Last event of the year!

Buckeye Diesel Blast

LaRue Ohio

Sept 27^th

DIESEL Motorsports

Marion County International Raceway

MCIR

DIESEL Motorsports has held events for 7 years in Ohio but never at this facility, which is about 1 hour north of Columbus, Ohio. It is in the middle of farm country with corn and bean fields as far as the eye can see on a clear day.

It was a perfect Fall day with clear skies and cool temperatures in the 70s, which made a perfect day for diesel truck drag racing, pulling, and dyno competitions in the middle of Ohio.

We had Firepunk Diesel which is a local shop selling and answering questions about some of the trucks among other vendors like Fluidampr, Fuelab, Action Exhaust ( a Flowmaster Master dealer) and DM’s sponsor tent with displays.

DIESEL Motorsports had three classes of drag racing along with a couple of exhibition runs in Top Diesel (Duramax Rail Dragster). Pulling had six classes of diesels competing, which included Work Stock (street trucks), 2.5, 2.6, 3.0, Modified and Semi trucks.

Meguiar’s Show-N-Shine had 12 trucks with awards to Best Dodge, Duramax, and Ford with some pretty unusual trucks such as Doug Brarens Cabover Hauler made from seven different vehicles.

Every competitor left with a check in hand for their part of competing along with your decals and literature in a goody bag given to them at registration. This concludes our regular regional season however DIESEL Motorsports has several affiliate events left across the country in October and November. These can be followed on our web site and monthly newsletter.

We would like to thank the staff and owners at the MCIR track for making the event there a complete success and big thanks to our sponsors who supported the programs this year including our Title sponsor Flowmaster Performance Exhaust.

Flowmaster Drag Racing Series

Unlimited		OV/UN	R.T	E.T	MPH
1st	Bruce Block	10.1731	0.8819	10.1731	135.04
2nd	Lavon Miller	10.8161	0.6789	10.8161	128.56
Quick Diesel
1st	Doug Brarens	0.2792	0.7790	12.2492	102.26
2nd	Jim Layden	0.5139	0.5570	12.5139	115.37
ET
1st	Lamar Kline	0.093	0.6630	12.993	103.66
2nd	Bryan Rittenhouse	0.0309	0.8019	12.6691	106.13
Top Diesel
Jeff Dean			0.9891	8.0989	142.87

Flowmaster Sled Pulling Series

Semi
Name	City, State	Make	Distance
Pat Altenbhach	Lima, Ohio	99 International	294.42
Mark Scott	Perrysburg, Ohio	92 Freightliner	275.32
Mitchell Scott	Perrysburg, Ohio		271.26
Rodney Horton	Tekonsha, MI	2001 Peterbuilt	258.20
Brent Hamilton	Battle Creek, MI	95 Freightliner	256.66

MOD
Name	City, State	Make	Distance
Shane Kellogg	Kenton, Ohio	12 Dodge	318.11
Hunter Snyder	Carrollton, Ohio	97 Dodge	299.19
Kyle Michael	Urbana, Ohio	11 Chevy	289.15

3.0
Name	City, State	Make	Distance
Tony Burchard	Harbor Beach, MI	05 Chevy	334.85
Kirk Urich	California, MO	03 Dodge	331.47
John Dombos	Mantua, Oh	04 Chevy	305.02
Ryan Wilkinson	Meadville, PA	01 Chevy	288.79
Dustin Harrison	Atlantic, PA	95 Dodge	227.14

2.6
Name	City, State	Make	Distance
Dustin Harrison	Atlantic, PA	95 Dodge	335.41
Kirk Urich	California, MO	03 Dodge	329.81
Jordan Kinderman	Kingman, IN	04 Chevy	325.69
Dave Lehman	Staystwon, PA	85 Dodge	319.64
William Dvorak	Mantua, Oh	06 Dodge	316.14

2.5
Name	City, State	Make	Distance
James Etgen	Ashley, Ohip	06 Dodge	297.68
Adam Ruple	Delta, Ohio	95 Dodge	294.62
Justin Lighthill	Defaince, Ohio	03 Chevy	292.23
Jeremy Miller	Ligonier, IN	03 Chevy	292.04
Ryan Miller	Mt Eaton, Ohio	02 Dodge	281.48

WS
Name	City, State	Make	Distance
Justin Zeigler	Louisville, Oh	05 Dodge	329.25
Daniel Murray	Collings, Oh	07 GMC	302.89
Cody Robinson	Doylestown, Oh	03 Dodge	298.18
Eric Miller	West Salem, Oh	04 GMC	296.88
Aaron Gump	Shreve, Oh	05 Chevy	287.97

Meguiars Show in Shine

Best Dodge

Dan Toops London, Ohio 2003 Dodge

Best Ford

Nakia Bailer Lancaster, Ohio 2008 Ford

Best GMC

Brian Smith Spencerville, Ohio 2006 Chevy

Dave's Diesel Dyno

Highest Horsepower!

