IHRA what has happened??? Too good to be true!

My daddy always said if it's too good to be true, then most likely it's not! 

I had hoped the IHRA would grow so motorsports would have a great future in many different venues as they laid out in the beginning. Don't get me wrong NHRA does a great job for racing for many years but the new IHRA covered so many different venues for performance.

Yes, it would take multiple investments since it was so huge, kudos to the management for seeing a bigger picture. Unfortunately, something has happened to the investment lines of credit or cash flow. 

I was sad to see so many things unravel so quickly for them, even though it did not involve DIESEL Motorsports at all. But for the sake of performance motorsports I was hoping it would work itself out for the future.

I knew some of the people who got dismissed the past months and it started to not look good, then last week happened. So what happens now?

Does another investment group buy what's left of the IHRA and what about the other motorsports/boating bodies it owned? As always the people who were owed monies or purses have a sour taste for future events. It is not good all the way around the industry!

Do I feel badly for the IHRA owners and investors? Yes, because once they had a vision that would excite everyone and now it may be gone. I'm sure there are many different reasons for the downfall that we can not see or understand but it hurts all the way around.

I am a optimistic person who always hopes for the best and somehow this works itself out. We do know it takes a lot of monies to make this happen, I personally know what it takes monetarily for events to happen. It has to be managed very carefully for a return on the investment and it is long term returns or side asset returns.

Can it work, absolutely! But one has to be patient and as many know investment companies are normally not patient. They want quick returns on their investments since so many are tugging on dividends.

What makes it work? The person in charge of the monies has to have a PASSION for motorsports! That is missing in today's investment owned performance companies, the passion for the sport. 

The passion for the sport has to be there in order to see the bigger picture and how it not only effects the competitors, but also the manufacturers of the equipment for the sport - plus the fans!  

Passion builds motorsports! . . .  and of course money!

 

Trump pardons EPA charged Diesel Mechanics - What does it mean?

 This past week President Trump along with EPA officials pardoned several people in our diesel industry who was criminally charged by the past administration for violating Federal regulations on exhaust emissions. Granted this is a step forward in the right direction along with possible EO from President Trump regarding DEF and DPF regulations for our diesel trucks.

However, the threat still remains on the books as Federal Law for the regulations. I always thought that criminally charging hard working mechanics and putting them in Federal prisons along with hardcore criminals and murders was way too harsh. 

It means the current administration currently also thinks the past actions went too far along with questioning the diesel regulations. We have seen many trucks such as HD pickups along with Class 8 trucks damaged deeply by choking them down with emission controls costing everyone way too much to repair. When the repairs out reach the problem then the regulation is the problem. 

It made the cost of our livable products go up in cost because the repair costs are passed up the food chain to the consumers. Trucks got half the mileage along with the repairs costs and who absorbs those losses? The OEMs have to comply in order to sell the vehicles along with fuel stations. 

I know of diesel shops who have deleted the DPF systems, made mechanical adjustments, which doubled their mileage and more horsepower/torque. Then taken them to the supposed government emission stations which showed they had cleaner exhaust emissions than the original system! But since the check stations were controlled by CARB and funded by the OEMs they could not certify them cleaner without the original equipment intact.

Something is wrong with our system when the smarter mechanics are punished for innovation, and then fined or thrown in jail.

Let's discuss the past fines many in our diesel industry has had to pay into the government and even had to write checks to NGOs the EPA deemed certified. What happened to those funds and do these people get theirs back? I highly doubt it! No mention of where all of those funds went, EPA director indicated they currently can not track the past funds.

So does this mean all of you can do DPF/EGR deletes again on the repair side?

If you do it will be a gamble on the legality of it for many years. Currently the law has not changed - period! An EO to do so will only be good under current administration (2 yrs) then where does it go? If back to the old standards they will hunt everyone who has done it the past 2 years, if it stands they STILL need to change the current laws with congress.

The regulations are being demanded to the OEMs so it's not their fault. They would love to build less regulated vehicles to the public, they sell more of them at a cheaper price.

