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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Monday, November 2, 2009 11:07 PM CST
Neal Tire helps singer get
back on road to Nashville

By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com

MATTOON — Ryan Atteberry of Neal Tire just thought he was fixing a flat tire on a motor coach bus a few weeks ago.

But he and his company ended up with autographed photographs from country music star Trace Adkins along with payment for the work.

“He came out and shook my hand and introduced himself. Then he said, ‘Hang on a minute, I’ve got something for you.’ And he came out with the autographs. I was a little surprised. It was pretty neat what he did,” said Atteberry, a Neal Tire employee from Lerna.

The call to Dunn’s Marathon on south U.S. Route 45 seemed like a routine job. The bus with a flat was not clearly marked as part of the Adkins tour group.

“They were just plain-jane buses parked there. The driver was wearing a CMT (Country Music Television) shirt so I thought they were fans headed to Nashville,” Atteberry recalled.

The repair job turned out to be unusual due to the rare size of the replacement tire — with an inner measure of 16 to 18 inches. A check with Owen Motor Sports near Charleston provided a used tire the right size to complete the replacement of the flat. Atteberry was assisted by another Neal employee with part of the job.

Neal Tire manager Mike Smith said the autographed photograph of Adkins at the front counter has drawn some attention in recent days — including some from dedicated female fans of the singer, famous for recent hits like “Ladies Love Country Boys” and “You’re Gonna Miss This.”

“It’s definitely something to talk about. It shows he’s a quality person,” Smith said.

Will CMT be directing business to Neal in the future? Smith said this was a first and the next transaction with a celebrity might be a long way down the road.

“Believe it or not, this is our first celebrity job. We get thank-you notes from satisfied customers from time to time, but this is a first for us,” Smith said.

Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.

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Trace Adkins offered his signature as a thank you to Neal Tire for getting his bus back on the road. Herb Meeker/Staff