DIESEL Motorsports 2023 - what is coming . . .

 Last day of the first month of the new year and are we busy? So busy planning on some new changes, events and direction for our diesel enthusiasts! The confirmed schedule is now up on our web site along with included at the end of this post. Most people don't realize most tracks take the winter off until after the holidays before thinking about the next year ( I don't blame them).

I was so busy I had to cancel a couple of industry meetings I usually attend every year, instead I headed down to a new area of the country for our first event in New Orleans LA! Planning an event anymore takes a lot of time and effort to make sure everything is in place.

Diesel Motorsports has hired a new agency to help with promotions along with some new connections. This opens a lot of new doors for not only our enthusiasts but also the sponsors. Does it sound like we are expanding? You would be right!

DIESEL Motorsports has slowly been expanding the past couple of years during Covid while working quietly on the sides. I decided we needed NEW activities at the venues after conversing with attendees at the shows. 

We have added gas pickups in their separate classes along with even some cars/rods at the show-n-shines and racing classes. We have added tractors into the mix on the sled pulling side and 2WD trucks.

Still the diesel trucks dominate our activities but like all enthusiasts our truck owners enjoy ALL motorsports so they welcomed the newcomers. It is entertaining the attendees that makes our sport grow, and many shops have seen their business grow during these times.

We have even added our own mini trade show held in Missouri for the first time this last November. It was so successful we had to move it to a larger facility (70,000 sq ft) in Lebanon Missouri on October 21st! This was a ALL motorsports show with a little bit of everything for all venues. We had over 40 vendors with vehicle displays that filled the 29,000 sq ft expo center. The hotel was filled, they ran out of parking spaces, ran out of food so we had to move it to accommodate a larger crowd.

Will we have the same classes as before? Some changes in pulling, we have added the map-groove classes back in this year in order to grow the pulling sport. We have found that a lot of our pulling trucks could not afford the smooth bore upgrades demanded by other pulling leagues so they dropped out. We WANT them back to pulling with their old trucks so we can grow the sport.

We took a popular event held in Missouri called the Horsepower Festival and made a Spring and Fall Horsepower Festival. Both held with a 3 hour trip from each other. Spring held in our old location at Us 36 Dragway and the Fall Horsepower Festival held at Eddyville Dragway in Iowa.

Another OLD favorite has returned the original Thunder in Muncie since 2001with a NEW remade Gaston Lion's Club Park July 29th. When NO other leagues/tracks allowed diesel pickups to compete this was the original event started by Eric McBride and Gene (Sleddy) Mahoney! Even this will be a first with Koi dirt drags during the day along with truck show then sled pulling in the evening. The park has added a new track, lights, sound system, tower, buildings and grandstands while being closed during Covid. The will bring back many memories for those that attended the original events held there.

The East Coast Diesel Nationals moved to the date June 24th last year and will continue in it's 14th year there with the same activities as before but now allowing all map-groove trucks in racing and pulling! It has worked out better since it is cooler on this date then when we held in in July. 

DIESEL Motorsports has always led the way with motorsports in mind and greater horsepower with safety always on the tracks. Families are always welcomed since we run clean and insured events for all ages to attend. Look for more to come this year, it should be fun! 

2023 Schedule

February 24/25th

South Coast Gator Nationals

Show-N-Shine,  Burnout Pad

No-Prep Street  Drags, 

(New Orleans) Nola, Avondale LA

May 13th

Horsepower Festival Spring

Car/Truck Show/Swap Meet

Drag Racing/Food Trucks

Osborn MO/US 36 Dragway

June 24

East Coast Diesel Nationals

Drags, Pull, Dyno, ShowNshine

Numidia Dragway

Numidia, Pennsylvania

July 29

Thunder in Muncie

Sled Pull/Show-N-Shine, 

KOi Dirt Drags, 

Gaston Lions Club Park IN

August 12

Keystone Truck Drags

Drags/ShowNShine 

Keystone Raceway Park

New Alexandria, PA 

September 23

Horsepower Festival Fall

Show-N-Shine, Music, Swap Shop

Diesel/Gas drags

Eddyville Raceway, Okaloosa IA

October 21st

Ozark Performance Expo

Trade Show/Car/Trucks/Rods

Cowan Civic Center

Lebanon, MO

Dec 7-9

PRI Show

Indianapolis, IN

PRI report 2022 - Indy here we come . . .

 What was the 2022 PRI show like and was it worth going and displaying? I get asked every year since we have displayed there for over 10 years.