If you want to help write your local congressman and explain the additional costs you have occurred over the past years. I don't know about you butI don't see any cleaner air than it was before 2008. 

In fact along with world industry not complying for cleaner air I think the air is dirtier now because of other countries. We are currently experiencing dirty air from the Sahara Dessert supposedly along with wild fires from Canada???

The performance industry has ALWAYS lead the way for vehicle innovation such as the old spark plug giving way to injection systems. Same goes for the diesel industry when many of our brighter mechanics has gotten so much more out of the original design! I'm sure Rudolf Diesel would agree with many of us today that the future is with the brightest minds. His original design was changed many times over the years from other people with his approval. 

Thunder in Muncie Review 2026! DIESEL Motorsports

It was beautiful both days of the event with cool temperatures which is great for the turbos and keeping the engines cooler. This was the 25th Year Anniversary of the US 1st diesel event in the country! Back when NO one would let the HD trucks run down the drag strip or pull at local fairs. The sports has come a long way in 25 years going from top HP in 2001 of 600 hp to over 3000 hp in 2026.

Vehicle sales of diesel trucks have increased by 300% since 2001 along with products for the diesel aftermarket. Much has changed since the first event and DIESEL Motorsports has been there for 19 years as part of the building blocks that is now a major business model in the US!

It may not be a major giant event but we like to keep alive the history and remember where it all started by honoring the locations.

DIESEL Motorsports went back to Muncie Dragstrip which we have been absent during the Covid years! It was great to be back to the track with some great runs down the track running the 1/8th mile on the 1/4 mile track.

Good thing it was cooler because the winners ran multiple classes called hot lapping to keep up with the call to the lanes. One competitor used our SPAL fan display to help cool his truck down so he could keep on racing, I think he plans to have them installed soon as he gets home! It was a fun evening and some great wins at the lights.

2nd day took us back to the Gaston Lion's Club Park for the truck show along with sled pulling! Another cool sunny day at the park for the event. We had some great looking trucks at the truck show for the people to view.

While the crowd enjoyed some good eating at the Gaston Lion's Club Food Shack the track crew was prepping the track for the trucks. While we had difficulties with the sound system (hit by lightening a few days before) the crowd saw some great runs down the track by some great pulling trucks.

Many manned by longtime pullers who have attended the event for many years. We had a couple of enthusiasts who said they had come to the original Thunder in Muncie in 2001!

We want to thank the competitors, track personnel and sponsors who helped us out at the event.

Photo Link:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=DIESELMotorsports.US&set=a.1442711657890278

Thunder in Muncie 2026 Winners
Drag Racing
ET Bracket
1st- Vince Neiderhauser
2nd – Alex Leahy
7.70 Index
1st – Tyler Baker
2nd Vince Neiderhauser
6.90 Index
1st Vince Neiderhauser
2nd – Kyle Miller

Truck Show
Best of Show – Cody VanMeter – 2005 Dodge 2500
Best GM – Nate Jackson – 2016 Chevy 2500
Best Ram – Blake VanMeter – 2018 Dodge
Best Ford – Joe Kupferschmid – 2022 Ford F350
Best Work Truck – Matt Miller – 2022 Ford F550
Best Rat Rod – Justin Hartzog – 1992 Dodge D250
Best Race Truck – Vince Neiderhauser – 2007 GMC Dmax
Best Paint Job – Mason Zent – 2014 Ford F250
Best Pulling Truck – Gregg Temple – 1996 Dodge 2500
Best Service Truck – Harrison Miller – Ford 2000 F350
Best Overall Appearance – Mike Gaither – 2015 Ram 2500
Best Street Truck – Jack Bullock – 2024 Chevy 2500
Best OBS Truck – Zane Donham - 1996 Ford F250
Best Shade Truck – Matt Glasser – 2013 Chevy

Sled Pulling
3.0 Class
1st – Joe Kupferschmid 315.65
2nd – Luke Martin – 300.48
3rd – Kevin Temple – 298.42
2.6 Class
1st Cody VanMeter
2nd – Trent Davidson
Tractor
1st Cody
Street Truck
1st – Trent Davidson
2nd. Cody VanMeter

The FIRST Diesel Event in the country - 2001 - Thunder in Muncie!

