Photos: GRADY MUNDELL @DEEPSOUTH.MEDIA
There are many big truck shows out there, and one of the hottest ones held this past summer was the Atlantic City Truck Meet. Put on at an abandoned airport known as Bader Field in Atlantic City New Jersey on July 30th & 31st, 2022, “The North East’s Largest Truck Show” featured some of the hottest rides and tons of booths and displays for show-goers to experience. Mark Wickline, Christopher Varner and John Klebaur came up with the idea for the show after they realized that the Northeast was indeed an untapped market in the truck show industry. Now, in its second year, it’s quickly becoming one of the must-attend shows of the year. We caught up with one of the creators of Atlantic City Truck Meet (@AtlanticCityTruckMeet), Mark Wickline (@Mark_AtlanticCityTruckMeet) for a quick recap of how the event went!
REWARDS OUTWEIGH THE RISKS
The most rewarding part is when you get to sit back and see all the hard work paid off above and beyond your expectations and when just about every sponsor/vendor credits you for your hard work and how pleased they were with the outcome of the event. It pushes you to outdo yourself for the next show, it’s great motivation.
The most demanding part about putting on the show, I would say, are the days leading up to the event. The anxiety, stress, anticipation and the “not knowing” can really sneak up on you. There are many factors in having an outdoor show and the main thing is what the weather will be like. Here in Atlantic City, NJ, you never know what you will get until about eight hours beforehand.
FUN, FUN AND MORE FUN
Atlantic City Truck Meet was a two-day show with a lot of fun. From the burnout pit to the dyno, the food trucks to the beer garden, and how could we forget that bikini contest! Everything was pretty memorable. For 2022, we did around 2,400 registered vehicles as well as just about 19,800 spectators! That’s 3,800 more than what we pulled in for 2021. We definitely can’t wait to see what June 10th & 11th 2023 brings!
At times it’s hard to describe what makes this show so great. I think every show has its own qualities that set it apart from others like it. If every show was the same, what would be the point of going to them all? I believe location is one of the biggest things going for us. We have casinos, the ocean and beach, boardwalk, nightlife and much, much more, so it all factors in what makes our show unique. It’s definitely an event you need to experience in person.
LOOKING AHEAD AND THANK YOUS
Our plan for 2023 is to move it to June from July. The reason for this was better weather (not as hot) and more reasonably priced accommodations. The show will also feature a burnout pit and dyno, but we are looking at making an SxS course as well. As for other events in the future, I’m not sure. Guess you will just have to keep your eyes open and follow us on our social channels or catch up with us at the many shows we attend.
First and foremost I want to thank my business partners Chris Varner and Jon Klebaur; without these two by my side, none of this would be possible. My daughter Jennica Pearl Wickline, John Ramos & Myles Kovacs from TIS Wheels, the team at LFTDxLVLD Magazine, Rod & Christina with Zephyr Polishes, AJ & Kassim with VersaTyre, Jeremy Roop with IT8EZ Apparel, Danny P with AlphaRex USA, Jason with American Force Wheels, Rob with DS18, Andy with Fury & KG1, Rob with Plan B Fab, Yancey & Greg with Kap King, Skoop & Nikki with SMG, Alan with Skynet, John and the boys at Black Red Headwear, Calvin with Calz Kustoms, Chris with JTX Forged, Dude and Maddie Lovejoy with Dudes Fab Shop, Tobin with Shine Money, Joey with Sparkling Image Detailing, Jon with Diamond Detailing, Damon with Next Level Mats, our web/graphics guy Jim and Casey our site manager. Also Grady with Deep South Media and George with Low Fro Photography for the photos and video. And last but not least, all our participants, vendors and spectators! See you all again in 2023!
