Christmas for Diesel fans in your home!

With the Holidays quickly approaching we all need to keep in perspective what is important and that is spending time with family. You still have your health, loved ones and close friends by your side. . .  and oh yea, your diesel truck!

You know last year when I was in LA one of the manufacturers made a smart comment to me about what do you Midwestern people do live in your trucks? I told him no, we don't have to because our homes don't cost $2 million dollars for a 900 square foot home. We live comfortable in modest homes and we enjoy our hobby, which is diesel trucks.

That's right we have money left over (sometimes) to do what we have fun passing our time which is DIESEL Motorsports.

It doesn't always have to be a big present for Christmas, most of us would appreciate a nice photo of our truck in a nice frame to hang up in our man cave or office.

Apparel from our favorite suppliers or manufacturers, or gift certificates for future upgrades or repairs would be appreciated.

This time of the year we are all thinking of winter and prepping the truck for cold weather. Anything for the winterizing of our truck is a easy purchase even at Flying Js.

Just remember what we are thankful for the year and who is around us this Holiday season!

What's next for 2013? DIESEL Motorsports

The usual events that have been long standing will continue their usual time and locations.
DIESEL Motorsports have some new venues and remakes of older shows with some new activities at the shows. Working on some new locations that seem worthy.

Should have the details by middle of January for all events and affiliate shows.

We stand by our strong standing in the Midwestern states since a ton of rural trucks are among our fan base. Missouri to the edge of New York is the strong concentration of diesel trucks used in the workplace and rural lifestyle.

I don't see that changing even with the recent EPA rulings and crack downs on the tuning industry, most of the trucks in this area are older and does not fall under the effected vehicles. Most of the diesel shops in this area are rural and off of the radar from CARB and most of the states have relaxed emission standards.

Why does the breadbasket have relaxed standards, because those trucks are used for work and jobs which are hard to find in the rural countryside.  Also fewer people and open spaces makes for a less concern about emissions over working for a living.

I do see some slowdowns for the diesel shops who do not do maintenance work to supplement their performance work. The larger shops will be fine with their usual work along with older truck upgrades. Prices for older trucks will continue to rise while newer trucks will fall.

Why buy new when your mileage is considerably higher with older trucks (non-DPF), making those older trucks with lower miles (less than 150,000) worth a premium price.

Always looking for ways to expand our affiliate programs through series and unique events with a good following. The same groups DIESEL Motorsports supported last year will be back along with new areas and people.

We have continued to grow besides reports from haters and wannabes, more fans and competitors have shown up every year at the events. It's the lifestyle of families and the younger crowd that makes the events fun to attend.

Looking forward to 2013!

Where to go next . . . past DPF deletes . . . diesel shops?

For one over 90% of the sled pulling trucks in competition are older than 2007, that leaves a lot of product to sell to sled pulling diesel truck competitors.

Over 80% of the drag racing competitors are using older than 2007 trucks, still a lot of performance products to be sold to older trucks.

Most of the classes are trailered trucks, only one street class in drags and pulling are now licensed street trucks. This leaves a lot of trucks available for competition parts and tuning.

Maintenance on the trailering trucks and fan's trucks will still be the work load of local diesel shops. If you have not sought out local utility and municipalities for their diesel maintenance work then you may want to make an effort to do so in the near future.

Expand your hard parts inventory to include engine parts that will make a difference in performance, there are a lot of extra heavy duty engine parts that are now being manufactured that will add to the HP of a customer's truck.

Take a look at the accessory market and what can be added to a truck to make it last longer and look better longer.  Products such as seat covers, fender flares, spray bed liners, window tints, steps, toolboxes, etc.

Be willing to change with the market and diversify, survival will be key for many of our diesel shop friends in the near future. If you need help feel free to contact me about some of the options and I can put you in contact with companies that can help you.

It's not where you can go next, it's about how hard do you want to work to succeed!

What is a blog and why do I do this?

I started this blog a little over a year ago to report my personal view of what's going on in the diesel marketplace. My views and experience come from being in the automotive aftermarket for over 25 years as an agency, marketing consultant and owner of a sanctioning body for diesel motor sports.

I actually had someone accuse me of ranting on this blog with no authority or credentials. I believe I already stated it is a personal blog written by myself and my background is plainly listed on the front page. I try to state how I personally see the marketplace and remain objective in how I see what is going on while I am traveling during the shows.

My suggestion would be to those that state this, they do not have to read it and do they believe everything they read on the Internet as the gospel truth. If they do then many people on the Internet have a bridge they would like to sell them!

While doing the shows and trade shows we see and hear many things that are going on in the business world. I report those items and reviews of our sponsor's products because many of our diesel shop owners and fans cannot go to all of the shows in all parts of the country.

I report what I am told and see, and many times experience. I thoroughly enjoy the people in this sport including the competitors and the fans. Many of the sponsors I call friends because we have seen the business go up and down and people come and go during the years.

When business gets involved then things tend to get obtuse within our marketplace, people always trying to remain on top and feathers get ruffled. If you notice I don't have much left on top and it has all sunk to the bottom, ;), they used to call that success!

I will continue to write occasionally and report what is going on and when i see no one is reading my blogs then I will stop. So far that has not been a problem and even when I don't write for a while people tend to pull up the old posts to read.

To me, that is how exciting DIESEL Motorsports has become and I would like to think Gene and I have had a part in that process.

Yes, I will keep on writing!

PRI and the drag race . . . DIESEL Motorsports!

PRI was a little off this year under new ownership and with a different atmosphere since it was already announced they are closing the Orlando location and moving back to Indy!

PRI has always been the other trade show that is not governed by the big one in Vegas, but no more. One company now owns all of the trade shows. How does this help DIESEL Motorsports?

A lot really, the mainstream manufacturers who have now gotten into DIESEL Motorsports has many different options to display their wares. The diesel industry will attend our shows to display their products. The diesel industry manufacturers now have a real fear of the larger trade shows (EPA), and I don't blame them after what happened the last month.

