Chris Alston’s Chassisworks back-half clip under a pile of parts that resemble a C-10.

These are just a few of the great stories we bring to the table in this issue, and we are extremely confident that you will be entertained. Keep sending in those readers’ rides and questions to the editor so we can keep our finger on the pulse of the industry, and don’t forget to follow us on the various social media channels so you can stay up to date with all things StreetTrucks. See you out there!