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Sheriff’s Hot Rod Truck Showcased
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Sheriff's Hot Rod Truck Showcased
By Dave Maxwell
Staff Writer
 At the 2nd Annual Tailgate Flea Market held at Windmill Ridge in Alamo June 12-13 Captain Gary Davis of the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department displayed the hot rod the Sheriff's Department operates. The vehicle is a 2004 Chevy S10 pickup that several groups and individuals have been involved in building for the Sheriff's Department Nevada chapter of Beat the Heat, Inc. "It's a national non-profit charitable organization that is funded by police and fireman," Davis said. "It is a police youth oriented program designed to use the hot rod as an attention getter to the youth."
Davis said they have taken the truck to schools in both Lincoln and Clark Counties. "We're kind of just starting, and we hope to get into all the schools here locally next year and present our program. We like to let the kids see the truck, let them sit in it. Then we go into the classroom and talk about choices and consequences. It's a youth awareness program to help the kids understand the dangers of illegal drugs, alcohol, gang violence, etc."
At the same time, it is a real drag racer. Capt. Davis is a licensed NHRA driver and does compete in a Las Vegas racing program. He said the truck runs about 9.3 in the quarter-mile. That figures out to about 145 miles an hour, which is right where it should be for its classification.
Davis said the NHRA has a Youth and Education Services (YES) program, and in Las Vegas is hosted by the U.S. Army at select NHRA events. For the past two years in April the Sheriff's Department's hot rod has been one of six similar vehicles that have been invited to attend at the speedway. "They bus in high school seniors from around the southwest for a program of career orientation and encouraging those who do want to race cars to learn to do it at a sanctioned race strip and not the street. Thinking it is cool to race on the street can be a fatal error," Davis points out. "At the track is the safest, better controlled, environment. All the emergency services are on hand, if needed."
He said going into the school with the vehicle, and at the track, too, "Gives us the opportunity to talk to the people, young and old, about the dangers of impaired driving, not using a seat belt, alcohol, drugs and so on. We encourage them to stay in school and be achievers in life. We try to build a bond between police officers, youth, and the general public, that sometimes isn't there because they perceive us as the bad guy. This is kind of a venue that gives us both a common ground and a platform from which to start mending fences."
Davis said he got the Chevy S10 from a man in Ohio. "It was supposed to be a turn-key, ready to go, put-my-motor-in-it-and-run. But when I took it to the chassis builder to have a look at it, it needed a lot of work. It has taken us four years to completely rebuild it, with help from a long list of supporters, contributors and associate sponsors." Primary sponsor is Coyote Springs Land Company, LLC.
The chassis is a specially built pro race chassis by Randy Goff of Goff Motor Sports. The engine was built by HBR Competition Engines at the Las Vegas Speedway. The graphics on the outside of the truck, apart from business logos, were put on by students at the Nevada Art Institute in Las Vegas. The Lincoln County Sheriff's Department has given permission to have the name SHERIFF written on the side of the doors.
"At the track, people really love seeing the truck race, especially when the flashing lights are going," Davis said. "We have a lot of people come to our pit when we're racing and say they have more pictures of this truck than anything. It's a real good draw."
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