Yes we needed to clean our business up in appearance for legal reasons but not shut manufacturers down costing people their jobs when so many need them right now. A real tragedy for our country, but then again I just watched a special last night about how our country's regulations and Union pricing has run all movie productions to Canada. Is the auto industry going to follow this path?

One thing I know about our diesel industry is they are independent thinkers and doers, we will find a way to keep our rural roots and the sport alive.

This was portrayed at our Drag Race this last weekend in Lakeland, Florida! A great crowd of local diesel enthusiasts (young and old) along with many from the PRI show racing their rental cars (all fully insured). It was a blast with lots of participants on both sides and a fun crowd watching the entertainment. They can not take this away from us! The fun and excitement many felt by attending the drag race.

There were many different diesel manufacturers and WDs at the PRI show that did not come out to the show, it was a long way, almost 30 minutes from the show (:-(). Those who I spotted there and that showed up to support the sport were Flo-Pro Exhaust, Lil Power Shop, Champion Oil, Vulcan Performance, Borg Warner, Garrett Turbos, Diesel Specialists, Southern Diesel Performance, Black's Diesel, Rudy's Diesel, Central Florida Diesel Performance and a lot of diesel truck competitors/fans.

I think I wrote just a few days ago about "United we stand, divided we fall", guess most people missed reading that post.

They don't know what they missed and how much the Floridians want DIESEL Motorsports to come back to their state. I heard them loud and clear! What about you?

Keeping it real . . . DIESEL Motorsports!

Going into the Holidays we want to thank all of the diesel enthusiasts who attended and competed in the events this past year! It's been a tough year with ups and downs for many people.

At least we feel DIESEL Motorsports gave you small relief away from work where you can have fun with your family surrounding diesel trucks. We will try and make this next year even more fun by adding more programs that provide entertainment value that fits the diesel lifestyle.

We started with adding the NRA (National Rifle Association) this last year as a sponsor and will be expanding that avenue of interest. Outdoor sports mixes well with DIESEL Motorsports enthusiasts so you will find more displays showcasing this mixture.

Family core values forms the commitment our diesel enthusiasts put into our sport and it shows the hard work and pride in the trucks that are in the shows.

Even the attendee's trucks showcase our shows with great looking examples of diesel trucks. The individuality really shows in these trucks by each person customizing their truck their way!

DIESEL Motorsports strives to attract "DIESEL ONLY" attendees and enthusiasts to the shows, this takes a large part of our budget in marketing and advertising. Reaching the right people makes the show special because each show geographically produces new trucks in the parking lot/pit area. That's why we mix them together!

Why is DIESEL Motorsports unique - it's a lifestyle we display at each show! NO one else is doing this! We keep it real at each event - period.

Sticking to our plan . . .DIESEL Motorsports!

Provide a safe, true sanctioning body for diesel pickups to compete in a family environment where competitors are highlighted and compensated for their efforts - number one!

Number two - place combined events into areas where trucks are abundant and we can draw crowds to watch the competition. Plus keep the rules the same as to not favor a local shop or manufacturer so all competitors can have a chance to win.

Number three - help our sponsors sell and display their products at the events, with local diesel shops, and WDs that are friendly to the diesel market.

. . . and number four, continue to take our sport into mainstream America, right now we are only reaching 2% of the diesel owned pickups in the US.

DIESEL Motorsports has been persistent in this direction and it has paid off by holding good solid events where diesel people attend and compete together.

No gimmicks, just providing the same sport for over five years. The extra that we provide is the marketing in order to get people to the event and finding new diesel enthusiasts. That is where we get creative and use all of our contacts to benefit the sport.

Someone is always trying to copy what we do well and we take that as a compliment. Persistence does pay off when staying the course and we do ask for input from sponsors every year.  We still know after many years what is going to work best for what we are trying to accomplish and we tend to stick to what works.

Guarantee, if it is different or new, it will be about diesels and DIESEL Motorsports!

So what's the fallout of this week??? EPA week!

Were companies hurt? Is our diesel sport dead? What are we going to do? What's the industry going to do?

All good questions I was asked this week!

Of course companies will be hurt in sales and profitability, can they re-group in order to continue on with new products or direction? Companies with the drive to continue will survive this hiccup in business and figure out a way to change their products or services. Get smart, learn from this setback and start immediately on products strictly for diesel racing and pulling. Learn from our gasser performance part companies and how they cope with the regulations.

Our sport is not that easily killed, over 80% of our competition vehicles are pre-2007 which is not effected by this weeks activities. Most are trailered to the events for the upper classes and if the two street classes tuneup/detune when they get to the event their competition is completely legal. What this is forcing the sport to do is come to the events where it is legal to compete using the components our diesel shops are selling.

Now the trailering trucks used to get to the track may be affected by not being able to get fuel efficient components for their new trucks so their fuel costs are higher. And the diesel shops who heavily support the events by getting new business by running their trucks at the events will be affected by the loss of business but again they will have to rely on maintenance work instead of performance for a short while until the companies re-tool new products that are deemed legal or acceptable.

I imagine the winter months will still be filled with trucks wanting rebuilds for the next season, upgrades in equipment that is legal, and alternative means to what has been cutoff.

We Americans especially the independent rural crowd is pretty creative when told that it cannot be done! I have seen it for many years, nothing will hold down the masses when they want something.
Will it be a little harder to get the equipment or harness the technology, sure it will, but they will still get it done.

The diesel industry will continue to build with a slight slow down because the need for it is still there. I imagine this move by the government will further drive the price of used trucks even higher while the sale of new trucks will fall tremendously.

I have constantly been told by workers and industries a diesel truck out pulls gas trucks with better MPG. Until the big three come up with a battery powered or Algae fueled truck to compete at the same cost this want will not be replaced easily.

The want of the many fueled by the few!

What is legal in DIESEL Motorsports???

If you listen to the EPA nothing past 2007.5 where the OEM equipment is altered in anyway. If you ask your state authorities who conducts the state inspection for your vehicle, it is different in each state!

