What's on the outlook for 2014???

2014 - Who would have thought we would be discussing DIESEL Motorsports for this year when this all started in 2001 at the first diesel event - Thunder in Muncie?

The original people involved in that first event are still part of the sport in many ways, some have gone but they are being recognized at each Thunder in Muncie event by being inducted into the "Hall of Fame".

Diesel events will still be attended as the sport continues to grow in rural areas, it is still considered a grass roots motor sport by industry standards. As events get bigger with more attendees and publicity then we will continue to go mainstream.

It is exciting when the big three automakers are now making domestic diesel cars and foreign makers are now putting diesels in their pickup models. Diesel is here but only as clean diesel in the newer models, Europe has been on diesel for over 50 years. In the past the foreign diesels (TDI) have mainly been interested in MPG, however I know our Americans love for vehicles and expect to see some performance variances of these vehicles.

The usual yearly events are still planned for DIESEL Motorsports for 2014. We are starting with our Texas event March 7/8th during Spring Break with 2 days of diesel fun in Denton Texas.

Thunder in Muncie is planned again during June 20/21 weekend with many new activities during the weekend, this is where it all started in 2001!

A special DIESEL Motorsports 1st is the DM Powertour starting in North Indiana on Thursday and ending at the Muncie Dragway on Friday evening. There will also be a DM Powertour for the East Coast Diesel Nationals starting at Mass Diesel in MA and ending up at Bloomsburg, PA Friday evening at the Quaker Steak and Lube. More details coming on both trips.

East Coast Diesel Nationals on July 19th gets bigger every year and the purses for 2014 will be the biggest in the industry for all competitors. This show highlights the best trucks in the NE and East coast of the US, it will be the 6th year for this event.

The Rocky Mountain Diesel Shootout will be back August 15th and more for the weekend is planned which is hosted by Industrial Injection. Watch for more info to come.

Some newer events will be announced as we get the contracts confirmed and they will be all over the US, like a drag race at Spokane Raceway on August 2/3 and Bash On the Bayou in March.  More details to come!

And don't ignore the over 50 affiliate events all over the country, many new ones have joined the DIESEL Motorsports mix. We encourage all clubs to join our affiliate program where DM helps with marketing and advertising the events for them.

It will be a busy year for DIESEL Motorsports and your support is needed in order for the sport to grow and reach mainstream status.

SEMA 2013 Report

I have been very busy so that's why I have not posted lately. We ended the year along with getting ready for SEMA 2013 and now PRI Show in Indianapolis.

SEMA 2013 was very well attended along with the AAPEX Show, it was up in booth space and attendees over last year. DIESEL Motorsports held it's yearly Board Meeting which included dinner this year for the sponsors and special guests. Over 25 attended the meeting with some great conversations and times. The last year was discussed as well as the next year with positive direction and  ideas for the forthcoming years.

DIESEL Motorsports announced the same events as last year along with a few new ones that will be released after the first of the year with a full schedule.

The general question we got after Edge/SuperChips declared bankruptcy a couple of months ago was "how is the diesel performance market going to fair under current conditions by the EPA"?

I'm not going to sugar coat it for those who asked, it has affected the industry in some bad ways and in some good ways. Anytime manufacturers are shut down or controlled by the government of what they can produce is going to result in loss of sales and jobs across the country.


Having said that we all must learn to live within the guidelines of the many, we went through this same environment in the 80s with Catalytic converters. For those who were here in the business (me included) can remember what the companies had to do to comply in order to sell parts.

Same thing but years later, companies learn how to change with the market, government controls and keep producing products that can sell. It helps to remain positive and keep moving forward at all times within the guidelines set forth by the industry.

The bad is the bolt-on part on of diesel performance business is hurting and so are the companies who sold those products. It just got harder to get the products and sell them at a competitive price.

The good part of our diesel business is diesel enthusiasts are keeping or buying older diesel trucks that do not fall under the EPA/DPF guidelines and the maintenance end of the business is sky-rocketing with every diesel shop I talk to up to today! People are keeping their older trucks and buying older trucks in order to get what they want and make modifications.

Also those who are buying new trucks are finding the shops are recommending legal ways to add performance with the DPF in place. Those who know diesels at the shops were adding performance to them before the bolt-on parts 5 years or before. There is always air intake, exhaust, turbo, injectors, engine modifications such as pistons, rods, bolts, dampeners, cams, etc, that can add to the engine's performance legally.

