He wanted more pictures. Of Rangers. At the event. You have failed. Don't fail him again or he will force choke from Texas.
Sorry, I misunderstood. I thought Jim wanted an article for the website.
2025 was the first year that The Ranger Station had a club tent at the Ford Nationals in Carlisle, PA. The previous two years we had a club tent at the Truck Nationals but it was decided to move our presence to the Ford Nationals which is attended by more Ranger owners. The large commercial-grade tent turned out to be a good move as the rainy weather we've had all Spring in Pennsylvania continued with a hard hour-long storm on Friday and a steady rain on Saturday morning that cleared by lunchtime. The Carlisle Ford Nationals is the first large show at Carlisle every year and has the highest attendance. Open to new and old Fords, Mercurys, and Lincolns of all kinds. Naturally the show field is half Mustangs but there are classes for everyone. The highlight for me every year is the Starsky & Hutch Torino Club.
In total I counted 17 Rangers with a better late model turnout this year. With late models we had Lou from Long Island NY with a lifted 2024 Raptor who was only there on Friday, Jason from PA with a 2023 Tremor, Jim from PA with a 2021, Bill from MA with a black 2021, Terry from PA with a 2024 Raptor who won 2nd Place in the late model class, Shawn from WI with a 2024 Raptor, Joe, like me from Pittsburgh, PA with a much-modified 2021 who won 1st Place, and yours truly Johnny O who won 3rd Place for the second year in a row.
In the early-model we had annual attendees Brenda from PA with her lifted and detailed brown 5.0 powered 1988 who won 1st Place in the early-model class and her boyfriend Preston with an incredibly rare 1983 diesel with factory A/C. There were two Gen 1 diesels in the field, Preston's with a Perkins engine and another with the later Mitsubishi engine and factory A/C also. Hunter from PA took 2nd Place with a beautiful lifted 1988 that his grandfather bought new, and our own Rick W from Atlanta who took 3rd Place with his Road Ranger 1997 mini-semi truck. Other early models included annual attendee Justin with a 1985 black 2wd race truck with slicks and a stroked 5.0, Gregg with a very nice 2011 Sport, Marty from PA with a rare black 1988 GT, and Terry from WV with a very detailed 2011 but he is a car detailer by trade, and first time attendee Grant from PA who is 16 years old with a white 2003 2wd that he and his dad built and painted.
Overall a good time was had despite some rain and there was a lot to see and do. Monster truck rides, Vaughn Gitten, Jr. and the crew from RTR racing with drifting exhibitions and taking people for rides, the car sale corral, and many many parts vendors. We can't wait for next year!
