Stuck on a Truck—An Event for All!

Stuck on a Truck will roll into Toad Suck Daze for the 9th time on Thursday, April 30, 2009.  This reality spectacle seems to intrigue the young and the old in this test of endurance by the contestants.  Last year marked the first big change.  The starting date was moved to Thursday instead of a Friday.  Folks at the festival loved this as they were able to catch the contestants in their prime…that is, several days with no sleep.

In 2001, First State Bank, now Centennial Bank, started this zany event that has contestants holding their hands on an automobile.  The last one remaining with their hand still on the vehicle wins it.  Contestants must stand upright at all times—no sitting, squatting or leaning.  A five minute break is allowed each hour and a 15 minute break is given every six hours. 

The contest is a crowd pleaser at the Toad Suck Daze festival with people watching the contenders like a circus side show.  What’s also interesting is Toad Suck Daze folds up and goes away on Sunday afternoon; however, Stuck on a Truck rolls on until it’s over.  The record is 99 hours!  People attending Toad Suck Daze then become addicted.  Many go home and watch it on the web-cam provided at the event.  Nearly 1 million people watch the web-cam each year from all over the world.  Indeed www.stuckonatruck.com is the most common web address used in Faulkner County during the first weekend in May.  “The contest has proven to be infectious,” said Randy Sims, president and CEO of Centennial Bank.  “It is truly amazing the volume of people wanting to view the contest on-line.”

You may wonder what causes this attraction by the general public.  David Druey, event co-coordinator says, “Everyone has a story on why they want to win the truck.  Many do it for the challenge, some do it because they love contests, and some just need a vehicle.”  He added, “It’s also fun to watch when the contestants get tired and a little on the disoriented side from lack of sleep.  I think folks around here are so competitive they enjoy any kind of challenge.” 

With eight years of past success, the First State Bank/Centennial Bank staff, the organizers of Stuck on a Truck, have proved they know how to entertain a crowd and give away big prizes at the same time.  For the 2008 event they decided to add an element that would bring something back to the community that will be continued in 2009.  Each contestant represents a pre-selected charity.  People can vote for their favorite contestant by donating money to that charity.  One vote =$1.  The contestant raising the most money will win a prize.  Last year’s fund raiser raked in $4,000 for local charities.  “Stuck on a Truck is such a popular event that we wanted to take it up a notch and add the charity piece and I went really well last year.  We again encourage everyone to participate and vote for their favorite person on the truck” said Lori Case, event co-coordinator.

Here’s a recap of the past Stuck on a Truck events.

2001
The first event was called “Hug a Bug” and the giveaway was a red Volkswagen Beetle.  Sixty-five hours and 14 minutes from the start, Phillip Toll of Conway, won the keys to the brand new bug. 

2002
In 2002 the name was changed to Stuck on a Truck and the grand prize was upgraded to a Ford F150 pick up from Smith Ford.  The new prize put a surge of interest in the contest and it took 91 hours for Greenbrier’s Rebecca McGuire to claim victory. 

2003
To keep it all in the family, Jacob McGuire entered the 2003 event with his mom as lead pit crew chief.  Many doubters thought a young guy like Jacob wouldn’t have a chance, but 85 hours later he proved that success was in the genes and he drove away with the new truck. 

2004
In 2004, David Gwatney of Conway proved to his family he was a “Ford Truck Man” and won the contest in 79 hours.  Gwatney held his cool for the entire time.

2005
Even though he really didn’t know where he was, Frankie Heifner of Conway won the truck in 85 hours and 26 minutes.  He still drives the shiny new Ford today. 

2006
With a huge crowd watching Shane Cauthen of Vilonia came out of the contest unscathed and won in a time 87 hours and 46 minutes.

2007
A new record was set when Danny Alford fought off Dena Kemp who donned a blue Mohawk for motivation.  The winning time was 98 hours 48 minutes.

2008
Mark Scroggin used a year of previous experience to head off a tough competitor in Kevin Cauthen.  His winning time was 85 hours, 5 minutes.

2009
Will it be you?  How long will it last?  Who will be voted favorite contestant?

“We try to make the contest fun for everyone involved with loud music, dancing and trivia contests,” says Centennial employee Greg Sanson.  “No matter what time of the day or the night we try to keep the tent jumping…let me rephrase that, I try to keep the tent hopping.  My boss did read the Log Cabin Democrat to the contestants at 4 a.m. one morning…that was rough for us all!”

Twenty-five contestants will start their adventure on Thursday, April 30, at noon.  No one knows how long it will take to claim victory but they’ll all be trying hard.  There are more great prizes for those who don’t quite make the end but were willing to endure all that Stuck on a Truck throws at them—sleep deprivation, noise, trains, anxiety, and yes, even storms.  Here’s the list of 2009 prizes.

• 1st Place – 2009 Ford F150 Pick Up from Smith Ford
• 2nd Place – 2009 Kawasaki Bayou 250 4-Wheeler from Duncan Outdoor
• 3rd Place –  Trinidad Hot Springs Spa from Luxury Pools & Spas
• 4th Place – 3 ton Trane air conditioning unit, installed by Freyaldenhoven
  Heating and Cooling

Other co-sponsors with Centennial Bank are Trinity Development, McDonalds, Colton’s Steakhouse, Conway Collision, Lawson Farms, Conway Title, The Computer Works, Wireless Advantage, Arkansas Carpet Outlet, The Point 94.1, and the Log Cabin Democrat.

This contest draws very interesting participants, all vying for a new truck.  So pick your favorite and come down anytime (day or night)…there’s always an exuberant crowd.  You might even find yourself doing the wave or doing a sing-a-long at 2 a.m.