While many of the diesel part manufacturers were not displaying at SEMA many of the mainstream companies who make parts for our industry was displaying and selling their products.

Yes there were many diesel trucks displayed outside of the building and some inside but the companies were keeping their booths simple and selling parts out of them.

We did see some new parts being announced and displayed at SEMA for our diesel marketplace and some new items for the diesel garages that are prevalent in the Mid-West States.

Overall the atmosphere was upbeat and positive regarding the diesel performance industry and there are a lot of diesel pickup sled pulls in the Mid-West during the Summer months along with diesel events now appearing everywhere in the country.

The sport continues to grow and I don't see it going away, this year was just a small hiccup in the business marketplace that will be addressed correctly in order to continue.

Next up is the PRI Show (Performance Race Industry Show) in Indianapolis Dec 12-14. DIESEL Motorsports will have a booth there in the outer circle of displays near the escalators. We will be show video of sled pulls and racing along with giving out some literature, decals and give-aways.

DIESEL Motorsports will also be featuring some of DIESEL World's "Girls Gone Diesel" at the booth so stop by and see us.

NEW World Titles for 2013 - only the best in DIESEL Motorsports!

As announced last month DIESEL Motorsports has some new World Titles to pass out at the end of this year and some are already coming through for the Awards.

DIESEL Motorsports proudly awards this year’s new records with many new aspirations for more next year in other classes. It takes a lot of effort from these competitors to achieve these records and we applaud them for their conviction in the sport.

The winners and awards presented this year are to competitors who have worked many hours on their vehicles and the return on their money invested is nowhere close to what they have put into these vehicles. They do it because they love the sport and the competition.

ET Bracket World Record

Doug Brarens - Mt Pocono Pa

1929 Rat Rod/Cummins

Reaction .002, ET 12.0

Doug has won this bracket three times this year with the closet reaction time to his estimated time, which he chose at 12.0. Doug also won the points award last year for this class and is on track to win again this year. Doug is also an accomplished fabricator building many of these Rat Rods with diesel power plants for the industry. They are unique looking and very safe for racing with all of the equipment needed for competition.

12.0 Quick Diesel World Record

Susan Stump -Fleetwood,PA

1934 Chevy Rat Rod

Reaction .091, 12.0

Susan come on the drag racing scene last year with her Rat Rod with a Cummins that Doug helped build for her. She obviously picked up some skills somewhere because she has been hard to beat in this bracket ever since. You can tell hers is different because it has a power-coated purple stack on her Rat Rod. These two rods always draws attention at every event and yes they do run against each other at some of the events.

Unlimited Time World Record

Brett Deutsch – Elburn IL

1969 C10/Duramax

Record – 9.468

Muncie Dragway ¼ mile

Brett Deutsch showed up out of nowhere with his C-10 at Thunder in Muncie and blew away everyone with the speed his Duramax powered truck produced in the ¼ mile. His truck looked like a candidate for a Show-N-Shine truck until you popped the hood and looked at his drivetrain. This truck was given to him by his Grandfather at 15 and has gone through some transformations throughout the years but is currently the fastest time diesel truck in the country!

Unlimited Speed World Record

Dmitri Millard – Highland UT

2001 Chevy Duramax

Record 149.10

Dmitri Millard has been a diesel race icon for a number of years with a history of making high dyno numbers with his truck. This year that power was transferred to the track in his 4WD 5800 lb Duramax that went 149.10 mph in the ¼ mile.  His truck appropriately named “Overkill” is now known on the track as well as producing 1580 hp diesel only on the dyno. 

Congratulations to the NEW World Title holders and we look to have you back for new records next year!

What's a Sanctioning Body for motor sports?

I have covered this in the past but people still are amazed when I tell them what makes NADM/DIESEL Motorsports different than the other two diesel groups.

We are governed by rules from SFI and the insurance companies as a licensed sanctioning body for diesel motor sports. DIESEL Motorsports has our own techs, rules, classes and insurance when we put on an event at any facility.

One of the other groups is a ASO (Alternate Sanctioning Organization) and the other is just a promoter, either way they have to use NHRA or IHRA techs, insurance, rules and classes. Since NHRA/IHRA has no classes for diesels then they let them run under ET or speed exhibition under their SFI/insurance rules but it only covers the track for liability.

That is why we cannot change our rules or classes at the drop of a hat or during the year. We turn in changes once a year in January which gets approved by SFI and turned over to the insurance companies.