California tries to regulate the rest of the country with their CARB regulations but only a few states recognize those standards. Agriculture used to be big business in CA, well since the state is almost bankrupt not many businesses are staying in that state. Why? Because of the harsh regulations and taxes, most manufacturing have moved to tax friendly states with fewer regulations on production.

The recent effort by the EPA to strangle the diesel performance business comes from many sources including some in our own industry. The EPA is like any government agency, they justify their existence by finding problems to fix, when there are not any they pass new regulations to make sure there are problems.

Everyone knows the issue with the new diesel trucks with their DPFs. Creative American ingenuity stepped in to fix what they messed up, now those trucks get twice the MPG. Those improvements led to performance which is America's love of power and their vehicle.

Performance parts for your vehicle goes back before our time and yes they were all developed by outside businesses and individuals, not by OEM manufacturers. The gas market is flooded with performance parts that are not EPA approved for the street, walk through SEMA or upcoming PRI show. The aisles are full of them, all correctly marked and sold for the racing industry only!

Do a lot of them end up on street licensed vehicles? You better believe it, that is what they make their living on just like the diesel performance parts. Why do they not get noticed? Because you can't tell the difference in the operation of the vehicle as it goes down the street. Diesels with more power smoke and our enthusiasts went the extra mile by making them smoke more!

If the diesel trucks performed normally with out smoke it would be real hard to notice the changes under the hood. Most states do not even have emission checks during inspection and some do not even have inspection on vehicles newer than 3-5 years old.

So why the big attack on our rights to add performance parts to our personal vehicles?

$$$$$Money, it always comes back to that answer. Big three automakers do not want you to change their vehicles, they want the maintenance to come to them not local businesses. The government does not want you to change their emission designed vehicle (job existence) plus they get more tax revenue with more fillups from the pumps.

The years of individuals altering their vehicles so they run faster, outperform and make noise goes way beyond our crowd of enthusiasts. The gasser crowd has been doing it for many years. Most dealers I talk to admit that once they sell their vehicle the individual customer can do what they want with their purchase since they own it.

Is it legal? Most likely not, but when has that stopped our automotive enthusiasts? We diesel enthusiasts just needed to be smarter about it, we got sloppy! I can't tell you how many times I advised a company to name their performance kit something else besides DPF delete kit and mark it for racing only. Very few listened and made it apparent as to what they were doing. We need to learn from the gasser performance manufacturers, they know how to sell legally their performance parts.

What's legal? Depends on which party you talk to because there are a lot of grey areas . . . and remember, it doesn't have to make sense it's just the law.

DID the EPA catch up with us???

How many of you have blown smoke on the streets so other vehicle owners could see it? How many of you have asked for the dump smoke tune at shops?

Did the industry get turned in by it's own competing manufacturers? or aftermarket associations? 

Why didn't anyone see this coming? Why didn't they do anything about it? Why couldn't we protect our lifestyle and a sport we love so much?

It's a lot of questions that I'm afraid will never get answered in public, just behind closed doors by a few who do know the answers!

This industry is so splintered by groups with their own agendas for business they didn't care who they would hurt. When in fact, they were hurting the industry as a whole. Everytime a negative comment is made about someone else's product, service and business it's divides the diesel community to where no one wanted to work together to stop what just happened.

The EPA(fox) was let into the henhouse by many during the past few years in order for their company to look good so they would not be scrutinized. To blame one company is narrow minded, there has been many in the industry.

DIESEL Motorsports started a no smoke street policy over four years ago by stating bring it to the track instead and got little response. We have promoted two or three fast diesel dragsters that are smokeless only to be met with resistance and personal claims. 

I would have to say as a general rule our top classes in competition for pulling and drag racing the trucks are trailered to the event. Those vehicles are exempt from the EPA rules because of racing/exhibition vehicles. Only one street class in pulling and  drag racing are street legal vehicles. That's a pretty small number to hassle about emissions.

Realize the EPA is the government who controls the big three automakers by regulations, in turn the big three want sanctions in place to comply. Many years ago the big three saw the many different after market companies making products for their vehicles and decided the monies were too big and why didn't they get a piece of it.

Now most dealerships offer many of the same aftermarket products you used to find only at your custom truck shops or part stores. Why? Because they get the money for it now instead of small businesses. 

I guess the amount of diesel performance products that were available for the big three automaker's trucks at local shops and not at dealers looked too good. They eventually found a way to knock them out - by regulations!

Let's claim cleaner air even though the fuel mileage is half, wait now, we are in a fuel crunch let's up the required mpg. 

Has anyone ever seen the cartoon about the rope swing designed by the government - exactly!

It was started many years ago by not allowing small businesses to succeed, individuals to come up with their great new inventions or ideas that would help their fellow man. Do you realize how long and how much it takes to get a patent filed and awarded today? Only to be taken by another company and given to China to duplicate with no repercussions.

Okay I ranted way too long about why this all happened and how wrong it is! 

Did the EPA catch up with us - no - it was handed to them!

Together we stand, divided we fall . . .

Winter is the time to re-build . . . DIESEL Motorsports!

Yes, like most of you Winter is the time for us to re-build our programs, evaluate what to focus on for the new year and work on the next year's promotions.

This time of the year is traditional for re-building your truck for the new year. Start tearing down the motor, drivetrain and plan for new upgraded parts for the re-build.

This is also the perfect time to investigate new technology that has been developed for our diesel industry. There is a lot of new items for all areas of rebuilding your drag or pulling truck! Check out our sponsor's products, they all have been developing improved and new parts for the diesel market.

Who wants to be on the cutting edge of technology, of course everyone does, but it does take a unique person with drive to figure out how to use the newest gadgets or parts. How to make them work with your existing components is a challenge not for the faint of heart.

A challenge is always new energy that keeps most of those that win or want to win to harness that drive  to excel in the next season. Is it easy, no way!

If it was easy then everyone would be doing it! So have fun and enjoy the challenge, I know I do every year! How to out smart, out do and out engineer your competition.

