---
title: "Watch These Amateurs “Run What They Brung” in a Bunch of Pickup Trucks"
description: "Regular people + daily drivers + drag racing = good times for all."
date: "2017-06-08"
modified: "2017-06-08"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/11325/watch-these-amateurs-run-what-they-brung-in-a-bunch-of-pickup-trucks"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "Trucks"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "drag racing"
  - "pickup truck"
  - "SUV"
---

# Watch These Amateurs “Run What They Brung” in a Bunch of Pickup Trucks

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/06/pickup-1.png>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

If you've been fortunate enough to spend a rollicking night hanging out at some of America's small town ovals, you'll know that things can get a little nutty away from the bright lights of a super speedway. The long-running [spectator drag](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/6262/locals-drift-and-drag-at-san-antonio-raceway>) series at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Maine—also known as the South of the North—is a fine example of that, bringing new meaning to the phrase "run what you brung."

In this case, that means a bunch of pickup trucks and SUVs going wheel-to-wheel on a white-knuckle lap around the small track for a $500 grand prize. And yes, while [purpose-built drag pickups](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/9958/turbo-chevy-silverado-vs-ford-f150-svt-lightning-who-ya-got>) certainly exist, these are regular people (read: not professional racers) throwing down in their plain old daily drivers. You'll see a few that have been lowered, fitted with racing tires, or otherwise modified, but for the most part these are beaters, work trucks, or grocery-getters through and through.

The competition is a traditional ladder setup, with the field being cut in half at the end of each round and winners moving on to face each other. You'll see some truly choice entries here, including a mid-1990s Chevrolet C/K with a crew cab and a road work light bar, a soccer-mom-special Chevrolet Tahoe, a fish-out-of-water WJ Jeep Grand Cherokee, and of course that GMC Sierra with the ladder rack out back seen above.

Who comes out on top? You'll have to watch to find out. Be sure to look for the red Silverado as the driver overcooks it on the final turn and ends up beached on the infield tire barriers.

https://youtube.com/embed/W90BOc__9hQ

If pickup trucks aren't your thing, you're probably not reading this. But just in case, here's another video with more...appropriate spectator drag entries from that same day.

https://youtube.com/embed/tcGXKKjOrz0

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)