CHICAGO (April 20, 2004) – It started with Sturgis. Then came the Saturn Homecoming and the Jeep Jamboree. More and more Americans are willing to drive hundreds, even thousands, of miles to rally around certain makes and models of automobiles.

The proof is in the numbers: last year, 450,000 people attended the Harley-Davidson Black Hills Rally in Sturgis, S.D., and an impressive 38,000 Saturn owners flocked to the first “homecoming” in 1994.

America’s love affair with its automobiles is well documented. But what’s behind the growing trend of national rallies?

Robb Wing, co-founder of FOKISD, a Ford Super Duty truck club in Cincinnati that draws members from three states, explains, “For a lot of guys, their vehicle is an extension of who they are. Going to a rally gives them a chance to meet other people who are just like them.”

It’s no surprise then that a new rally this summer will center around the biggest trucks around: diesel-powered Ford Super Duty pickups. The three best-selling vehicles in 2003 were pickup trucks, according to auto analyst J.D. Power and Associates, making up more than half of all vehicles sold last year, with Ford F-Series pickups continuing their run as the best-selling trucks for the past 25 years.

“Why is one vehicle more popular than another? It has to do with a lot of things,” said Wing. “Styling is big. But so is power. When you have a vehicle that combines both, and a manufacturer that shows it cares about its drivers, you’re bound to build a cult following.”