Junior Samantha Oelklaus never knows what to expect when she gets behind the wheel of her ‘78, Ford f-100 Stepside, Ernie.

“I love my car; it keeps life interesting,” Oelklaus said. “You don’t know when he will work, or when he won’t.”

Her truck–bought the summer of 2011 from an army veteran in Illinois–is named after the movie “Ernest Scared Stupid.” She con­siders Ernie old because he dies everywhere, including an inter­section on Jungermann.

“Whenever it broke down I thought ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna die,’” Oelklaus said. “But after 10 minutes, I calmed down and real­ized people will avoid me.”

Juniors Bailey Whitworth and Elisabeth Condon have ridden with Oelklaus. Whitworth occa­sionally rides with Oelklaus on the weekends while Condon gets a ride to school every day.

“I think it’s the coolest thing because everyone always shocked that it’s Samantha driving in it and not some hardcore country guy,” Condon said.