 When the drag strips would not let diesel pickups on the tracks because of the axle height and truck weight, and the fairgrounds would only let tractors pull at the fairground tracks there was one event that allowed both.

Thunder in Muncie - Indiana 2001!

That one event was Thunder in Muncie started by Eric McBride (Diesel Motorsports Hall of Fame) of the old DHRA group in 2001! Drag racing at the Muncie Dragway on Friday night and then it all moved over Saturday to the Gaston Lion's Club Park just north of Muncie. 

Back when diesel pickups hovered around 500-700 HP using bolt-on technology for more power. When 12V Cummins and VP44 trucks were the norm for modified trucks. 

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the first diesel only event held in the same format as the first one at both locations. How many of you were there in the beginning years? I know I was not until 2005 but many who I have come to know over the years was there. Many of their kids now come and help or compete at the shows while we sit back and enjoy the show. 

The trucks have all changed and I would not think too many of the originals are even around anymore, especially since many of the trucks are 1200-1800 hp. Some are even higher with custom billet blocks and performance internal parts that climb 2-3000 hp. 

The industry has easily quad-tripled in the 25 years since the first event. I have told people that sled pulling is at every fairground from June to the end of August with easily a sled pull most days of the week in each state from Kansas over to New York.  The sport started out getting little time on TV in the beginning with now weekly shows featuring either diesel pickups or tractors.

There are many people who have helped build the diesel performance industry what is today and many are no longer with us. The names are endless and some players are still here, many can be found on the DIESEL Motorsports "Hall of Fame" plaque at the Gaston Lion's Club Park in their Club House. I will print out many of the old photos to put up during the event so many of us can view and remember the people.  Were you there or possibly some of the early years of the events?

June 19th - Muncie Dragway Albany IN (just east of Muncie) Gates open 5pm

All local trucks welcome - 1/8 mile racing - Semis, Pickups, rat rods 

ET Bracket, 7.70 Index, 6.90 Index and 5.9 or heads-up driver choices

June 20th Gaston Lion's Club Park Gaston IN (just north of Muncie) Gates open 3pm

Truck Show-N-Shine Cruise-In - Semis, Pickups (diesel & gas), Rat rods, SUVs, Jeeps 3pm-6pm Awards given at 5:30 over 25 Categories with a Best of Show Special Award

Sled pulling 6pm- til finished Main arena - Tractors, Semis, Pickup Truck Classes

All local classes welcome to come and compete (local rules apply)

2 BATTERIES IN A DIESEL TRUCK! Which two? Wet vs Sealed?

Wet vs Sealed – Battery for your diesel trucks!

As most of you know the diesel truck takes 2 batteries as designed by the OEM. Most of the OEM trucks come with wet batteries from the factory. In most cases, they cost less and work in most conditions. Many of you go the least path of resistance if one or more fail and visit the local parts store and just replace it with an appropriate wet battery in stock.

If it works for you why change from the OEM replacement?

There are several reasons if you use your truck for work or in harsh conditions such as hot/cold climates. A sealed, Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) battery is considered an upgrade when replacing the OEM battery. They handle the extreme heat and cold much better with higher Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) when you need it. 

So, if you are outside a lot, and it’s so cold your coffee freezes from your kitchen to the truck, you may need a AGM battery with 1100 CCA even at 80% level. The AGM battery is a work horse for when you need extra power for not just starting the vehicle but also powering all onboard accessories.

Being an advanced AGM battery, ODYSSEY® batteries from EnerSys hold much more power than even some of their dry battery competitors.  These batteries in my truck that are group 27 have a 1750 pulse cranking amps, 195-minute reserve amps and 930 cold cranking amps! What that means is a lot of power when you need it! For those of you who use group 31 batteries the ratings are even higher with 2150 pulse cranking amps, 220-minute reserve amps and 1150 cold cranking amps!