2006 Ford

Jaran Holderdown

782/1225

Performance Diesel Discussion Panel Seminar at the PRI Show . . .

That's right . . .  Diesel Motorsports will get some visual time at one of the industry's major trade show - PRI Show in Indianapolis in December! 

Friday December 12th, 9am-10am, Rm 237 - open to all attendees. Performance Diesel in the USA!
Panel Discussion

Last time we did this was at the SEMA show over 7 years ago with a few diesel industry people chosen by SEMA (manufacturers) and I was the only one not pushing products but the sport.

This time we plan on having diesel industry shop owners, manufacturers, distributors, and of course myself leading the discussions. There is a lot going on in diesel motor sports that needs to be brought to light so other shops and manufacturers can get the truth on how well the industry is progressing and how they can make money on the sport.

The more people involved the more the sport grows, there are a few diesel industry leaders that think the less people involved, the more they can control the market and their profits. That will keep the sport small and eventually die or be reduced to a small section of the market.

Grow big and be a part of it or try and horde the people to your products seems to be the direction right now by many groups. 

DIESEL Motorsports prefers to grow the sport big into mainstream with everyone involved and let those that do business the correct way profit from supporting the sport.

The PRI Show is different from the SEMA show because actual shop owners and race/pull competitors can attend the shows to view all of the available performance products. We have been a part of the show for many years and held a drag race during the Orlando years at local tracks giving many manufacturers a view of diesel trucks racing for the first time.

Now DIESEL Motorsports does not plan to do that since it is being held in Indianapolis since last year we had 5 inches of snow and it was 10 degrees. Unless someone builds an indoor dragstrip we are out of luck on the weather.

However, DIESEL Motorsports does have a booth with the DM Girls passing out information along with our sponsor's literature and decals at the show. Last year we passed out over 3,000 packets to attendees wanting the literature on diesel motor sports. Many of you saw our Lime Green/Black backpacks all over the show that people used as bags for other booth information.

It's cold but make a plan now to attend and if you need a pass make sure to contact us early!

Year-end competition points - Finals - Blowout - etc . . . where to go???

This time of year always presents a problem for diesel competitors when so many groups are holding their year-end point series and finals. Local groups are a must if you have been running with them all year especially if you are in the top three spots, you might win the Championship!

Other organizations are claiming to be the biggest, baddest, event ever to grace the face of the earth. DIESEL Motorsports even has it's Year-End Blowout in Ohio September 27th at MCIR. However, we tried to make sure all of the local point series were complete so locals could come and participate.

If it was myself competing and knowing today's economy I would pick the event nearest myself in order to minimize my cost but still have a chance to win some dollars. Does it really pay to drive 4 states over to compete given the cost of fuel, hotels, meals, etc? Only if you are going for points or a title you might have a chance of obtaining. 

But then again, you look at weather by the time you get there, could turn out a bust! Better to be a bust close to home instead of traveling many miles to get there.

Most of these events are one day or day and a half for activities, can you get there and get back so Monday morning you are ready for work?

Takes a lot these days to stretch your dollar and make it all make sense. DIESEL Motorsports wants you around for next year so think about how to spend your dollars wisely and compete to have fun with the sport. 

I tell every competitor if you are doing this to get rich or make money it never works out that way, you do it because you love the sport. However, we understand you need to cover some expenses in order to recoup your expenses for making the trip to compete and perform for the diesel fans.

As the sport becomes more popular more and more groups, shops, people want to hold the biggest, baddest diesel event ever! All I can say after doing these for over 8 years is you better have a lot of money and be willing to gamble on an outdoor event.

We do this because it's a sanctioning body and a business, we get paid to host the events for diesel competition. I strongly encourage everyone doing this to be careful and we offer help to all groups for guidance and marketing the events.

Just remember, if you enjoy the sport do what is best for you and your family so everyone has fun without presenting a hardship for the winter.

We want to see you next year!

Time to sound off about our sport - DIESEL Motorsports!

Ok it's cool in the mornings and Fall is early and in the air - feeling frisky again so I thought I would start the weekly blogs again!

