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.