CJ Nairn on Winning the 2025 National Championship – and Why He’s Coming Back Hungrier Than Ever

CDLLife Contributor Polly Trotter interviewed CJ Nairn for the Stars, Stripes, and White Lines Truck Show at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, in November 2025.

As CJ and his team rolled into the prep lot of the National Championship show in Atlanta, they weren’t  arriving with the confidence of a guaranteed win. They arrived exhausted — hopeful that the long  nights, missed events, and relentless attention to detail would be enough. 

When the dust settled, CJ and his team walked away with a National Championship — a moment that  still feels surreal even now. 

“I was blown away,” CJ admits. “We put everything into that truck. We pulled the motor at the end of  August, and we were still tightening bolts when we unloaded in Atlanta. When they called the second place winner and it wasn’t us, I just thought, there’s no way — we actually did it.” 

The Green Diamond Kenworth didn’t just win — it evolved. 

After receiving the invitation to compete at MATS in Louisville, CJ and the team made a bold decision.  They stepped away from showing the truck for the remainder of the season and focused entirely on one  question: What else can we do? 

CJ admits they already knew they had a cool truck. But they also knew there was another level to reach  if they wanted to win at the highest level. 

That meant sitting down and creating what CJ simply calls “the Plan.” 

The major changes were anything but minor. They swapped the engine, completed a full wire tuck, and  completely shaved the firewall — hiding every visible wire, airline, and unnecessary piece of clutter. If it  could be seen, it was reconsidered. If it could be cleaner, it was redone. 

The result wasn’t just a show truck. 

It was a hot rod on wheels. 

When asked about the difference between this build and a working show truck, CJ laughs. 

“It’s not something I’d recommend for a guy running hard down the road,” he says. “But as a show truck, it’s something different — and that’s exactly what I wanted.” 

His Green Diamond Kenworth was the only Kenworth in its class, competing against some of the biggest  names in the industry. 

“I think what pushed us over the edge was that we were so different than the other trucks,” CJ says. 

Yes, the trophy was — and always will be — the biggest highlight of the show. But CJ also valued  something else: judging transparency. 

When I asked him if they laminated the judges’ sheets for reference, he giggled. 

“The judging sheets are hanging on the wall in the shop,” he says. “There were a few mechanical things  we got docked for, but the feedback showed us exactly where to focus next.” 

That clarity fueled the next round of changes. 

Over the winter months, the truck was taken apart again — because winning once wasn’t enough. The truck’s owner, Drew, has officially caught the show truck bug.

“And now,” CJ says with a grin, “he wants to win again.” 

This year, CJ and his team are bringing four trucks to MATS in Louisville. Three trucks will compete in the PKY show, and one truck will be featured in the Alliance Truck Group booth, showcasing a custom 84- inch sleeper built on a truck CJ’s shop constructed. 

When asked if one of those trucks is the Green Diamond Kenworth, CJ doesn’t hesitate. “Of course. It’s coming back.” 

They have registered it in the Limited Bobtail class in Louisville. And honestly, CJ says, “I don’t even know how it can get better than last time — but it will.” 

That mindset — constantly one-upping themselves — is what keeps the team pushing forward. In just  one year, the truck has gone through three major versions. 

“We’re not just trying to beat anyone else anymore,” CJ says. “We’re trying to beat ourselves.” I asked him, “When you compete at the national level, does that change you?” 

“It didn’t change my work ethic,” he says. “But I feel like it changed how the industry sees me.” He pauses for a moment, still processing it all. 

“It’s crazy. I’m talking with guys now that I watched on TV when I was a kid. And now we’re texting each  other like peers. It’s wild.” 

Customers have noticed, too. CJ admits his shop was already busy, but the win brought a new kind of conversation. 

“People say, ‘That truck in Atlanta — can we do something like that?’ And we can.” For CJ, though, the biggest reward was personal. 

He talks about his dad and the pride his father feels. 

“When my dad told me he was proud of me,” CJ says, pausing, “that meant everything to me.” 

CJ’s father introduced him to truck shows decades ago. It started with a father-and-son project truck — a 1977 Kenworth that CJ now owns and says he will never sell. 

“My toys just got bigger,” he jokes. 

Despite the accolades, CJ remains approachable and generous with his knowledge. 

“I love talking to everyone,” he says. “Whether it’s another builder or a guy running down the road, I love helping people figure things out.” 

That openness, CJ believes, is exactly what the industry needs. 

After what he describes as a lull in new builders over the last decade, CJ sees invite-only, high-level competitions like the National Championship as the spark that can reignite show truck creativity. 

Shows like the National Championship give builders something to strive toward. A purpose that says, This matters. 

And when something matters, people push harder.

So, CJ — what’s next? 

CJ and his team are already scheduled for MATS in Louisville in March. He plans to attend 10 to 12  shows this year. 75 Chrome is on the schedule. They’ve been invited to the Kenworth plant show in  Chillicothe. SuperRigs in Virginia is on the list. And that’s just the beginning. 

He admits, “It’s a lot.” 

Keeping the truck perfect while tearing it down and rebuilding it again and again isn’t easy. But each time it comes back stronger. 

“There’s already talk of the next build,” he says. “But we are far from done with this one.” He pauses before adding, “We’re in love with this truck.” 

And maybe that’s what separates a good build from a championship one — the refusal to settle. The  willingness to tear apart something that already won, just to see if it can be even better. 

“Who knows where it ends up,” CJ says. “But we’re not done chasing perfection.” For CJ Nairn, the 2025 National Championship wasn’t the finish line. 

It was the starting point.