SEMA week coming to the end - DIESEL Motorsports!

Well the week of SEMA is coming to an end and I have to tell you it has been a very productive week! Seeing and spending time with current sponsors is always a plus while conducting new business at the show.

The Show was down just a bit from current years because of the economy and the East Coast storm stranded many flyiers. But the crowd picked up yesterday and it was fun to see the many different new products for our trucks.

Met many new sponsors for DIESEL Motorsports, straightened some wrongs out,  said some things that needed to be said and made some new friends of diesels during the meetings. Always a lot to get accomplished in such a short week. 

The positive side is many of our new sponsors along with current are looking forward to an exciting 2013 season of diesel drag racing, sled pulling, dyno and show-n-shine.

The trucks are wild out here in Vegas but many have the California look which is different than our Midwest diesel root trucks. A lot of bling-bling  and some short on performance but they do look good for photos.

It is always a relief to get to the end of the week because you are exhausted walking the distances and talking during the entire day but it is worth coming here to conduct business for DIESEL Motorsports.

SEMA is a great venue for our diesel crowd!

Yes the show is full of gasser products but the number of diesel vendors are growing every year. The show has more diesel trucks tricked out than ever before plus some odd performance vehicles with diesels in them.

It can be expensive but if you plan ahead you can find deals that combine air/hotel which are quite affordable.

There were lots of new products to see this year and some very interesting products that local owned diesel shops can make some extra money. We are always looking for new products and services that can help the small business.

It can be a bit of a challenge to find items because of the size of the show but if you do your homework and look up companies to see it cuts down on your time.

It's always held on the first week of November and it's always warm in Las Vegas when the rest of the country is getting cooler.

Diesel Motorsports . . . SEMA Board meeting!

It's always good to meet with fellow sponsors, manufacturers and diesel supporters once a year to talk shop. Can these conversations get dicey, yes they can because we are all passionate about our business and what we do in the industry.

Everyone has their opion on what should heppen at the shows and within the industry. This is good to hear so many different sides and what we could do in the future to further advance the sport.

There was some great ideas and you will see some new changes in how a few things are done with DIESEL Motorsports.

But the buck does stop here when it comes to what is best for DIESEL Motorsports and we need to stick to our original business plan. A consistant direction is always important and not the need to react to knee-jerk reactions.

There is a lot of new products, new players and new opportunities for DIESEL Motorsports!

Looking for the right parts . . . for your diesel truck!

As I'm headed to SEMA on the plane I start thinking about the many different manufacturers that will have their products on display at the show. I'm hoping to find some new diesel performance products for our enthusiasts.

The one thing that I will be looking for which seems to be quite important to our members nowadays are the products made in the USA!

So many different manufacturers are buying China parts and slapping their name on it trying to pass them off as American made. Well we know that many of our products are made in China and if not, their components are made in China. 

It's hard to find parts made in the USA anymore but they are becoming more predominent in our diesel marketplace. I see the American Flag on many of our newer products and I see those products selling very well.

Many of our sponsor's products are made in the USA!

I have had many diesel mechanics tell me they don't want cheap China made parts because they get tired of changing them out for free in their customer's trucks. Doesn't do much good to make the sell on servicing a truck if you have to do the work three times over and over!

The manufacturers who do make their products here I tend to try and push their products more because I know it gives our diesel guys jobs that are local.

What's more important than giving our diesel enthusiasts jobs and selling those same products to our marketplace.

Beware of the companies who are buying cheap China knockoffs and selling them under a name that claims they are American. Ask where the parts are manufactured . . .  you might be surprised!

DIESEL is rural America!

Back to where it all started - the rural areas produced and implemented the diesel truck sled pull. It started with tractors which is still very strong as a sport but diesel trucks soon gathered popularity with the rural crowds.

From there it moved to the drag strips that were rural and the ricers still can't believe that a 7000 lb 4x4 diesel can out race their lightweight import!

Diesel truck sled pulling can be found in rural counties from Missouri to NY during the summer months  every night of the week. Somewhere within their state they can find a sled pull they can compete in for prizes or points.

I know of one state pulling association that has a week in July where they pull 5 nights out of the 7(of course in different towns)!

Our industry has become quite technical in advances during the past years but the buyers are still in the rural counties.

What a minute! Am I talking about the rural counties that have no jobs, no industry and everyone has been moving out of to run to the suburbs?

I see many of our enthusiasts that live that lifestyle returning to rural America and making a decent uncomplicated life. They live unrestricted and love their independence - isn't that what this country is all about?

Here lies a problem, for years the big companies marketed to bigger cities and the suburbs. Advertising is all pointed to the cities and the population centers, how do they reach back out to this new rural market?

Answer: DIESEL Motorsports

SEMA Show is for those looking for new parts!

SEMA Show October 30-November 2 Las Vegas NV

What goes on at SEMA for those who have not attended?

The country's best manufacturers of Automotive Aftermarket display their parts and services at the show in order to attract new customers to buy their products.

And yes it is this crowed during the week.

A show that boasts if you walked every aisle it would be 17 miles. So it is the World's largest auto parts show that also shows some of the best of the best in wild out-there cars, trucks and vehicles on the planet.

DIESEL Motorsports goes every year in order to meet with sponsors and search out new products for our diesel enthusiasts. We try our best to convince large manufacturers to produce diesel performance parts our industry needs for our diesel trucks.

More and more companies want to join in the growing sport of DIESEL Motorsports.

Many of DIESEL Motorsports sponsors display at SEMA or AAPEX(hard parts/fluids at the Sands).

Is it a must go for diesel enthusiasts?

Not really, most of the show is gas and car oriented, truck accessories take up a hall but diesel performance is something you have to look for in the different halls.

Is it entertaining? Absolutely if you are familiar with automotive performance for all vehicles. We hold DIESEL Motorsports yearly board meeting here because most of the companies are in one location.

If you are looking to beat everyone to carrying new parts for diesel performance you may want to make the trip. Plus it's a fun town to visit!

