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Charlie Cobble, the well-known owner/promoter of the NOPI Mini Truckin' Nationals in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee hosted the 9th annual Slammin' and Jammin' car and truck show in Lebanon, Tennessee this year, with a record number of vehicles in attendance. Charlie played host to almost 900 rides this year from all over the southeast, showing everyone that he knows exactly what it takes to throw a successful event. My weekend started when I had to make a quick run by the airport and pick up Mike Self from Street Trucks. After scooping the California kid up, we went back to my house, where Mike informed me that I should trailer my Nissan to the show, just to show it off a little seeing how a few people from our club were going to be there with their rides. We loaded it on the trailer, then took off to the town of Lebanon. Upon arriving, we were quickly greeted by some of my local buddies, Brandy and Chris, Jesus, Jason, Chrystian, and Robbie from Severed Ties, Missouri. We found a place to park, and watched the rides rolling into the small town, everyone ready to start partying for the weekend. From the start, I could tell there were going to be some quality rides this year, as many nice imports and trucks were already cruising the main drag in Lebanon. After checking into the hotel, we jumped in the Expo and headed to the town square, where everyone had lined the streets and the partying had already started. We ran into many people that I've known for the past few years, including Josh from Wicked Kustoms as well as Daniel and a few of his buddies from Exclusive Styles. Ian from Explicit Concepts joined us as well. While watching rides rail, perform burnouts and girls flashing their assets, I ran into Nelson from Relaxed Atmosphere and caught up on old times. It was a great start to a great weekend. Saturday morning came around, so Mike and I collected our things and were promptly greeted by a few Relaxed Atmosphere members in the parking lot. Eric and Strip from KUSTOMWERKS and Chris from RA/Tennessee were leaving at the same time we were. We checked out the newest mods to Chris's long-bed Mazda then went over to the show.
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The registration line was long and we were late, which in itself, tells the whole story. The place was packed. We went through the gate and immediately ran into Howard and his Xtreme Lowz clan from Georgia. After saying hello, it was time to start working. Right away, the amount of quality rides sparked my interest. If a car manufacturer had built it, it was there. Every customs vehicle that you could think of was there, from body dropped duallies to chop topped Neons. The smell of fresh paint was in the air, ranging from 60-color outrageous graphics, to simple, single-color paint schemes. Clubs from all over the southeast were on-hand showing the massive crowd that they had to offer. The weekend had begun. Charlie Cobble had a whole host of activities lined up to keep the crowd busy all weekend. First was the burnout contest, which saw contestants roasting their tires until they blew, much to the delight of the crowd. Later in the afternoon, sixteen young ladies competed in the Miss Slammin' and Jammin' bikini contest, again, to the delight of the crowd. As night fell upon Lebanon, the neon contest drew its fair share of interest as everyone settled back to the streets of Lebanon for some late night partying. Sunday morning brought more excitement as the lowest contest and hydraulic contest sparked interest from both the people who like them low, and the ones who like to see how high a truck can hop. All in all, Slammin and Jammin' brought something to the table for everyone. Sunday afternoon also brought the awards ceremony where hundreds of trophies were handed out to the weekend's big winners. After every trophy was handed out, everyone packed up their vehicles and headed back to the places that they call home. Slammin' and Jammin' grows each and every year and only seems to get better. If you would like to witness another great Charlie Cobble show in the making, make plans to attend next year yourself. Bobby Stewart &Brandon Burrell
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