I was a bit concerned when SEMA/PRI changed it from competitor free admission to $40 per person/member was anyone going to attend. My negative thoughts were wrong and the place was packed with people Thursday and Friday, always a little lighter on Saturday.

That's right, PRI got the people there who were quality enthusiasts, no kids or homeless people and tire kickers. It was well attended by good people who like motorsports! 

Our booth #1835 which has been there for quite a few years was busy the first two days so much we ran out of most materials we brought to hand out. Of course it helps our booth has the DM girls in it but don't be fooled these young ladies are smart and know diesel pickups.

Many tracks and customers came by to talk us about our 2023 schedule of events including our own regional motorsports trade show in Missouri in October (21)! We did downsize the booth this year because of economy costs for being there.

Even going with a 10x10 booth it is still a $5-7,000 investment when including all costs for personnel, travel, hotel and food costs! It is no longer a cheap show to attend or display but far cheaper than the Las Vegas SEMA show. For smaller companies who do business in performance motorsports it is the show to go to for the year.

Prepare to walk, there is a lot to see in three days. I average walking 4 miles a day and standing on my feet 13 hours per day, according to my Apple Watch.

We stayed out by the airport (Plainfield) for cheaper hotels, restaurants etc so you do miss a the excitement of being downtown. However, it is less busy and shorter waits to get into restaurants, free breakfasts and safer environment.

Downtown is like any big downtown there is some characters who prey on normal people and there was a few muggings on vendors and attendees. But I did see increased police presence after the first day even in the garage walkways. You just have to be aware of what is around you, I was approached last year staying downtown by a homeless person with a gun while staying at a connecting hotel. That is why I stayed back out by the airport including much cheaper.

The vendors displaying at the show were great performance manufacturers  and there were a few t-shirt and sunglass vendors, however no window or gutter people. Anyone attending as a motorsports enthusiasts would have no problem finding parts or services to view for three days!

Considering a year after Covid and building for the future good job Jamie and PRI people!

Sled Pulling rules for 2023 - what's next!

 One of our most read blogs is the pulling rules throughout the years. Everyone wants to know what changes because we go to so many different areas and we are based on safety via the SFI.

Most will remain the same for 2.6, 3.0 smooth bore classes along with ProMods! However the lower street classes will be emerging again with map-groove classes for the more affordable pulling classes. 

All trucks still must have safety equipment installed based on horsepower and weight! We have seen many accidents during the years and it does come down to safety for everyone that keeps the sport alive.

No accelerates are allowed such as nitrous, methane, jet fuel, etc. in any of the classes. Too much can happen in such a small amount of time and space (300 ft) to allow more power through the accelerates. 

Exhausts must point up with classes including cross bolts in higher hp classes. Only stock exhaust allowed is on pure work stock with DPF, muffler in place on exhaust. 

Only huge difference this year DIESEL Motorsports will NO longer allow dually wheel/tires in classes! This has gotten us in trouble because of the different states legal width on dually setups. Easy fix is to get rid of it.

All former rules and safety equipment will be in place for 2023. So there we have it!

As far as classes here is what we have run in the past:

Workstock - pure stock turbo

Hot Workstock - see rules - larger turbo but limited

2.5 MapGroove Class

2.6 MG Class

2.6 SmoothBore Class

3.0 SB Class

Pro-Mod

Runwhatubrung Class (safety equipment required)

Let's have some fun pulling this year - get back to the track!

Diesel shortage ??? How real is the threat?

 Any threat is real in today's environment but it's how you view the source. Realistically if it comes from our fuel suppliers I would take it under advisement, however coming from government parties it is somewhat unbelievable and viewed as politics.

Fuel for vehicles, home heat, electricity and transportation is big monies. When that much monies are involved then the government likes to be involved.

When the government takes control then it is normally a mess because of many factors including party politics. While I was at SEMA I was asked countless times about the diesel fuel supply! I told most people I was not worried it is all politics.

So here we are past the date they gave we would be out of fuel and actually the price fell this week for diesel fuel. I do understand in the NE with the threat of snow storm and falling temps the shortage of diesel fuel and heating oil was real and the price shot way up!

Isn't that normal this time of year and peel back the layers, how much of the increase was additional taxes for the NE part of the country?

Again, it is more about politics than a shortage or how much profit can we squeeze out of people before they start yelling?

The United States has the biggest reserve of fuel in the world under our ground and the refineries who can process it. Now, will they let them produce it is another question.

We will see what happens with the rail strike not being resolved, again politics involved!