BIGGER mainstream companies are now taking notice of DIESEL Motorsports!

Is it a good sign when larger companies are noticing the growth of DIESEL Motorsports and wanting to join by making products for our marketplace?

Some of the older diesel crowd would not like it because they felt they have always dominated the market with their products and services, but the younger newer crowd always wants change and progress.

Progress always brings in better/newer products and services. If larger companies see a market grow they too want a piece of that market for their business. They may already make similar products that can be modified for diesel use. If that is the case it is a easy transaction with the chance of future growth and dollars back into their company.

DIESEL Motorsport's extended growth must have caught some attention since larger manufacturing companies are calling to inquire about the sport. Upcoming trade shows should be very interesting for our diesel enthusiasts, we have had several new companies request meetings with us in order to find out more about DIESEL Motorsports.

A growing sport into mainstream US has always been our goal and to make it bigger nationwide, so by getting inquiries gives us hope we are moving in the right direction.

Good things are coming!

DIESEL Motorsports - Does it matter to be safe or sanctioned?

Ask the normal street racer and they will tell you they don't care as long as they can race their diesel truck! Ask a puller and they will tell with reservations that they don't care as long as everyone has the same rules for the classes!

Knock on wood, this sport has not had an accident that would harm anyone and we hope it never happens. Being safe helps keep our sport alive and away from the two big L's - lawyers and liability!

With motor sports it is always a major concern for all involved, the track, the sponsors and the competitors. I have asked before how many of our race or pull teams have insurance to protect themselves?

If the event does have insurance it protects them and their sponsors to a certain point. The competitor signs a waivor that releases the event promoters from any liabilities from the competitor. So that leaves the competitor with no coverage or protection from the L's.

If the event is not sanctioned the track does have insurance but it only covers the track and their signed sponsors, not the event promoter or his sponsors.

Why do some trucks get DQed at non sanctioned events? Because they have to run under the track rules which is there for their insurance safe guidelines. Go too fast and you don't have your truck certified or a roll cage and you get DQed.

At DIESEL Motorsports this is all taken care of at the tech station since we have our own diesel techs, diesel rules and insurance that covers our rules. When we run an event we rent the facility with our insurance which allows us to control what is safe and how the race or pull is run for the competitors.

Who it matters to is the sponsors! They are big companies with many people that rely on them for jobs, product, and many times shareholders. They hate the two L's with a passion and that is why DIESEL Motorsports was started may years ago is to provide a safe environment for diesel trucks to compete under their own rules.

Yes we live in a world where rules are needed for our own protection. How safe is your truck and how safe is our sport going to be in the future?

Where are we going . . . DIESEL Motorsports!

Let me start out by saying that our agenda is "DIESEL ONLY", will be and always has been!

Why?

Our sponsors do want big crowds but they also want crowds who will buy their products - period.

What sense does it make to combine shows with a non-diesel crowd to draw people in when they won't buy diesel products because they don't own a diesel! Even cross-over markets have been explored in the past in order to expand the market. Rodeo people drive diesel trucks, we researched that avenue years ago for a sponsor and found  a large portion of them do own diesels but guess what they spend their discretionary income on - horses and stock!

Is it a challenge to find the diesel only crowd plus attract a crowd in the stands, sure it is but that is why we have focused main events in certain areas of the country. Yes, we are always looking for new markets and locations and that is what our affiliate programs does for the sport. We let local clubs and groups build those areas as we help them.

Does DIESEL Motorsports have a competing business like us?

Not really when you dissect what we are doing. As of now DIESEL Motorsports is the only licensed SFI sanctioning body for diesels! What does that mean? We hold the credentials to rent tracks, bring in our own SFI Diesel Techs, provide our own insurance, bring our own personnel and run drag racing, sled pulling and other activities so they fit diesel vehicles.

DIESEL Motorsports spends the Winter months attending trade shows and meetings lobbying for diesel as a sport with many different associations and businesses. All year we constantly market our sponsor's products to distribution centers such as WDs and diesel shops.

DIESEL Motorsports also gathers it's own demographics surrounding our sport through surveys taken during the events. No one else is providing this marketing information to the manufacturers.

We divide our business focus into three divisions, support for the competitors, marketing for the manufacturers, and advertising/marketing our niche sport to mainstream America.

Instead of contingency payouts DIESEL Motorsports pays out to competitors checks for each event. Years ago our sponsors decided this was more effective than contingency because it puts cash in the competitor's hands quicker so they can repair or upgrade their trucks and come back to compete the next week or event.

Do we spend our funding on fancy trailers, personal diesel trucks, fancy rigs - not so far! We had a plan when we started to run lean and give the funding back to the industry for a five year period. That's how you grow a market by giving back to it and investing back into the business.

Will we ever be NASCAR or NHRA/IHRA, doubtful but we are growing! Five years ago we started with 9 small events and 8 sponsors, in 2013 we are looking at over 60 events supported by over 25 sponsors!

That's the direction DIESEL Motorsports is going!

Local shops need to get involved . . .

So many times we plan our events that are surrounded by strong diesel shops. 

Why?

If there is enough diesel performance interest to keep your business open and profitable then there are enough diesel trucks to compete and draw a crowd.

Here's the problem . . .  and it's two fold!

We need local diesel shops to display at the events!

The local shops are competing and are short handed on help and resources to display at the events!

DIESEL Motorsports wants to drive the attendees/fans to local diesel shops to buy our sponsor's products! But we need to find out who those local diesel shops are and where they are located.

I know that the shops advertise and project their business by providing the top competing trucks at the events.  I know it takes all of their resources to bring their trucks and crew to the events so what can they do to further get recognized?

If local diesel shops within 100 miles of each event will email me their shop's info DIESEL Motorsports will announce them during the event and if they want to display I will discount the space.

So we have an event at Hebron, OH next week, any diesel shops within 100 miles can email me their info and I will announce them during the event!

This will help support local diesel shops while they are competing in the event.

