RealRides Volume 11: Danny Russo

At RealTruck, we’re more than a retailer. We’re enthusiasts who live this lifestyle long after the workday ends. The people behind the brand don’t just talk about builds. We drive them, modify them, road trip with them, and depend on them.

Some team members grew up in truck culture.

I didn’t. At least not intentionally.

Today, I’m an automotive writer and field reporter for RealTruck. I’ve spent nine years working in the industry I love. But my path to owning a mid-size pickup started with a full-size Ford van and a little teenage mischief.

Before we get into the truck, let’s answer the question.

Where most automotive publications feature readers’ builds, RealRides flips the script and highlights the people behind RealTruck. This monthly RealSource feature showcases the trucks, Jeeps, and SUVs that shape our lives outside of work.

It’s proof that when you reach out to RealTruck, you’re connecting with real enthusiasts who understand daily driving, off-roading, protection, and performance because we live it ourselves.

Now here’s how a Southern California sport sedan kid ended up in a 2025 Nissan Frontier.

Gasoline runs in my veins.

I grew up devouring car magazines, studying every page, and learning from legends like Brock Yates and Csaba Csere. I spent my weekends at Southern California car meets, drift events, and racetracks. The Long Beach Grand Prix marked the calendar every year.

I always drove compact sport sedans and muscle cars like the Ford Mustang. That was car culture in California. Balanced chassis, manual transmissions, naturally aspirated engines climbing toward redline.

I even worked at Jimmy Johnson’s Chevy dealership in San Diego, immersing myself further into the automotive world.

But technically, my first “truck” experience came much earlier.

I grew up in a huge family, which meant I didn’t learn to drive in a small, forgiving car.

I learned to drive in a full-size Ford van, specifically, a 15-passenger Club Wagon with a 350 V8. 

Long wheelbase. Big mirrors. The kind of vehicle that forces you to understand space, weight, and responsibility very quickly. One day, fueled by curiosity and a little teenage mischief, I took it off-road in Holy Jim Canyon in Southern California. It had absolutely no business being there.

And it was a whole lot of fun! Smashing through streams, kicking up dirt, it was a blast. 

Not long after, I bought my first personal automotive love: a Mazda 626 V6 with a 5-speed manual. That car cemented my love of driving. Rowing your own gears, feeling the chassis load up through corners, hearing an engine work.

For years, I stayed in the sport sedan and muscle car world.

Trucks were something I respected, but they weren’t part of the plan.

Five years ago, my wife and I moved from Southern California to Colorado for a different pace of life.

At the time, we had three little terriers, Mac, Cheese, and The Stig. They went everywhere with us in our Subaru Outback. That Subaru marked a shift in priorities. Instead of chasing apexes, we started chasing trailheads.

We explored national forests. Ran up fire roads. Hung hammocks in quiet mountain clearings. Plus, winter weather forced us to rethink what capability really meant. Colorado winters make you appreciate traction, ground clearance, and the simple pleasure of climbing a snow-covered forest road without stress.

Around the same time, my professional life shifted even more toward the aftermarket. 

Working as a writer for RealTruck allowed me to blend enthusiast culture with real-world utility. The RealTruck team needed someone who lived and breathed automotive culture, and our paths crossed at just the right time. 

As a writer for RealTruck, I create enthusiast-focused content centered around trucks, SUVs, and aftermarket accessories. I evaluate products, analyze trends, and translate technical information into content that helps customers build smarter.

Owning a truck now deepens that perspective. I don’t just write about tonneau covers, running boards, and floor protection. I rely on them and use them every single day. 

RealTruck aligns with me because it gives everyday people the ability to customize their truck or SUV for a specific purpose.

Not everyone is building a SEMA showpiece. Most of us are building vehicles that need to handle real life. Road trips. Snowstorms. Trail runs. Work projects. Family hauling. Weekend escapes.

RealTruck makes that accessible and frankly, incredibly easy! 

After nine years in the industry, I understand specs. I understand horsepower, suspension geometry, and drivetrain engineering. I can analyze a platform on paper all day long. But my truck today isn’t about numbers, and that’s why I love RealTruck. 

RealTruck represents the intersection I care about most: daily usability and fun. The ability to tailor a vehicle to your lifestyle without losing what made you love driving in the first place.

Crew Cab | 5' Bed | 3.8L V6

A truck fits our lifestyle in a way nothing else quite can.

We road trip constantly. We run up Switzerland Trail in the Rockies. We fish. We haul tools. We refinish thrift-store furniture on weekends. We load kayaks in the summer and drive through snowstorms in the winter.

The Frontier strikes the balance.

With the UnderCover Select tonneau installed, the five-foot bed becomes a giant, secure trunk. Fishing gear, tools, luggage, recovery equipment, all locked down and protected from Colorado weather. When we need full access, it folds back easily for larger thrift-store finds or kayaks.

It’s maneuverable enough for town. Capable enough for forest roads. Comfortable enough for long highway miles.

After nearly a decade of writing professionally about vehicles, this truck represents something different for me. Not peak performance numbers. Not lap times.

Just the perfect intersection of daily usability and fun.

The focus so far has been protection and practicality.

Exterior

• UnderCover Select Hard Folding Tonneau Cover

• Go Rhino RB20 Running Boards

• Window Tint

Bed Protection

• BedRug Drop-In Bed Mat

Interior

• Husky Liners X-act Contour Floor Liners

• Aftermarket Heated Seats

• Aftermarket Remote Start

No enthusiast leaves a build untouched for long.

• Toyo Open Country Tires

• Leveling Kit

• Intake System

• Exhaust System

Nothing extreme. Just enhancements that maintain the balance between capability and personality.

I spent years believing I’d always be a sports sedan and muscle-car guy.

But if I’m honest, the foundation was laid much earlier. It started in a full-size Ford van bouncing through Holy Jim Canyon. It grew through California car culture. It evolved through Colorado winters and mountain fire roads.

Now, after nine years working in the automotive industry I love, this Frontier reflects where life has taken me.