TAWA ANNOUNCES
2020 TEXAS TRUCK RODEO FINALISTS
Bee Cave, TX – Oct. 22, 2020 – A successful 2020 Texas Truck Rodeo is in the rearview mirror! With social distancing and safety protocols in place during this unprecedented year, the Texas Auto Writers Association held its 2020 Texas Truck Rodeo in the Texas Hill Country in October.
Twenty-seven Texas Auto Writers Association members traveled to Star Hill Ranch outside Austin on October 5-6, 2020, to evaluate 39 trucks and SUVs on a new off-roading course designed for the event. Sue Mead, an accomplished off-roading journalist and member of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame, was the 2020 Texas Truck Rodeo course director, overseeing the construction and design executed by Offcamber Design. Drivers had the opportunity to drive the vehicles on-road as well.
Along with voting on Truck of Texas and SUV of Texas, members judged vehicles in ten sub-categories including Full-Size Pickup Truck of Texas, Off-Road Pickup Truck of Texas, Luxury SUV of Texas, Mid-size SUV of Texas and Compact SUV of Texas. Vehicles are measured on their interior, exterior, value, performance and personal appeal.
TAWA organizers took special care in event planning, making program changes to address the pandemic. Those included safety protocols that included requiring face masks, sanitizing vehicles between drives and creating a two-wave event to limit the number of journalists present at one time. TAWA thanks our participating members, automakers and press fleets for their support.
2020 TEXAS TRUCK RODEO FINALISTS
TAWA is now pleased to announce the finalists in select categories (in alphabetical order.) All winners will be announced November 5th in a Live Facebook Event on the Houston Auto Show Facebook Page.
Truck of Texas
- 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon
- 2021 Ram 1500 Limited Longhorn 10th Anniversary
- 2021 Ram 1500 TRX
SUV of Texas
- 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat
- 2021 Kia Telluride SX
- 2021 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro
Full-Size Pickup Truck of Texas:
- 2020 Nissan Titan Pro-4X CC
- 2021 Ram 1500 TRX
- 2021 Toyota Tundra Trail Edition
Mid-Size Pickup Truck of Texas:
- 2021 Jeep Gladiator Mojave
- 2021 Jeep Gladiator Overland EcoDiesel
- 2021 Toyota Tacoma Trail Edition
Off-Road Pickup Truck of Texas:
- 2021 Jeep Gladiator Mojave
- 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon
- 2021 Ram 1500 TRX
Luxury Sport Utility of Texas:
- 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit
- 2020 Land Rover Defender 110SE
- 2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan
Mid-Size Sport Utility of Texas:
- 2021 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy AWD
- 2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
- 2021 Kia Telluride SX
Compact Sport Utility of Texas:
- 2021 Jeep Cherokee Latitude LUX
- 2020 Mazda CX-30 Premium Package AWD
- 2021 Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road
Photography
All event photography provided by Kevin McCauley. Event images can be found here. All images are for editorial use only and should be credited to Kevin McCauley. For commercial use, please contact Kevin McCauley / capturingthemachine.com.
Sponsors
TAWA also wishes to thank all of our amazing sponsors for helping to make this year's event possible. Thank you to the Houston Auto Show, Katzkin, Prestige Auto, JBL by Harman and the Austin Auto Show.
About TAWA
The Texas Auto Writers Association was founded in 1987 by automotive journalists who wanted to provide an avenue for professional growth, development, and networking. These professionals sought to create an automotive event that was unique to Texas, and the result was the TAWA Truck Rodeo. Since 1993, Truck Rodeos have been held in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Granbury and Spring Branch, as well as Dripping Springs and for the past two years at the Star Hill Ranch in Bee Cave, Texas.
In 2003, TAWA created an event for sedans, sports cars, and other vehicles not eligible for the Truck Rodeo. The Texas Auto Roundup, as the event is called today, was not held in 2020 due to the pandemic with plans to return in the spring of 2021. For more information, visit www.texasautowriters.org.
Media Contact: Amy Plemons, amplemons.tvproducer@gmail.com