The Most Important Rodeo in Texas

by Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady

The thoroughbreds that race in most rodeos have nothing on these entrants. The best and the brightest, the newest and most novel are all at the Texas Truck Rodeo. They strut their stuff because the prize money is big time sales.

The audience is made up of Automotive Writers, a group of tough critics who run the vehicles through their paces. An off-road course, created just for the event, helps the writers test the trucks on difficult conditions. Instead of racing around barrels, the trucks maneuver around the track.

What makes this event so important?

Texas is the state that sells the most trucks. So being named the Truck of Texas and winning significant "places" in various categories helps the manufacturers market the trucks. Engineers and designers from each manufacturer mingle with the writers, answering their questions and subtly marketing their entrants. General Motors flew in their vice-president, reinforcing the value manufacturers place on these awards.

Several manufacturers brought "groomers" who polished and shined the vehicles between each test drive. And you could call the gifts from the manufacturers the "carrots" (sunglasses, notebooks, clocks, totes, T-shirts, gimme caps and more).

The organizers thought of everything. Of course there was water and snacks, but even individual tubes of sunscreen were included.

The first morning I woke up and found a packet slipped under my door urging you to drive certain vehicles. It was hard to schedule your time to drive every vehicle present, so some writers relied on previous test drive experiences.

The ballots from each journalist are copied and give anonymously to each manufacturer. So if several writers mention sticky brakes or difficult to get to cargo space, the maker take note. To the manufacturers this is like their final exams.

AND THE WINNER IS..

Truck Rodeo 2007 Winners

Truck of Texas 1st: Ford F-250 Harley-Davidson 2nd: Chevrolet Silverado 1500 3rd: GMC Sierra Denali	SUV of Texas 1st: Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid 2nd: Toyota Land Cruiser 3rd: Hummer H3 Alpha
Truck Line of Texas 1st: General Motors 2nd: Ford 3rd: Toyota	Outstanding Feature 1st: Ford Tailgate Step 2nd: Ford Sync 3rd: Tahoe Hybrid Technology
Full Size Sport Utility Vehicle 1st: Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid 2nd: Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD 3rd: Toyota Land Cruiser	Mid-Size Sport Utility Vehicle 1st: Hummer H3 Alpha 2nd: Nissan Pathfinder 3rd: Jeep Liberty Sport 4x4
Compact Sport Utility Vehicle 1st: Mercury Mariner Hybrid 2nd: Land Rover LR2 HSE 3rd: Honda CR-V	Full Size Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle 1st: Cadillac Escalade AWD 2nd: Lincoln Navigator 3rd: Toyota Land Cruiser
Mid-Size Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle 1st: Mercedes ML 320 CDI 2nd: Volkswagen Touareg 2 V8 3rd: Acura MDX	Luxury Crossover Utility Vehicle 1st: Lincoln MKX 2nd: Volvo XC70
Mid-Size Crossover Utility Vehicle 1st: GMC Acadia AWS SLT 1 2nd: Mazda CX-9 3rd: Toyota Highlander Hybrid	Compact Crossover Utility Vehicle 1st: Ford Edge 2nd: Saturn Vue XR Awd 3rd: Mazda Tribute
Full Size Pick Up Truck 1st: GMC Sierra Denali 2nd: Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab 3rd: Ford F-150 Limited	Mid-Size Pick Up Truck 1st: Dodge Dakota CrewCab TRX 4x4 2nd: Ford Explorer Sport Trac 3rd: Toyota Tacoma Double Cab
Luxury Pick Up Truck 1st: Lincoln Mark LT 2nd: Cadillac Escalade EXT 3rd: Toyota Tundra Lucchese	Heavy Duty Pick Up Truck 1st: Ford F-250 Harley-Davidson 2nd: Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Quad Cab 3rd: GMC Sierra

All winners are 2008 models.

The 2007 Truck Rodeo was held on October 25-28 , 2007 at the Gaylord Texan Resort on Lake Grapevine. It was the biggest and best Truck Rodeo ever.

Madelyn Miller is a travel and automotive writer. Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.coffeeatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com