GBATS livestreaming event starts at 6 p.m. Friday

If you are looking for something to do Friday night, make a point of checking out the Guilty By Association Truck Show livestreaming event.

The GBATS livestreaming event is presented by 4-State Trucks, Joplin, Mo., and OOIDA is sponsoring the event. The four-hour livestreaming event begins at 6 p.m. Central on Friday, Sept. 25.

Bryan “Bossman” Martin, GBATS organizer and co-owner of 4-State Trucks, promises a lot of action, lots of amazing big-rig burnouts, truck features, vendor spotlights and a big-prize trivia contest.

Jon Osburn, skipper of OOIDA’s tour trailer, will be there with the Spirit of the American Trucker to join in the fun. Lewie Pugh, OOIDA executive vice president, also plans to attend.

Like a Super Bowl watch party

Martin says viewers should think of it as similar to a Super Bowl watch party.

“It’s a four-hour, high action, trucking TV show,” Martin said. “It’s not really like a beauty truck show like you’ve seen several others do.”

Martin said the burnouts being aired during the event are “off-the-chain cool.”

The 4 State Trucks crew has spent months traveling the country recording several segments, including a series of “How It’s Made” videos showcasing some of their chrome products from Valley Chrome and Lincoln Chrome.

There’s also a trivia contest with prizes, truck burnouts, and a fundraiser for Special Olympics.

Martin says one trucking company has even pledged to donate $1 for every viewer the broadcast gets on Friday night. The show will broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube.

Here is a taste of the action in store.

Eeeeep I’m so excited about #GBATS2020 pic.twitter.com/h0Lqmlb3sj

— Jami Jones (@shewhoknowstruk) September 24, 2020

Livestreaming this year, in-person GBATS next year

GBATS since 2008 has grown into an exhilarating in-person blow-out event, but this year the coronavirus has changed everything.

Martin was on the latest “Live From Exit 24,” OOIDA’s new hourlong, audio-only web-broadcast program, to talk about the decision to not present an in-person GBATS this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, they created this livestreaming GBATS for this year.

“As bad as we wanted to have it, at that time, we had to make a call four months ago,” Martin said. “The thought of putting 3,500 people in grandstands and 4,000-5,000 people in downtown Joplin at an awesome concert with all the COVID madness of that time just didn’t seem to be the prudent thing to do.”

Martin and his team hope to present an in-person GBATS in 2021. LL