Email shop info to: ronk@DIESELmotorsports.US

When will we take DIESEL Motorsports serious???

Do we want mainstream America or automotive motor sports to take DIESEL Motorsports seriously as a motor sport?

How did NASCAR, NHRA and others make the jump into a serious featured sport?

They all started as grass roots racing, NASCAR came from running moonshine in fast cars! They all started as get togethers with drinking, women and showing off their vehicles.

Once they started racing with organized rules, large sponsors, safety equipment, the parties seem to disappear, but they had a much larger fan base once they made the jump.

Why? Because they appealed to mainstream America as a sport.

When will diesel enthusiasts make the jump? Is it coming anytime soon or are we going to the wayside like the Sport Compact racing crowd and others?

There are a few racers and pullers who make the effort to appear as professional teams in DIESEL Motorsports. When will the diesel fans join their ranks?

The competitors realize their teams are a business and it takes lots of funds to keep doing what they love to do as a sport. Some have called and asked for help with getting more sponsors. They wonder how does DIESEL Motorsports get the corporate sponsors?

We get them by conducting ourselves as a business with sanctioning rules for safety, insurance and controlled events where mainstream America can bring their families to watch this new sport.

Realize DIESEL Motorsports and all the other diesel events have only reached less than 5% of all diesel vehicle owners in America. Think about that for a minute.

DIESEL Motorsports takes our sport seriously, when are the competitors and fans going to take it seriously?

Turnup exhaust a BIG hit . . .

. . .  but not with competitors!

It's a have to anymore when we are renting the drag strips, not only for the front linemen (track workers) but also for their property (concrete walls and signs).

Turned up exhaust extensions has been in sled pulling for years because if the turbo blows then the little fragments do not shoot off into the crowd with side exhaust trucks. That is why so many opt out for the straight pipes out of the bed (plus it looks cool).

One of the biggest problems at the drag strips is the fogging of the lights/lasers at the starting line. Most tracks have a "smoke the lights" and you are DQed. This is an easy fix for all concerned by requiring upturned exhaust extensions for drag racing.

Yes we heard a lot of yelling and screaming by the competitors because the extensions were selling at the track vendors for $40-70 dollars a piece. This rule has been incorporated in the rules for three years and this is the first year we are making it mandatory.

It's just good sportsmanship to do this for the personnel working at the track, the track's property, not fogging the lights and they want us back to the track because it doesn't interfere with their usual operations.

In fact we have been thanked by every worker and track owner since we have made it mandatory this year. Being good stewards of the sport make our truck owners look good . . . period!

DIESEL Motorsports has printed the rule in RED online, posted "read the rules" before every event and warned everyone before they show up at the tracks. But every time we hear complaining and griping that no one else is requiring this action.

That is what makes DIESEL Motorsports a sanctioning body for our sport, lead by example and show the others how to be safe. I'm just not patting ourselves on the back I'm stating that others who hold events should follow suit and do the same at their events.

We want mainstream motor sports to want DIESEL Motorsports at their facilities, and welcome our competitors with open arms.

Is it being responsible? You bet and all it took was a little clamp-on exhaust extension! Flo-Pro Exhaust has brought many to each event as well as other vendors, we will continue to ask that they are mandatory.

Make your own and save yourself some $$dollars, throw it in the bed and come to the next event. Use the extension not just at DIESEL Motorsports events but all of the events you compete, it's just a good image to project to the masses.


PS - Here is what happens when you try and make one out of dryer hose and duct tape - doesn't work!

Traveling to Diesel Events. . .

Traveling to the diesel events can be fun and adventurous depending on where you go and stay. Right now I'm staying at a Bed & Breakfast that is owned and run by a past Blue Angel pilot who survived three tours in Viet Nam and a pilot for the Blue Angels. His call sign was Bad Dawg, what a fun place to spend a few days and it was cheaper than the local hotels with a breakfast included that beats Perkins!

I remember the last time I booked a few years ago our entire crew in a Bed & Breakfast in London, OH! A few of the crew got there before we did and I immediately got a call from one of them asking WTH when I checked in they gave me a lavender bar of soap - lol! I asked if he had bathed recently, maybe it was a hint, and I told him not to leave a ring around the tub so we wouldn't have to pay extra for cleanup.

On another trip we stayed at a Bed & Breakfast one our crew members went outside to smoke at 2:30 am in the morning in his pj bottoms only in the early spring and forgot the door was spring loaded. He spent the next 20 minutes in the cold throwing wood chips up at the windows trying to wake his wife up to let him back in the building. Got a little cold out there and oh yea it was raining too!

These trips can be fun and the different stories we all laugh about and tell later make it worth it! Come this weekend to Numidia PA for one of the largest diesel shows on the East coast and make some fun memories.

Who likes who - who really cares?

Every since DIESEL Motorsports formed and went into business as the only licensed sanctioning body for diesel pickups the haters started hating.

You ask why diss or talk down someone who wants to promote DIESEL Motorsports?  Why pick on a business who is trying to expand the sport and bring it to the mainstream?

Is it because others want it unruly and no rules? Is it because they personally don't like the people running DIESEL Motorsports or other promoters?

What is their motivation? Is it business, product/market share, wanting to be the one on top?

Ask any diesel owner, fans, family members attending an event or most competitors and honestly - they don't care!

They want to enjoy the lifestyle of owning a diesel and the people involved. At each event while they look at each other's trucks, talking on Facebook, texting and emailing they all have one thing in common - they love their diesel trucks.

That's all that matters, the drama, the haters, the name callers doesn't matter to them at all.

I'm glad to hear that and embrace that attitude with DIESEL Motorsports attendees. I have been a target as my partner in DIESEL Motorsports and yes, it bothers us such people have to act this way.

We stay loyal to our sponsors and those who do business with DIESEL Motorsports, that's just good business. We protect our investments and business which is DIESEL Motorsports but our mission is to expand and bring the sport into the mainstream America.