Let me put this in some perspective ratings. My current wet batteries at 50% charge and at 50ºF (10ºC) will produce a crank/recharge rating of 38.5, while my ODYSSEY® batteries exposed to the same conditions have a rating of 325.3! That means I can rely on these to start my truck even after running some extras on my truck while it was sitting idle.

The newer ODYSSEY® battery models now have Bluetooth technology inside the batteries that connect with your smart phones that monitor the condition of the battery. Set your alerts if the battery falls below a certain level and your phone alerts you! Check from the comfort of your home levels of the battery while your truck sits in the garage or outside.

Yes, they do cost more upfront than the wet batteries ($130 - higher) as to the AGM ($300 - higher), but as with many things you purchase, you get what you pay for! AGM batteries usually last 4-12 years (4 year warranty) while wet batteries last 2-4 years. Plus, ODYSSEY® batteries have a higher level of durability against vibration/jolting in your truck for those of you who are a little rough while driving. 

AGM batteries require no-maintenance while wet batteries require checking the acid levels and topping off with distilled water. Wet batteries corrode around the posts while AGM batteries never have an issue. Many old mechanics used to say not to replace the wet with AGMs but that has been proven false with many tests. For those of you who compete in racing or pulling I have had many people rewire their system to one ODYSSEY® battery to drop some weight and they start quite easily every time! 

I replaced my old wet batteries on my 1996 12V Dodge and I thought a turbo had been added to my starter! I had never experienced quicker cranks, and power is now never an issue. Even when my starter was going out (290,000 on the old beast) it shorted my system and drained the batteries pretty low, I turned the key first and let it light the gauges. Then hit the key and even though it was cold it kicked over and started.

Once I had the starter replaced, I’ve never had another issue since it totally recovered charging to full power level, my ODYSSEY® batteries have been in the truck 9 years and counting. I have been sold on these batteries for diesels but even more now that I have found they are made in the USA! Both plants for EnerSys ODYSSEY® batteries are right in Missouri within a few hours of my house.

I have never seen or had any idea how batteries are built so I took a trip down to Springfield in my old 1996 Dodge and EnerSys was gracious enough to give me a tour of their facility. I don’t know if an article has ever been done on the actual building of a battery. My words cannot do the manufacturing plant justice since I have to condense the story, but I can tell you it was amazing.

This plant has a little over 300,000 sq ft with over 400 employees at this location. EnerSys has over 30 facilities worldwide with over $4 billion in revenue. With another 3 facilities in Missouri, they employ over 1,000 people in 1-3 shifts depending on workloads. Reading PA is their headquarters for EnerSys in the USA! The employees are treated as a family and the workplace looked very cohesive producing 20,000 batteries a week at capacity. 

EnerSys took me from a 2,000 lb. block of lead to a finished battery model walking me through their production lines. Their two plants are all automated and robotized so no human hands touch the lead or acid in the batteries, yet they employ over 400 to maintain the lines.

I saw the lead plates produced and coated with the glass paste (I called it mud) and then heated for 48 hours. Each plate is designated positive or negative and compressed into the cells, which make up the battery. I did find out most of the other batteries use a calcium-based paste that breaks down in extreme heat and vibration, while EnerSys uses another mixture for their ODYSSEY® batteries that does not include calcium.

Through an automated line the cell plates are placed in the battery case, then topped with the connectors that are welded together (see photos)! Even putting the acid in the battery is completely automated and then they go through a wash bath before charging. The room with thousands of batteries being charged is amazing and the batteries are cooled by A/C from underneath. Labeled and packaged for delivery these batteries are ready for distribution throughout the World.

How do you justify a battery that is more than double the price of wet batteries? All I know is once you are caught out in the middle of nowhere or a very cold morning and the truck won’t start those dollars are well worth what you just spent! Ask the customer how much does he use his truck? Ask him how upset he was when the truck would not start that cold morning?

