Custom builder Cody McCandless, today the owner of Trick Pony Customs in Riverside, Missouri, didn’t officially compete in the annual Big Rig Build-Off as part of the 2026 Mid-America Trucking Show, but he held his own 90-day build-off challenge putting together the 2025 Peterbilt 589 featured in this week’s Pride & Polish series vid up top.
The rig, nicknamed “Dark Horse,” is owned by Josh Baker and Paige Roberts with Go Go Industries (GGI), the heavy-specialized fleet based in Liberty, Missouri.
Yet Baker went to McCandless and told him he wanted a “build a really nice show truck,” as McCandless told the story.
“I kind of smarted off and said, ‘Do you want to go to Louisville?’”
Baker took him up on it: “Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is and let’s do a 90-day build-off challenge ourselves?”
[Related: ‘One thing led to another’ for Lacoh Transport’s custom 2024 Peterbilt 389 build]
By January 6 of this year, work was under way. Baker had three requirements for the 589:
- Wheels that nobody has
- Stacks that turn out at a high angle
- Late-‘90s/early-2000s-inspired “ghost stripes”
McCandless nailed it with the stacks.
The first part of the process: removing the roof cap to swap out the factory visor, cab lights and antenna placement. McCandless added nine cab lights across the top and used a visor from One 11 Weld Shop.
On the front end, a four-piece grille from 12 Ga. Customs, “wedges for 379 single square headlights” to give it an old-school look, he said. A front air ride kit from Justin Kendrick’s Mobill’s Truck Repair “got the stance right.”
Kendrick provided the “really cool directional wheels,” which McCandless called “one of ones” — totally unique to this truck.
The paint’s an old-school “Winslow” Peterbilt stripe pattern, but it’s flipped upside down “because it has to be different,” he said. Stripes are also rolled outside the fenders rather than across the top of the hood.
Look closely: the “ghost stripe” term is apt — the faint gold’s really only visible in the correct lighting.
The “Dark Horse” theme is evident all around the rig, with painted black tanks, rear fenders and just the right amount of chrome to set it all off.
With the roof cap off, McCandless gutted the interior and essentially started over, working with Excellence Upholstery out of Independence, Missouri. Leather wrap and suede feature throughout the unit.
“All black on black — it’s the Dark Horse,” McCandless said.
Subtle gold accents are visible under the frame, inside the wheels and in plenty other places you really have to go looking for to find.
It’s powered by a 565-hp Cummins X15 and sits on a 265-inch wheelbase.
Headed out to truck shows through the rest of the year? Keep an eye out for Cody McCandless. He said the truck will be ever-evolving, with more additions made between shows.
[Related: The ‘ultimate toy hauler’? Latest custom Pete 589 from Semi Casual]
For custom-equipment features and videos delivered to your email inbox, subscribe to Overdrive‘s weekly Pride & Polish newsletter via this link and access all videos in the YouTube playlist below.