Lake Ozark Performance Expo Review! 2022

 This was a first for this location as a area trade show and car/truck show! We held two like this before in Kansas City but when Covid hit they canceled them. So we had to start over for the Ozark show which turned out great for a first year. 

The show was supposed to bring in 4 sate area shops, manufacturers and services for our motorsports enthusiasts. We did fill the small space we had with a little bit of everything from all venues of motorsports.  It took a while to place everyone properly so it could flow for someone walking the hall.

What made this Expo Center unique was the hotel resort attached to it so you could stay in the rooms at night, along with eating and refreshments right next to it. We did fill the hotel but they were not used to the traffic since Covid along with worker shortage so we had our challenges during the weekend.

Even with the challenges most people staying and attending had a blast visiting with local motor heads and each other during the weekend. We are already discussing next year and what changes need to be made to make it better and bigger.

Of course heavy on the truck side since I had many people come in but we had circle track represented along with muscle cars, rat rods and vintage trucks. Everyone enjoyed talking to all vendors since many had over 30 years experience in what they had done for the industry. 

The weather started out warm the day before and during setup but like Missouri in the winter it fell from 70 degrees to 30s overnight with even snow flurries on Saturday. This put a damper on our car/truck show but some came and many were inside the competition.  The judges had to wear coats to go outside to view the entries but everyone was a winner.

These type of shows take a lot to setup and especially for the vendors to haul everything in for the show but after they seemed to think it was worth it and want to return for next year. We had a pretty good crowd of enthusiasts come in Saturday and of course lighter on Friday and Sunday.

Children were welcome and free under 12 with many things for them to see like the monster truck, the rat rod truck  that they could draw on with sidewalk chalk and of course the apparel trailer! The resort also had a arcade right outside in the open area before the expo center.

To expand we will need more space, more parking and more places to eat and relax! But what a good problem to have after the first year.

See everyone next year at the Performance Expo!

Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.6026245944076253&type=3

SEMA 2022 Review!

 What did I see at SEMA/AAPEX 2022? More and more people do not get to come to SEMA every year so I go to not only report to our members but also to meet and support our sponsors who are there! 

I have several meetings on every day I am there and into the evening hours. To give you and idea I walked the first day 4.8 miles, 2nd day 6.8 miles and half 3rd day 4.1 miles. I can tell you my feet were hurting on the way home.

It was great to always come out for SEMA/AAPEX show every year and yes, they are still rebuilding from being shut down during Covid. Being a show promoter and sanctioning body I can tell you this takes time with many obstacles. Obstacles like the hotels are charging unbelievable high pricing to make up for being off for Covid and monies lost. I stayed out by the airport in a plain non-casino Marriott which was $200 a night with resort fees while the same down by convention center was $400 a night. Parking during event at SEMA $40-60 a day and AAPEX free parking.

Expenses having to play a big part of crowd attendance since fuel in Vegas was easily $5-6 per gal depending on which station so yes, expensive week to attend a show that you go to as an industry show.

Attendance at SEMA was reported 35% over last year which I can say yes most likely so since last year was still low. Compared to 2018 or 2019 to be fair was about half. But again it takes a while to build back plus hurting economy, expensive accommodations and for the first time in a long time rain/cooler temps for Las Vegas! It was warmer back home in Kansas City! Weather makes a big difference on attendance and it was really cool the last 2 days there, people who live there had winter coats!

As far as SEMA having a fun and successful show I would say they did a good job, everything seem to be normal. Yes fewer vendors/exhibitors than 2018 but consider the circumstances it was better than last year. Some of the exhibitors I had never heard of but new people are always good. It was great seeing some of my usual people I see every year and also meeting new people and viewing new products!

The industry is in a transition stage and managing through it will take some time. Was all the people walking down the aisle having buyers badges on, no, not really but it was a diverse crowd that may be the new crowd that attends every year.

The AAPEX show I spent the last day attending was very busy with more business like atmosphere down every aisle but it has always been that way. AAPEX is for wholesale, jobber, chain store sales and fulfillment. We used to call this show the hard part show but it is so much more nowadays! I did not see any empty spots in the hall and many companies there to exhibit. No vehicle displays or performance activities at the AAPEX show, it is all business with many products, services you would find at chain garages, truck stops and part stores.

Overall it is always fun to attend SEMA/AAPEX show to see what each show plans to display and have for our entertainment while doing business. Both shows succeeded! Was it like the good ole days, nothing is folks, so be glad we have the NEW shows for our industry!

More than I could ever get around to see in 3-4 days but it is something we need to keep around for many years to come. 