With today’s truck loaded with so much electronics having the correct flow of power running through it is a big concern for your truck’s longevity. Concerned about being built in the USA and talking to English speaking customer service then check out EnerSys ODYSSEY® AGM batteries at any local outlet or warehouse. 

For more info: www.Enersys.com

or ODYSSEY®- https://www.enersys.com/en/products/batteries/odyssey/?page=1&capacity=0&brand=&industry=&application=&technology=&design=&voltage=

Horsepower Festival US 36 Dragway Review - 2026!

Between rainy days we found a beautiful sunny Saturday for the Car/Truck Show that was started during COVID and continues today with some the best builds in the area! We are lucky to have such talented fabricators and performance competitors in the Midwest right around us. People enjoyed visiting each other, the vendors and the food trucks while waiting for the drag race to begin.

We did have a cold front blow thru but no rain which made everyone's day since most had already arrived. Just as the judging for the Car/Truck Show ended clouds moved in with cooler air but it was needed honestly since it was around 86º which is quite warm for this part of the year. As most racers do they looked at the online radar and saw no rain and kept coming in for the next couple of hours.

It turned out to be a good night for racing with a lot of performance vehicles going down the track. I want to thank all of the competitors for putting on a great show along with US 36 track personnel for one great day and evening.

By the time the competitors started to go down the track both sides of the track were lined with people and vehicles watching. It was a fun night with lots of fast vehicles and wheelies off of the line. The winner of the truck classes was Vince Neiderhauser who gambled and entered in both classes as ET Bracket Truck and Heads-Up Truck! He won both spots by hot lapping his truck back to the starting lanes on each round. We saw some fast passes by Chris Calkins with a 6.10 in his Orange Crush Chevy S10 Dmax but later dropped with a broke truck.

As the night fell it did get cooler which made the clothing booth happy with everyone buying all of his hoodies in stock. It went from 86º to 61º in about 4 hours.

This was our 10th year at US 36 and it is alway a pleasure to return every year. Photos are in the galleries and results of the winners are below:

Photos are in 3 galleries (over 500 photos)

https://www.facebook.com/DIESELMotorsports.US/photos_albums

I want to thank US 36 personnel along with sponsors, DM Crew and the competitors for such a fun event in the Spring season!

Horsepower Festival US 36 Dragway 2026

Drag Racing
Super Pro
1st David Williamson, Basehor, KS
2nd Aidan Eckart, Raytown, MO
Semi Adam Stephen Engnes, Plattsburg, MO
Qtr Steve Rivera, St. Joseph, MO
Qtr Josh Henderson, St. Joseph, MO
Pro
1st Hayden Webster, Plattsburg, MO
2nd Jacob Short, Lawson, MO
Semi Chris Anderson, Kansas City, MO
Semi Dan Swank, Truso, IA
Sportsman
1st Jessica Lynn, Oak Grove, MO
2nd Mike Smith, Cameron, MO
Trophy
1st Tim Clinger, St. Joseph, MO
2nd Michael Aborn, St. Joseph, MO
Jr. Dragster
1st Kayden Gallus, Liberty, MO
2nd James Sloan, Gallatin, MO
Diesel Trucks ET
1st Vince Neiderhauser, Rogersville, MO
2nd Derrick Parrott, Atchison, KS
Diesel Trucks Heads Up
1st Vince Neiderhauser, Rogersville, MO
2nd Austin Potter, St. Joseph, MO

Car/Truck Show
Best of Show Car –
Brice Hamann, Osborn MO 1964 Pontiac GTO
Best of Show Truck –
Eric Barrett, Marceline, MO 1959 Chevy Apache