I had to take a break for a while because the events took a lot of time to plan and execute. Down to one more event so I now have some time to write my daily thoughts surrounding the sport. I was once accused of posting my ramblings which no one wants to hear lol.

If that was the case I would not have people visiting my blog daily to read my rants. Yes I have been in the industry a long time and younger people want to know what knowledge I have acquired throughout the years. They ask all of the time how do I get things done and people interested in DIESEL Motorsports.

It takes years of experience to know what people are looking for their ROI (return on investment)!

Business for automotive aftermarket products and services is very competitive and the ins and outs are often clouded by many different factors in today's economy.

Combining those factors with what's important in diesel motor sports takes knowledge of the market and how everyone can benefit from sales to consumers.

I'm the first guy to admit that I'm not a mechanic, never claimed to be! But I have picked up much knowledge on the mechanics over 30 years and yes in my younger years I worked on many cars and trucks. As many of you have heard me say at shows I don't do manual labor anymore.

That's because I have put in my time and younger people can do the hard work, I did plenty as a young person for little money for years. It's called years of experience, and yes, I under bid jobs many times learning what it would take. I finished those jobs and losing money while doing them, but I knew to price that job higher next time.

I see many young people in our industry working very hard and it pleases me to see this. Generally they are the quiet ones that just do the work and you never hear them mouthing off on the internet.  This is the segment who continue to build this industry for many years to come.

I told a client the other day that 90% of the people in the industry I really enjoy dealing with because they are great people. It's the other 10% that makes the bad times miserable and that is life, so I concentrate on the 90% and ignore the 10%.

We have a lot of really positive nice people in this industry and it's worth investing our time and money for the future of DIESEL Motorsports.

Rollin Coal in the news - small percentage of offenders!

Well now the rollin coal crowd has brought National attention to our sport! Gene and I have predicted this for years since it seems no one wanted to listen about the attention you were getting. It's like waving a red flag in a crowd and saying look at me I'm doing just the opposite of what you are asking us to do for the environment.

Six years ago NADM passed a "No Smoke" policy for the street trying to convince the few who do so that it would only draw attention and not highlight the true competitors in diesel performance. All of NADM's classes are trailered to the events for competition except a street class in drag racing and sled pulling, that's eight classes that are for unlicensed competition vehicles.

Some of the diesel performance items on domestic vehicles were developed by our original performance shops and picked up or copied by the big three auto makers. Just like the muscle cars of the 60/70s the performance out of those vehicles ended up on today's domestic cars.

BUT, there are always a few (1%) who wants to ruin it for everyone by pulling boneheaded stunts on the streets by smoking out a Civic with his windows down or smoking a crowd at a stop light and posting it on youtube.

It reminds me of the attention the muscle cars were getting by burning their tires at stop lights or holding illegal drags on the streets. This is considered more offensive because of the environment friendly atmosphere we live in today.

The diesel performance shops I know will not tune the lope tunes because it is considered poor tuning in the industry. You have to realize all of our diesel performance shops make money by doing maintenance on city/state diesel trucks such as plow trucks, dump trucks, and street cleaners. Not to mention the everyday family diesel that is used in construction, hauling and leisure.

Diesel trucks will not go away because of their valued use in towing and pulling, they still out perform gas trucks almost double the mileage and triple the torque when pulling.

If they go after competition vehicles for shows then they include a huge portion of our country's business such as NHRA, NASCAR, IHRA, NCMA, and may others that provide entertainment every weekend. In our small world of pulling it includes every small town sled pull that includes trucks and tractors. Those numbers are in the thousands across the Midwest during the summer, Missouri alone where I preside hold over 90 pulls from June to September.

So it only leaves a few kids who want to smoke off in front of their buddies or girls that is bringing the attention to our sport. We wanted to make it to mainstream but NOT in this manner. We wanted to legitimize DIESEL Motorsports by showing everyone how much $dollars can be made and are being circulated in the name of diesel performance.

I watch many of our competitors leave our events and do not see smoke coming out of their trucks, why? Because they have them tuned to get better mileage not heavy on the fuel which causes the smoke. My old 96 Dodge get 23 mpg on the highway and is a 3/4 ton, it has a few performance items on it but does not smoke.

Next time you see someone smoke on the streets tell them to stop it and get a better tune! Don't give the media something else to sensualize!

DIESEL Motorsports Mid-Year Report

Here we are at Mid-Year and people have been asking how is the diesel industry doing after last years EPA clamp-down?

After having a very successful Haisley Machine Thunder in Muncie I would say it has not effected the industry very much as far as fans, just as many competitors and even some new pulling trucks that were built over the winter.