PS - the reason for so many photos of the Rambler American halfway down is that was my first car at 16 yrs old - exact model! It was not as refined as this one but I did buy it used at a garage sale!

SEMA/AAPEX Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.5997568663610648&type=3

Horsepower Festival Review 2022

 As outdoor events go this was the nicest weather we have had for quite some time! Sunny in the 80s with low humidity all day long made for a perfect day for enthusiasts to get out and see some unbelievable cars, rods and trucks in our Show-N-Shine where we had over 65 entries competing for 2 best of shows - one for car category and one for trucks. Then 8 categories in cars and 8 categories for the trucks, we still did not have enough trophies for the top quality vehicles we had there! It has gotten better every year.

We started this venue 3 years ago during Covid and it was originally a truck show but then car clubs started to call because no one would let them gather in the cities. The US 36 Dragway sits on large carriage in the country so it is not an issue for large crowds, plenty of room to spread out. I told them to bring them out since our guys love all motorsports so thus the combination makes for a great gathering.

Add in the dyno, swap meet, vendors and the food trucks it is a nice way to spend a morning and afternoon! Once we made the presentations of the Show-n-Shine winners is about time the drag racers start showing up on the other side of the track. The drag racing had over 142 entries going down the track from 6pm to midnight! A wide variety of vehicles from trucks, rods, muscle cars, newer dragsters, junior drags and even a couple of brand new Yenko Camaros! 

The crowd of enthusiasts saw a great show of drag racing all night long! We started out paying tribute to the president of a local Diesels of Kansas City who passed over a week ago from a cycle accident - Joey Hull! We asked the crowd for a 30 second silence while he ran the lights one last time. Joey has supported and attended the event since it started! Anything motorsports he always supported!

Again the US 36 Dragway made for a perfect venue for our event with a great crew manning the track and racing. DIESEL Motorsports/All Speed Expo crew managed the rest of the show, we had fun doing it with such a great crowd of enthusiasts.

The winners are listed below along with photo link of the event!

Photo link:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.5875017699199079&type=3

Winners:

Diesel Motorsports/All Speed Motorsports want to thank everyone who made this weekend's show a great success and the beautiful weather helped tremendously! There was so many great Car/Truck Show entries we had a hard time deciding since many deserved trophies, we are going to include more categories/trophies for next year! High quality vehicles for this show and they get better every year! Also very high quality race vehicles who entertained the crowd all night long, we thank them for a great show! Of course we thank our sponsors, crew and workers at the US 36 Dragway, DM crew and attending vendors and sponsors! What a GREAT day for motorsports in the middle of the country! Winners are listed below!

Horsepower Festival Winners 2022

Car Truck Show Winners

Best of Show – Truck

Travis Baldwin 2016 Chevy/Silverado

Best Ford

Carl Hufford 1950 Ford F100

Best GM/Chevy

David Walker 1967 Chevy C10

Best Dodge

Nick Hotzler 2011 Dodge Ram 2500

Best Vintage

Derrick Parrott 1991 Dodge W250

Best SUV

Brett Burnett NSK Cadillac Escalade

Best Rat Rod

Paul Hamby 1953 GMC 150 – Johnny Cash Truck

Best Semi

Bryan Chellew 1986 Peterbilt 359

Best Race Truck

Al Roscoe 1980 Dodge D1500

Best of Show - Cars

The Drechelers 1969 Chevy Impala

Best Ford

Scott Hendrix 1955 Customline

Best GM

Brice Haman 1964 Pontiac GTO

Best Hotrod

Jerry Kins 1940 Chevy Coupe

Best Late Model Car

2022 Chevy Corvette

Best Dodge

Darek Schisser 1970 Dodge Challenger

Best Vintage Drag

Tim Owen 1931 Coupe

Jr Dragster

Waylan James 2005 Jr Dragster

Drag Racing Winners

Pro

1- Jimmy Lynn

2- David Williamson

Semi- Robin Hughes

Qtr- Stacy Behrman

Qtr- Jody Watson

Qtr- Jim Lynn

Super Pro

1- Jacob Mike Short

2- Scott Grubb

Semi- Chuck Berve

Qtr- Stacy Behrman

Qtr- Ryan Skaggs

Sportsman

1- Wyatt Wagner

2- Josh Reynolds

Trophy

1- Jessica Lynn

2- Ryan Williams

Jr Dragster

1- Mac Gear

2- Jackson Spilman

Diesel ET

1- Jacob Cole

2- Vince Neiderhauser

Diesel Heads Up

1- Vince Neiderhauser

2- Tyler Williams

Dyno Highest HP

Tyler Williams – 736 hp