LaGRANGE — Phillip Nations is proud of his truck.

The owner and operator of Nations Unlimited has been in business since 1997, but this was the first year he entered one of his trucks into a contest — the Florida Tow Show International Expo in Orlando. The truck won first place for the Class C category for heavy duty tow trucks in the show’s beauty contest.

“The judges go for looks and neatness” of the truck, Nations said. “It’s a working truck contest.”

The winning truck was a road service tractor-trailer, but the group had someone help spiff it up to a shine in order to help impress the judges. He emphasized it was also a group effort with his employees keeping the truck in overall good condition.

“Several people drive that truck, and they have to take care of it to be in the shape it’s in to win something like this,” he said. “These trucks have some age on them.”

In the end, Nations is just proud that his company was able to nab a top prize on a first try.

“It was an honor to me,” Nations said. “I knew I had a good-looking truck, but I didn’t know I was going to win.”