Hi. I’m Leo Barros, and welcome to Shell Rotella SuperRigs 2026 at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.

This year, I’ll be judging the trucks as well. So, if you want to see a lot of big iron, chrome and lights, stay tuned.

Eric Harley: My name is Eric Harley. I’m the host of Red Eye Radio. I am also a judge here at Shell Rotella SuperRigs, which I’ve been doing, this is my 26^th year, actually. I started in 2021.

So, we’re looking for the appearance, where we have several different categories, appearance, originality, polish and detail, and all of those add up basically to a super rig. And also, basically, what sets this truck apart?

Mike Gaffin: We got the SuperRigs truck show. Trucks are starting to roll in, some of the most premier trucks in the country. They’re coming here to try and get a spot on the Shell SuperRigs calendar, a calendar that’s been around since the 80s. They also could win some big prizes. 

We’re gonna have some family events here. We’re gonna have fireworks, it’s gonna be a great time. Anybody that comes to a truck show, I would consider a super rig because they are, like, the one percenters of the industry.

These are the guys that have the most pride in what they do, not only in their trucks, in their appearance, but they also live the lifestyle of a trucker. They’re thinking about trucks all the time. And a super rig to me is just the guy that puts in, a driver who puts in the extra effort to clean their truck, just to make it look the best they can.

David McKinney:  A super rig to me is going to be way over the top. I mean, it’s going to be I mean, it’s going to have some extra stuff on it that nobody else has really got. He’s going to take a lot of pride in in his truck.

After you do this so long, you pick out stuff, you know, most people who see them see a truck, just kind of look at a quick appearance of it. And when and when you get to looking at these trucks to judge them, then you gotta look deeper.

Harley: We’re looking for those small details and sometimes it comes down to a very, very tight race because of those details. It’s a number of things, So, we weigh all of those things, the application of the truck and it’s used, and also what they may do. You know, there are certain things that they add to it that may be a personal touch that set the that will set the truck aside and apart from the other makes and models and other trucks in general.

Shell is honoring the working trucks and the people behind the wheels of the working trucks and have been for 44 years now. Really what this is all about, trucks that work hard and also look great. That’s how it becomes a super rig, and we’re seeing some real contenders this year. It’s a pretty tight race.