Don't be afraid to compete - winners never are! DIESEL Motorsports . . .

I know I highlighted this in the Edge coverage but I want to talk more about how this young man had done some sled pulling but had never set foot on a drag strip competing in DIESEL Motorsports. Chis Kendall works for Addicted Diesel in Rock Springs Wyoming. I was up there before reaching Weekend on the Edge and had dinner with the crew of Addicted Diesel.

During dinner I talked Jason Stott, the owner of Addicted Diesel, into bringing his truck down to the Friday night drags to display his sled pulling modified truck and set up a booth for his business. Chris was coming to help and I asked if he was going to race, he hesitated and said he had never raced.

Jason and I talked to him about trying to race in the ET Bracket which doesn't require you to race at full speed. You set the pace in a time (ex. 15.35 time) and you try to get as close to that time every pass with a quick reaction time at the lights. Now Chris has been a diesel enthusiasts and mechanic for quite sometime, he just never had competed with his truck on a sporting level.

Out of 71 trucks racing Friday night Chris took 1st Place with unbelievable reaction times at the lights and winning in the final round! What an accomplishment for a first time out for racing in his 2006 truck!

Chris then came to the sled pulls on Saturday night and entered in the Workstock Class and out of 26 trucks took 1st Place in the pulls. 

Now this is a perfect example of a normal street truck that he drives daily to work everyday and then brings it to the events and participates on the weekends. I told him before the weekend, you do not have to push your truck to a breaking point, just compete at a level you know your truck can do without breaking it.

Look what this young man did and what he got by being smart about the competition. I may be bragging a bit about him but I did not know him until that week. What a great example of how our sport is growing and what kind of people are getting involved in the sport.

This can happen in your area if you talk to the diesel enthusiasts in your shop or the ones you know before a local event. It's the people just getting into the sport that will keep this sport moving forward. 

We have experienced racers and pullers at each event willing to coach anyone wanting to get into the sport. Don't stand back and wonder how it would be - hop in and compete - you will feel better about the sport!