West will be heading south to Birmingham, Alabama, to fish in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic Championship on Lay Lake; he will be competing against 50 other anglers in the coveted Bassmaster Classic Championship.  West edged second place finisher Chang by .2 tenths of an ounce making it one of the closest finishes in the American Bass Anglers 2009 Toyota Tundra Weekend Series National Championship.  For Chang, the loss was disheartening and if not for a one pound penalty for a dead fish he would have won the tournament. West relied on a ¼-ounce chrome and blue Bill Lewis Rattle Trap when fishing shallow water, ½-ounce Bill Lewis Rattle Trap when targeting deeper structure, and a ½-ounce single Colorado blade Hildebrandt spinnerbait.  Lake Dardanelle proved to be a challenge for anglers competing in the championship with recent rains causing dirty rising water earlier in the week and a dropping water level on Saturday. 

 
It is every anglers dream to fish in the Bassmaster Classic Championship; this dream is now a reality for West who reacted somewhat stunned when it was announced that he had won the championship. But quickly recovered when the crowd cheered as his wife and son joined him on stage while receiving the $100,000 check and trophy.

 
The 2009 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series co-angler title and $50,000 was awarded to 19 year old

Justin Atkins from Columbus, Mississippi, who weighed in 19.29 pound.   The East Mississippi Community College student majoring in business jumped for joy when hearing his name announced as the Bassmaster Weekend Series co-angler champion.

 Names and weights of top 5 Boaters
1  Darrell West           Drasco, AR                 38.67 lbs
2  Hojin Chang            Windermere, FL       38.45 lbs
3  Brandon Gray         Bullock, NC               36.60 lbs
4  Andre Dickneite     Freeburg, MO          33.46 lbs
5  Sam Boss                 Paducah, KY             31.35 lbs 

Name and weights of the top 5 Co-angler
1  Justin Atkins          Columbus, MS          20.29 lbs
2  Merrill Showers      New Columbia, PA   16.86 lbs
3  Bradwell Sampey    Savannah, GA            16.44 lbs
4  Robert Richardson  Glenn Heights, TX     15.33 lbs
5  Jerry Hembree          Jacksboro, TN            13.29 lbs

In addition to the BWS Championship, the American Bass Anglers Barbeque Cook-Off was being held.  The teams consisted of Backyard Teams and Pro Teams.  It was a sanctioned Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) event sponsored by Early Times Kentucky Whiskey.  Some of the teams competing were BBQ Delite, Burn 1 BBQ, Caveman Cuise, Du Rag Q, Easy to Chew, HD's BBQ, Half Sauced, Gooby's, Getting Piggy with it, Hawg Tied, Cutie Pies, Pork Pulling PlowBoy, Smackalicious, Smoke on Wheels, Smoky Mountains, Rib Cage, and Willies Hog Pond.