Day 4
Grand Champions!
Top Truck Challenge 2008 will go down in history as the first time two teams tied for First Place. In this unprecedented turn of events, Team Kraatz and Team Naeger got to split the winner's trophy. Quite literally, might we add, but we'll get to that in a moment.
No one expected a tie though everyone knew it was certainly possible. Going into the Tank Trap event, Team Kraatz was way out in front of everyone with 56 points, thanks to First Place finishes in four of the six preceding events. Team Morris and Team Naeger were tied for Second with 46 points. This is where the double points of the Tank Trap came into play in a big way. Team Kraatz had a slew of mechanical problems and didn't finish the competition, which forced them to settle for only 8 points. Team Morris finished the course in Fourth Place, but the 14 points they gathered wasn't enough to counter Team Naeger's outstanding run, which netted them 18 points. Suddenly we had a tie for First Place. This momentous occasion forced us to ask Top Truck judge Toby Lavender to take the custom First Place trophy to his shop, Triple-X Traction in Seaside, and cut it in half so we could award each team a portion. What did the winning teams think of the tie? Clayton Kraatz says; "It's awesome. This is something I've spent about 16 years trying to get and I got it. Splitting it with Jeremy, I mean honestly it couldn't be better."
Jeremy Naeger says; "He didn't have to show up for Tank Trap I didn't think, and I couldn't get anything right until the Tank. This is it right here. He [Kraatz] is the man. I'm shaking. I don't believe it. I'm just blown away."
| FINAL RESULTS (points) |
| 1 Kraatz' Warthog (tie) | 64 |
| | Naeger’s Buggy | |
| 3 Morris' Buggy | 60 |
| 4 Wood's CJ-5 | 58 |
| 5 Hair's Wagoneer | 53 |
| 6 Swartz' Chevy | 40 |
| 7 Beck's International | 37 |
| 8 Hulbert's Willys | 28 |
| 9 Lammers' Bronco | 26 |
How It's scored
Top Truck scoring is straightforward and simple. There are no secret formulas or complex computer programs involved. The winner of each event gets 10 points; Second place gets 9 points, and so on. The Tank Trap is worth double points, so the winner gets 20 points; Second place gets 18 points and so on. At the end of competition each team's points are tallied and that is their final score. The team with the most points wins. It just doesn't get any easier.
Get the DVD!
The Top Truck Challenge 2008 DVD is a must-have for all serious truck lovers and Top Truck fans. This high-definition DVD is shot and edited by our professional film crew and it chronicles all the action and drama from this year's seven incredible Top Truck events. There's only one place to get this DVD and that's through 4Wheel Parts Wholesalers, so call 800/213-5668, visit www.4wheelparts.com, or get to your local 4Wheel Parts Wholesalers retail location.
Bonus coverage!
Who says there's no such thing as free stuff? Just head on over to www.fourwheeler.com to see even more photos from all seven Top Truck Challenge events.
Four Wheeler Would Also Like To Thank The Official Top Truck Sponsors:
Official Retailer: 4Wheel Parts www.4wheelparts.com
Official Tire: Mickey Thompson Tires www.mickeythompsontires.com
Official Suspension: Tuff Country EZ Ride Suspension www.tuffcountry.com
Official Axle: Yukon Gear www.yukongear.com
Official Oil: Amsoil www.amsoil.com
Official Winch: Warn Industries www.warn.com
Official Clothing: Blanco Basura Clothing www.blancobasura.com
Last Word
"Good group effort. We kept all nine trucks running through every event."
-Randy Swartz
"For anybody who ever gets the chance to do this, they need to come and give it their all and just have a blast."
-Clayton Kraatz
"The experience was great. I still can't believe we're here. All the years of watching the videos and reading the magazines, this is one of the best weeks of my life."
-Hoby Hulbert