Texas fairgoers can vote for 'Truck of the Fair'

(September 30, 2011) CHICAGO — Cars.com in partnership with PickupTrucks.com today announced that Texans get to be the critics in the sites' "Truck of the Fair" competition at the upcoming State Fair of Texas.  To participate, fairgoers can text their vote to 35350 after seeing all the new models in the fair's Truck Zone. 

"As editor of PickupTrucks.com, I get a chance to share my thoughts on new trucks through reviews and articles on our website," says site editor, Mark Williams. 

"But what's special about our Truck of the Fair competition is that gives the actual buyers and enthusiasts a chance to make their voices heard and crown one truck their favorite." 

Cars.com site data shows that one-fifth of all new pickup truck searches come from Texas. Additionally, according to a 2008 study from Experian, nearly 25-percent of the vehicles on the road in Texas are pickup trucks. 

"The Texas State Fair houses the largest pickup truck show in the country for the largest population of pickup truck enthusiasts in the country," says Williams.  "Manufacturers will be bringing all of their best-selling models to try to impress this tough crowd but to win the crown, they're going to have to show some of the smartest truck buyers in the country something very special." 

Last year, the 2011 Ford F-350 Lariat won the PickupTrucks.com/Cars.com Truck of the Fair competition.  In 2009, the 2010 Ford F-150 took home the crown. 

"Ford has dominated among voters since we started our competition," says Williams.  "This year, they'll face some tough competition as manufacturers continue to roll out better trucks with more standard features than ever before."

Voting for "Truck of the Fair" begins today and runs through Oct. 23.