A diesel lifestyle as a sport, that is what our passion is for the future. We strive to be optimistic and positive and leave the haters, name callers behind. Leaving negative energy behind and embracing a positive approach is healthier for our sport and all involved.

Ask any one coming to events who likes who? They don't care they are there to have fun as a diesel enthusiast and DIESEL Motorsports plans to accommodate them!

When it is hot get out of the kitchen . . .

We have all heard the old saying and it pertains to our diesel world when competition is involved.

Newer diesels are coming out that are faster, less smoke and tuned to compete multiple runs and passes.

Starting to replace the smoky one pass diesels who go down the track once and call it a day to party.

We are talking true professional competitors who have built durable diesel drivetrains that can perform and set records which require multiple runs (backed up by a second pass).

The same in sled pulling which requires heavy pulling in a short amount of distance (300 ft). In the larger classes the smoke is part of the show in pulling but the higher horsepower is still growing in all of the trucks.

In other words all areas are hitting new levels for performance diesel and the trucks are still being built by diesel competitors even though the economy is still weak.

More and more of the race and pulling teams are showing up in matching team shirts, wrapped trailers, wrapped trucks, sponsors on their equipment leaving a very professional feeling about the sport.

Almost 7 years ago I held a seminar in Indy on how to capture sponsors and look professional, not many can remember that session. It was held before a banquet in a small hotel conference center and a few teams did come to listen.

We have come a long way in seven years and I am proud of some of the teams who have stepped up and taken the lead as professional competitors.

Not all of our guys can afford to do this but it gives them a model to strive for in the future and we all come out looking like a sport that deserves recognition.

Look for the DECAL Lady . . .

Yes we have a decal lady this year! She will be in the tech or scales area. We will not pass out decals at registration anymore but have them with the decal lady. She is there to make sure you have the proper decals that represents our series. Why put on decals? That is how you are going to get paid! Sponsors pay us to pay you - in return we put their decals on the trucks - real simple! Don't want to put them on then you run the risk of not getting paid, it's in the rules this year! If you don't want them on your truck permanently then put them on the windows so you can remove them after the race or pull. Or maybe you are not running that equipment on your truck, so what, it's a sport that is supported by sponsors. Honor their committment to the sport by putting on the decals. This costs companies a lot of money to not only give money to the purses but also come to the events to display product. Be nice to the decal lady she is a very cute young lady but don't try to bluff her she is a longtime diesel truck owner and participate. Yes, some of you have raced against her and possibly pulled too. She knows the diesels and the people involved so don't try telling her the decals are on the dash! Not good enough. Anyway the decaled trucks are the ones we will feature in the magazines, TV, and internet. I'm sure you want your truck featured on a National level! Look for the decal lady so you don't pull to the line naked and un-decaled!

Over $2500 in Prizes for Dyno Competition . . .

At Thunder in Muncie H&S Performance has donated over $2500 in tuners to the winners of the Dyno competition!

Mini Max for the exact HP guess and hitting it during dyno competition - three pulls!

3 XT Pros will be given to the lowest HP for GM, Ford and Dodge!

Yes that is not a typo - the lowest horsepower produced - so the local trucks that need to gain power can line up and win big at the dyno!

Dyno provided by Bean's diesel with lots of work in front of them so get there early and sign in!

This will be a big show and the dyno will be at the Gaston Lion's Club Park.

Three pulls for $80 and first come first serve so line them up!

Both diesel magazines will be there covering the event plus being televised.

Thunder in Muncie in two spots . . .

Yep the drag strip is at the Muncie Dragway just outside of Muncie to the East. Dragstrip has been redone and claims the largest shutdown in NHRA. Country track so no one cares about the noise or smoke, corn fields all around us there. We are only running until 1pm so we can get over to the Lion's Club Park in time to sled pull for the evening.

Schedule for the day is below.

Drag Racing - Muncie Dragway

8am Gates open/Registration

9am Drag runs start

11am Qualifying runs

12:00 pm Final runs

Sled Pull - Gaston Lion’s Club Park

1 pm Gates open

1pm Vendor Row opens

2pm Show-N-Shine Registration - Competition

4pm Sled Pull Tech starts

4pm Show-N-Shine Judging

6pm PreSled Pull Show Ceromonies

7pm Sled Pull begins - Competition

10 pm Sled Pull Winners announced

Lion's Club Park is just north of Muncie and a couple of different routes will get you there.

Drag Racing 8 am gates open, racing start 9am-1pm
Muncie Dragway,
7901 E State Road 28-67 Albany, IN 47320
(765) 789-8470
All classes are racing, ET, Quick Diesel, Unlimited, ProStock, TopDiesel, check our web site for classes and rules for your truck.
$1000 1st and $500 2nd for first three classes. All street trucks are encouraged to enter, ET only requires time estimates not speed.

Sled Pulling, Dyno, Vendors, Show-N-Shine
Gaston Lions Club Park
7449 W County Road 850 N, Gaston IN 47342
1pm - 9pm Saturday
Activities at Park will be Dyno all day and evening, Show-N-Shine at 2pm/Judging at 4pm, 

Sled Pull tech at 4pm, Vendors open 1pm til close and 

SLED PULL at 7pm. 
2.6 Sled Pull Class paying $2500 for 1st Place 
Competitive purses on all places and classes 
$35 per class to compete 

Hotel for Muncie: Lee's Inn 
3302 North Everbrook Lane Muncie, IN 
(765) 282-7557 ask for DMS for $72 per night room 

This is the way the original DIESEL ONLY event was held 12 years ago when diesels first got a start!

Something new everyday this week . .

I'll be talking about something new that will be happening at Thunder in Muncie this weekend June 23 every day of this week.

#1 - $2500 for 1st place for 2.6 pulling class

NO MINIMUM trucks, no catches, and we will pay back additional 15 places for that class!

So line the trucks up and bring to the Gaston Lion's Club Park on Saturday, come early to get teched, gates open at 1pm - sled pull at 7pm.

Yes, read the rules, hood stacks are allowed, rules are free for download on web site.