I have talked to several diesel shops and they report being busier than ever with trucks lined up out side of their shops. This tells me that people are holding on to their older diesel trucks and not buying the new ones. Engine building is at it's highest right now for diesel blocks which is another indicator people are re-doing their older trucks and continue to use them for work and play.

What is hurting is some of the smaller .com businesses who relied on the bolt-on parts, many have failed to switch to engine performance parts to build more HP from the bottom up instead of bolting on to the outside. Face it though, the bolt-on parts eventually blew your engine up anyway!

You just can't bolt-on a part that increases your engine's HP to 800 when the OEM specs are for 400 HP - something is going to give and it was usually your engine, turbo, pump, etc.

So go back to what you were doing five years ago which was building stronger diesel engines and you will see sales coming in the door. The bolt-on parts are still essential in street trucks such as air intake, exhaust, lift pump, tuner, turbo and injectors. Just make sure your engine has strong internal components to handle the extra HP.

Manufacturers reported a brisk 1st quarter with a horrible May for sales which reflect in the National GDP for this last month, a 3% decrease which is the largest ever since the depression. That is why I have been pushing buy American made products in last month's Performance Business magazine and Engine Builder magazine. Be loyal to our manufacturers who hire the people who use your shop for repairs and maintenance.

As pickup truck owners keep their vehicles longer I think we will see more people switching to diesel because the engines last longer plus they are better at pulling trailers and loads. Even domestic autos have seen an increase of 39% for diesel autos since 2011, with more foreign diesels coming in along with the new Chevy diesel Cruze the numbers are only going to get larger.

Stick to business as usual, low overhead, heavy maintenance, upgrade and upgrade when possible, and buy/sell American products - steady work standards out weigh flash in any economy!

If you look at the pumps diesel is almost the same as gas, go figure since it takes less to refine diesel. People are more watchful of their dollars but they still don't mind paying for quality for their diesel trucks. 

I was encouraged by our last event and the next is showing an increase in interest already so I think the rest of the Summer will be okay when it comes to diesel trucks!

EFILive Indiana Powertour 2014

EFILive Powertour

I was told by industry leaders the first Hot Rod Power Tour only had 6 cars the first year and now hosts over 490. That was about what we started with and the only difference is our trucks hold more people so we had a nice little crowd of people. I imagine the deluge of rain and tornadoes might have had something to do with people coming but many regretted it after they heard what we experienced.

A BIG thank you goes out to South Bend Clutch, Haisley Machine and Firestone Ride Rite for their hospitality.

This was the first ever Powertour for the diesel industry which started with the first stop at South Bend Clutch in South Bend Indiana. Two days of travel before the original “Thunder in Muncie” which originated in 2001 as the first “diesel only” event in the country.

What is more fitting than to be the first Powertour with the first event for diesels? Sponsored by EFILive, a tuning company for the diesel industry, the tour started with a tour of the facilities at South Bend Clutch. Watching and seeing how they manufacture the best clutches for diesel truck sled pulling was not only educational but the passion that the workers demonstrated was inspiring.

South Bend Clutch served us a traditional Polish lunch with sausage and sweet cabbage along with many sides. Visiting with the workers at SBC was enlightening as to the wide range of vehicles they produce clutches, everything from diesel trucks to tractors to sport compacts.

Leaving there we proceeded to Haisleys Machine in Fairmount Indiana, the trip took us about 3 hrs. Once we got to Haisleys Machine the owner Patty and Van Haisley showed us their new shop and the many improvements they are adding to the business. Haisleys Machine produces some of the best winning trucks for sled pulling in the country. After enjoying some grilled burgers and brats with compliment sides at Haisleys we stayed the night in Muncie so we could get a fresh start in the morning to our last destination for Firestone/Ride Rite in Fischer, Indiana.

Friday morning found us making just an hour trip down to Firestone Industrial Division for Ride Rite Air-Bag Suspension in Fischer. After getting lost in a quarter mile of the location by a dysfunctional direction leader we were met by the Sales Manager Paul Fessel at the door. We were greeted by the entire staff including the engineers that design the air bags before proceeding on the tour of the research facility.

After being served some of the best BBQ I have had in Indianapolis area we then proceeded to the Muncie Dragway to start the Flowmaster Series Drag Race for Haisleys Machine Thunder in Muncie.

Overall it was a blast seeing the companies and visiting with the diesel enthusiasts who decided to make the trip, a very successful first EFILive Diesel Motorsports Powertour.