Rush Tech Skills Rodeo Awards Dinner [Photos]
Rush Truck Centers Chairman and CEO gets the crowd fired up as the evening kicks off.
A steak dinner and a festive mood kicked off the night.
The Rush Technician Rodeo doesn't happen without generous industry sponsors, who took a well-deserved turn in the spotlight.
The Rush Rodeo numbered almost 700 attendees this year -- a far cry from the first year, which featured a grand total of 40.
Cash and prizes are great -- but many techs say the event has been crucial in making them more effective at their jobs.
Rusty Rush is a huge sports fan and was excited to have NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer present Grand Champion honors to Justin Euler.
Award Trophys await their proud new owners.
Rush said the success of the national truck dealer is due to technicians working Monday through Sunday to keep customer's trucks on the road.
Rush says getting to interact with his techs is one of the reasons he loves the Technician Rodeo so much.
Several finalists won multiple categories, enhancing the cash and prizes they took home.
2017 Grand Champion Justin Euler, his wife Erin and 8-week old son, Jackson, pose with Clint Bowyer.
Rush and Clint Bowyer pose with trucking journalists, including HDT's Jack Roberts (second from left).
Once the winners were announced and the prizes awarded, a series Texas-style party kicked off.
The Party went on long into the night with the band Gunpowder Soup rocking the house.
Rush Techs say the friends they've made from other Rush Truck Centers around the country are a huge benefit of the annual Rodeo.