DIESEL Motorsports will payout close to $5000 for this class with help from our 2.6 class sponsor Second Wind Performance and Little Power Shop (Winner's Circle Sponsor)!

Yes checks will be written at the event so you can take home some cash! Entry for this class will be admission into the event $15 and a $35 competitive fee!

NOT MUCH to enter to win such big purses!

This track is very un-forgiving, nice clay dirt track with lots of bite. So don't count yourself out if you know how to pull! In other words anything can happen so why not compete and give it a try.

If we have more than 100 trucks registered we will pay back even further so line them up for a monumental Thunder in Muncie! This will be televised, filmed and shot by 3 different National magazines.

Can you stop that thang . . .

7000 lb 4x4 pickup with 600 hp, big tires, runs like a burnt ape - now can you stop it on OEM brakes?

Sure it will stop eventually but can you do it safely in an emergency?

Faded brakes are no fun and you feel hopeless when it does happen plus it could cause an accident with other vehicles.

Believe it or not brakes are the last thing our truck guys look at when going fast. They are in a quest for speed with no thoughts of stopping until it's too late.

Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation is the official brakes of DIESEL Motorsports because their system stops our big heavy trucks.

Heavy duty pistons and calipers along with extra thick non-fade brake pads stops you quick with their system. SSBC now has complete systems for both axles however what most people don't know is that the front brakes stops over 70% of your vehicle.

We have had several shops instal these and report about an hour per axle to install the system.

Depending on where you purchase these they will run from $900 - 1600 per axle. That is fairly inexpensive when you are talking about saving your life when you need to stop!

Where does the DIESEL $$$$ goes . . .

Yea I know that isn't good English but the thought is there in everybody's mind!

It has been the direction of DIESEL Motorsports to put 85% of our yearly income back into the diesel events and competitors. That's right only 15% goes to operating overhead for the business which includes going to trade shows, marketing, etc.

The rest goes back into the DIESEL ONLY events throughout the year. Costs for the tracks, insurance, personnel, advertising and purses comes out of the funds collected from sponsors and shows. We are the only sanctioning body for DIESEL ONLY events that pay the competitors after the event is over.

You won't see us in big fancy wrapped new trucks, or semis that look like Nascar race teams - we give it back to the sport! Investment back into the business has been our focus for the past five years.

It was our mission to invest  in the sport and build it up in the worst economy since the great depression. It has not been easy for us but we have survived and we feel it has paid off with over 25 sponsors and over 60 events for 2012.

DIESEL Motorsports was designed to not only hold SFI safe insured DIESEL ONLY events but offer a marketing service for manufacturers to help promote diesel motor sports.

When I first went to SEMA and asked for demographics and data on the diesel marketplace they had none what-so-ever! Since then DIESEL Motorsports has done their own surveys and collected our own data for publishing plus partnering with SEMA to collect information.

We are now in the process of launching a new SEMA driven program for diesel manufacturers to be represented in the new SEMA "Aces & Pie" database for dealers.

This year you will see some of the largest purses offered in DIESEL Motorsports DIESEL ONLY events in the country starting off with a $2500 1st place purse for 2.6 sled pulling at Thunder in Muncie June 23!

The highest guessed horsepower on the dyno at Thunder in Muncie will receive a $1200 H&S Performance Tuner. Little Power Shop added another $1000 to our 2.6 purse for Thunder in Muncie. Even our sponsors are giving back to the sport!

DIESEL Motorsports operates on a very controlled budget for our DIESEL ONLY events because we have done so many of these we know exactly how much they are going to cost and where we can get the most out of our funds for local resources.

You will always find us advertising the events on local radio, newspapers, and diesel magazines. This year you will see us in a semis trailer, sorry not wrapped this year maybe next year but you will see us in the crowd with a big trailer and 20 foot tent!

DIESEL Motorsports thinks it is important we continue to build the sport for future growth, when we see 10,000 fans in the stands at all of the events then we will think it has made it.

Still building and giving back to the sport - what are you doing?

Can we keep it DIESEL ONLY events???

What does that mean "DIESEL ONLY"?

So many different events and promoters in order to cut costs combine with other activities at a dragstrip or arena that are not diesel vehicles.

Run with a Mustang club or a Corvette club at the dragstrip, then we won't have to pay for the track by ourselves. Hey even we have done this in order to check out a new area before investing thousands to rent the track. Renting a IHRA or NHRA dragstrip is not a cheap proposition, some where between $8-17,000 for one day is the normal rate plus expenses. Why is a track not prepped? $880 per 50 gallon drum of VHT would answer that question? Oil cleanups on the track $400-900 per spill depending on how bad it is!

Who pays for this? The sponsors, promoter, the fans? Figure how many must come in the gate to cover $15,000 at $15 per person? Was that many people in the stands?

Point being if you promote and run a "DIESEL ONLY" event it is going to cost you some money.

The other question is by being "DIESEL ONLY" is it enough interest to draw the crowds that can pay for the show? Do we need to add other non-diesel activities in order to draw interest and fans into the facility.

My sponsors want "DIESEL ONLY" because that is who buys their products, but they also want people in the stands to make sure they are getting their money's worth of advertising. I have had a couple of sponsors complain that when combined shows are present they have fans ask what their products are for and can they put it on their cars.

Same way with sled pulling? Do we combine the shows with gassers, tractors, 2WD gassers, and even diesel tractors. We have used diesel tractors in rural farm areas because they are diesel, but all the trucks tell us they want to be the show not tractors. We have been told by the truck owners we do not get along with tractors because they always want the money instead of the trucks.

This is a long time argument we hear from many of our affiliate clubs who run both tractor and trucks in their pulling associations. That is why we have helped so many rural pulling associations so the diesel trucks can have purses because the tractors would not give up the funds for truck purses.

This brings us back to "DIESEL ONLY" events!

Can we continue to provide these with so many wanting to cash-in on the entertainment value?

DIESEL ONLY trucks, still has a pure sound to us. We'll see how the fans respond to this year's events.