Our techs follow those rules fairly close and makes for some unhappy competitors sometimes but guess who is the first to yell insurance if something goes bad? We do it for everyone's safety and longevity for the sport.

NADM/DIESEL Motorsports carries the same levels of insurance as a full blown NHRA race or event. Our sponsors know they are covered for liability, that is important in today's world of litigation.

In many ways the other promoters can get away with a lot regarding truck's safety because NHRA/IHRA techs do not know what to look for in diesels and many times don't care as long as they don't go fast. Plus they can change classes or rules monthly if they wish in order to satisfy local diesel shops or businesses. Even records do not have to be verified using track techs since legally they do not have classes for diesels.

NADM/DIESEL Motorsports is trying to do it the right way in order for the sport to progress in the future into mainstream America. Does it hold us back some with competitors, yes but it helps us with large sponsors who want it done right.

This was the vision of the originators of diesel motor sports since many cannot remember when local tracks and fairs would not let diesel trucks compete because of safety issues. It has come a long way in 13 years and we are striving to keep it safe and competitive for the future - DIESEL Motorsports!

DIESEL Motorsports is a small community in a big country . . .

. . .  and we are all connected! It's like the automotive industry in the US, it may seem big but we all know each other and are well connected through years of contacts and reputations.

In fact one of the industries with a good ole boy network still exists in the auto industry. Many will deny it with new technology but all that did was make the news move faster within our industry.

Same goes for the diesel truck industry, we are all connected whether you like it or not and your actions will be remembered by many for many years. That's just business as usual within a industry that struggles every year for bigger dollars.

Will anything change in our rural communities where DIESEL Motorsports originated? Highly unlikely in the near future, there are too many county fairs with a long history of having sled pulls. Tractors or trucks they are a part of Americana that will not go away and it's a lifestyle.

Diesel trucks is rural America whether you have a truck for work or pleasure. They are used by young and old with many trucks being passed down through the family or relatives.

The people is what makes the diesel community unique and the lifestyle we live. We are connected all over the country through Facebook, cell phones/texting, Twitter, and the internet. I communicate with people and do business with them daily but yet have never met them.

All done through communication and social media DIESEL Motorsports is moving into Mainstream America by natural progression.

As we progress into the future DIESEL Motorsports meets many new friends and reacquaints with old old friends to build a base of diesel friendly fans and competitors.

WORLD RECORDS . . . the right way . . . DIESEL Motorsports!

What makes a WORLD RECORD?

Running down the track once and claiming a fastest or best time for the class?

Taking a race ticket from your local track and posting it on the Internet?

Not with DIESEL Motorsports! As a sanctioning body we do it the right way in order to hand out legitimate records. Records that mean something and will stand for many years until someone breaks them.

You must run twice within 1% of the time or speed record you are trying to achieve or the slower time or speed will be the record for that class. Yes, you run twice the same day and event that is sanctioned.

DIESEL Motorsports has opened the World Records up this year with awards being available in ET Bracket Racing, Quick Diesel (12.0 Index), Pro Stock (speed/time), and Top Diesel (speed).

We have always kept speed and times for each class together until this year and now competitors can run for these records separately.

The last time to make these World Records come true this year for the competitors are at Norwalk Ohio September 21 at Summit Raceway Park.

Even a street truck with good reaction times and closet to their Estimated Time can win this title on Saturday September 21st along with a $1000 1st place cash purse.

This could be a very interesting race with some big upsets, or surprises!

Falling into Fall . . . DIESEL Motorsports!

This time of the year all of the diesel competitors are working to keep their trucks together in order to complete their points series for local pulling clubs or associations. Drag racers know they have a couple of events left so they too are trying to keep their rigs together.

After a long season of competing the parts on their trucks are strained from the torque and pressure applied to them during hard runs down the tracks. You will see a lot more failures during this time period and a lot of unexpected wins from others because some of the top truck's components are failing.

I tell competitors all of the time, sure you have a chance against a long time winner or more powerful truck, those trucks can always break and put them out in front of the competition. It's always a toss up, that's why they call it competition!

You never know unless you give it a try and compete. We have had many first time competitors win the entire race or pull in their class.

What I am saying is it's anybody's game come Fall and it's a perfect time to come and compete. Plus look at the cooler days and nights, beats competing in 100 degree temperatures.

For all of the diesel shops, it's a perfect time to repair the trucks getting them ready for Fall competition or the Winter months that will be here quicker than we want!