Trucks
Best GM – Neil Taylor, Lathrop MO 2004 GMC 2500
Best Dodge – Derrick Parrott, Atchinson, KS 1991 W250
Best Ford – Ian Langner, St Joeseph, MO 1951 Ford Lightning
Best HD 1 ton – Jason Reeves, Turney, MO 2015 Chevy
Best Work Truck – Mark Hemm, Gower MO 2006 Dodge Ram 3500
Best Custom Truck – Shawn Young, Lathrop MO 2018 Dodge 2500
Best Vintage Truck – Paul Schneegass, Liberty, MO Chevy 1948 3100
Best Rat Rod Truck – Paul Hamby, Maysville MO 1953 (36-71) GMC Cash One Piece a Time

Cars
Best Muscle Car – Rod Pierce, Grant City, MO 1969 AMC AMX
Best GM Car – Kurt Omenski, Oak Grove, MO 1971 Pontiac Tempest
Best Ford Car – Matt Tarl, Winston MO 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1
Best Vintage Car – Clayton Dennis Cameron MO 1967 Chevy Chevelle`
Best Jeep – Rick Gilmore, Bucklin MO 1984 CJ7
Best SUV – Jerry Stevenson, St Joeseph, MO 2008 Toyota 4Runner
Best Land Yacht – Charles Moore, Excelsior Springs, MO 1966 Ford Futura Wagon
Best Street Cruiser – Curtis Eickemeyer, Clarksdale MO 1968 Mercury Cougar XR7
Best Commercial Car – Clayton Dennis, Cameron MO 1957 Chevy Belair Wagon
Best 70s Car – Jesse Wall, Excelsior Springs MO 1974 Chevy Malibu
Best Late Model Car – Trennen Frazee, St Joeseph MO 2009 Pontiac GT
Best Jr Dragster – Coltan Koontz, Holt MO,
Best Family ATV/Jr Dragster Family – Kern Family, Kearney MO
Best Oldest Driver’s Ed Car – Jim Arjabright, Sabetha KS 1955 Chevy 210

Tailgate Shootout Review 2026 - Alabama

 DIESEL Motorsports had a great time down in Alabama last weekend at Strokin Diesel and the Baileyton Dragstrip! Both hidden gems in the South for performance and fun with pickup trucks!

Strokin Diesel is owned by Dylan Edgil and his family since 2015 where they have worked on diesel and gas pickups for many years. They have quite the complex there in Oneoneta Alabama along with garages, storage, gun shop, and in-ground dyno complex. It takes up the entire hillside on the edge of town with trucks sitting all around to be next in line for repairs.

Many enthusiasts hooked up to the dyno on Saturday morning along with visiting the DIESEL Motorsports sponsor’s tents in the vendor building. A great collection of trucks and people showed up to watch the trucks roll on the dyno from 9am to 2pm. Top dyno competitors were Justin Earwood 1278 HP, Chase Conley 955, and Trapper Doyal 915 HP.

It started out as a beautiful day at Strokin Diesel but reports coming in from the track showed inclement weather moving in on the track in the late evening hours. The Baileyton Dragway has been in business and the family since 1966 with many years of fun drag racing with many famous vehicles going down the track. The track was started by Jack Walker and his family still works the track including grandson Russ Easterwood and his wife Sasha!

The Baileyton Dragway is a perfect 1/8th mile track that is like a park with nice paths, pit area and Pit Tower! The track is known as the “Good Time” dragway along with their track mascot “Ole Tater Hauler” which is a 1953 GMC truck! The DIESEL Motorsports regulars said it was one of the better surfaces they have run on in a couple of years.

The races were hurried up a bit since we saw inclement weather moving in about 7:30 pm so the trucks ran quickly down the track. The top two racers standing at the end were Champion - Justin Earwood, Toppa, AL, and Winner - Trapper Royal, Oneonta, AL!

DIESEL Motorsports wants to thank the folks at Strokin Diesel, the Baileyton Dragway and our sponsors that attended the show – PRW Performance, Total Seal Rings, AMSOIL, and PPE DIESEL! We appreciate the support for our industry! This was a first event in Alabama for many years so we move on to a 10 year event next at US 36 Dragway in Osborn Missouri on May 9th!