It looked like a stock F150.. Noting to indicate it was a hot rod..
I didn't see anything in the bed when I went by.. He was just coming out from under an over-pass, and there wasn't any break-down lane. Just a low steel rail-fence.
Looked something like this:
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6041...!7i3328!8i1664
Without the sound-wall..
I think he feared that someone would rear-end the pickup and push it in his direction.
Maybe a big fuel line leak.?. Or someone rigged the pickup to kill him..
I knew a girl when I worked NEC, her ex-BF was stalking her. One night she got it her car leaving a party and her brakes were NG, the wiring under the rear end was all mangled and sorting out, and there were holes punched in the gas tank.. Her car went down a hill fast, so she went up into a yard and stopped. No fire started and she wasn't hurt.. That could have been bad..