Southeast Mini Truckin’ Nationals: Where Custom Trucks Pack a Small Town

Custom Trucks Pack a Small Town

When it comes to shows that draw more custom vehicles to town than are actually able to fit inside the showgrounds, none come MORE QUICKLY TO MIND than the Southeast Mini Truckin’ Nationals. This show has an approval process for show entries due to a very limited space inside the gates. Tons of people apply for one of the 750 registration spots, but even those who don’t get approved still show up with their custom rides and enjoy the weekend. 

This year’s event, which was brought to you by Air Lift Performance, was one of the largest we have ever seen in its 29 years of existence. The show was also backed by Kicker, XS Power, Dynamat, and Viair just to name a few. Without backing like that, shows like this wouldn’t be able to happen. While most shows are just the show hours for the two or three days of the event, the spectators and show goers make this show a multiple-day event that lasts almost 24 hours a day.

We showed up Thursday before the show to an already-packed town with people cruising—but people actually started showing up the weekend before the show. A lot of people make this event a vacation and hang out with fellow truck enthusiasts for more than just the weekend of the show.

Speaking of cruising, that is something that makes this event stand out against other shows around the country. It’s held in the small town of Maggie Valley in the mountains of North Carolina where the entire town supports cruising and people enjoying their town. After show hours, the road through town is lined on both sides with chairs packed with people who watch the custom trucks cruise up and down the road like we did back in the day. You could cruise or even drag back and forth for hours and as long as you didn’t do burn-outs or speed. The town lets people enjoy what the trucks were built to do—look good driving.

Once inside the show gates, custom trucks packed every inch of the Maggie Valley festival grounds, which was surrounded by some of the coolest views we have seen at a show with mountains everywhere you looked. Not only were there plenty of custom vehicles to look at, but the massive amount of spectators were also able to browse the huge vendor section and shop for the latest truck apparel, parts, and just about every automotive aspect you would expect for a show to this caliber to have.

Saturday was the day for the huge charity auction when several items were raffled off with proceeds going to Spreadin the Luv, which they gave to Katie Powers’ family for her fight against breast cancer. When Sunday rolled around, the awards ceremony was packed with people waiting to see who would take home some of the hardware before traveling back home. And home for a lot of the participants was from all over the country, even as far as California and Canada.

To make sure you don’t miss out on the next event, scheduled for April 19-21, 2024, make sure you follow @minitruckinnats on Instagram or www.minitruckinnats.com and add it to your calendar.