Remembering The Past
Brian previously built a 2004 Duramax back in 2015 and drove it all over the east coast to the tune of some 300,000 miles. The hard work and dedication he showed with that build is what led him to his new truck, and it opened a lot of doors for him. He says, “The reason I did the first build back in 2015 was in memory of my grandfather Elmo Huff and my friend Brandon Deming. They were two people who were really close to me that always pushed me to go for my goals and my dreams. That’s why I continued the legacy. I have ‘In Memory of Elmo Huff and Brandon Deming’ on the back of both trucks’ windows. It’s to pay respect to fallen family members and friends. That’s the motivation behind the builds, and it’s just escalated from there.”
Both of his trucks have been driven from his home in Dumfries, VA, to SEMA and back. His philosophy is basically, why build a truck and not enjoy it? “They’re not trailer queens by any means. No way would I ever allow one to sit pretty in a garage and load it up on the trailer for the next show or event. I’ll work all day, clock out, and drive it to the show, then spend the night cleaning it and roll into the show the next morning and enjoy my daily driver.”
After this year’s SEMA show wrapped on a Friday afternoon, Brian headed home, then immediately went to Cleveland, OH, on the following Wednesday for his regularly scheduled pacemaker surgery. Just another day in the life, right?
Brian is full of life and optimism, and wants to make sure that those closest to him get noticed for the help they gave him with the truck. He gives special thanks to Derek Zacha at Truck Hero, his dad David Huff, “for pushing me to be the best I can be;” Brett Lyons and Tyler Ansink at Lyons Automotive; Ryan Roberston at Arkansas Customs; Chris Milleson At Extreme Custom Collison; Brian Rogers At FireWire LEDs for helping with some last-minute light adjustments at SEMA; Daryl Tracy At Deluxe Garage for the killer job on the wrap; and finally, to his girlfriend Julie McKinney, “for allowing all the late nights and crazy road trips.”
All throughout our talk, Brian was full of wise sayings that help him get through his life with the best possible outlook. His parting words? “Take your truck down the highway for no reason, give the tires some dirt roads or back roads, and kick up some gravel. I promise you it will all wash off. Never let anything or anyone come in the way of a dream.”