Out with old and in with the new - DIESEL Motorsports!

We wish everyone we are involved with a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! This year was a trying year with changes in the tuning industry and we take a step back to motor enhancements for power and a step forward in new technology for more power in the drivetrain for diesels.

DIESEL Motorsports has had to change directions at least 4 times during the years we have been in business and it gets better every year.

We renew old friendships and alliances, then bring in the new ones with the same goal in mind - move DIESEL Motorsports into the mainstream motor sports marketplace.

Back to Texas in the spring with a new direction there, and back to Ohio with a bigger bang at the Buckeye Diesel Blast. Still our two big shows Thunder in Muncie and East Coast Diesel Blast will have a new twist and adventure to them by having a Powertour before each event.

90% of our sponsors will return along with some new exciting ones and they are all enthused about the 2014 year. Many ideas were given to us at the yearly board meeting at SEMA.

As the year closes we thank many people we cannot even name there are so many, made many new friends and still admire the old friends. This is close network of diesel people who have fun with the lifestyle and we appreciate everyone of them.

It takes a lot of work to pull this many events off and we couldn't do it alone, we laugh and joke during the year with many of you in order to keep our sanity at times but in the end it has all worked out for the better with bright prospects for the future.

Have a Merry Christmas with your families, DIESEL Motorsports wishes a Merry Christmas to our diesel family!

Made in the USA! Wheels? You bet - WELD!

Enough of teaching unruly kids, back to business! Let's talk quality American made parts made right here in the country - wheels!

I cannot tell you how many China/Asia wheels are out there but all you have to do is walk down the tire/wheel hall at SEMA to see a few of them.

But there is only one made in the USA that I know of - Weld Racing Wheels.

Started in 1967 by Greg Weld here in Kansas City, I grew up hearing about their famous wheels made for performance. I even had a hand in producing their early year catalogs, my brother briefly worked for them years ago as quality control and I currently begged their current management to build their truck wheels again.

When Weld changed hands a few years ago the interim company cut up and planned to move the equipment out for forging the truck wheels. When the current company bought Weld they found the ruined equipment sitting on the floor, they were highly disappointed as the rest of us Weld fans.

But after many years of production and acquiring a few other wheel manufacturers they found more forging and testing equipment that allowed them to AGAIN manufacture 8-lug truck wheels or single and dually applications.

They reproduced some of the old designs and some NEW killer looking 8-lug wheels. You can even order matching trailer wheels for the competitors who haul their rigs. I have toured the new plan a couple times and I am amazed at the preciseness of workers manufacturing these wheels. Yes machines help them make these wheels but each wheels is touched by many hands to polish, test and pack these wheels.

No, they are not the China/Asia cheap wheels but made for those who plan on keeping their truck for a while or for those who want the best quality on the market. Not to say the only wheels still MADE IN THE USA!

I have posted some photos below to show the manufacturing, testing and packing of the wheels. If you want USA made wheels in 8-lug whether it's single or dually check them out - www.Weldracing.com

The natives are restless - DIESEL Motorsports!

In saying Natives I mean the diesel competitors, anytime they sit around in the winter and wonder who is on top they find time to banter. Who made it to the top, who got noticed more, etc., etc.!

I know DIESEL Motorsports is doing a great job when they want to challenge our programs of who is getting honored for achievement. 

It is real simple with us since we are a sanctioning body, follow the safety rules and guidelines, come to the events, and go down the track multiple times.

In racing you set a record by running twice so you can back up the successful run and you can set a record. Sled pulling run multiple times down the track at events and winning in your class.

We tell people all of the time, before you rebuild read the rules! This is very important, because if you build it and the safety features are not followed you can be DQed for not meeting standards.

We welcome people challenging our programs, it means they are noticing what we are doing on a regular basis. For those who don't agree are the ones or their friends who normally cannot set the records they claim. We welcome all competitors who want to come and compete using the proper rules for a sanctioning body.

What do they say? "Any publicity is better than none", we love the attention!

It makes the goals seem even bigger to achieve winner status at our events. When really it can be quite simple, just compete multiple times.

Doing it the right way is not for everyone and that's okay. There are a lot of people who come to the events who want to be noticed for their achievements.

Our schedule will be released in January as well as the new sponsors for the 2014 season.

Competitors let's compete for diesel . . .

People have asked me several times should we compete at other diesel events that are not DIESEL Motorsports?

My response . . .  absolutely! The more the better I say, we can't be everywhere all of the time.

DIESEL Motorsports is happy the sport is growing and others are putting on diesel events for pulling, racing and dyno. That tells us we are doing our job, expanding the sport's popularity.

I have heard that other promoters are telling competitors not to come to ours but that is nothing but race drama. My advice! Stay out of the drama and go compete for the sake of the sport and your enjoyment.

Real competitors compete for the excitement and thrill for the sport, not to choose sides, make claims, and cause trouble. Leave the business end of it to the owners and just compete, let your numbers do your talking for you.

The more exposure you have at diesel events the easier it is to get sponsors! Period.

Every time a photo of your truck is used in magazines, ads, posters, internet, blogs, etc., then you are getting noticed by the masses. Limit yourself and you limit your chances of obtaining notification and sponsors.

So who is the loser here? Compete everywhere you can and enjoy the sport.

Back to Indy for the PRI Show - how was it?

Many of you could not make it to Indianapolis for the return of the PRI (Performance Race Industry) Show so I will attempt to give my review of the show for us diesel people.

As we departed for the show in the AM it was -4 degrees wind chill and many of us was asking oh why, oh why not Orlando?

But once we got to the show we realized why the show had come back home to race country. Indianapolis has been home to racing since the early 1900s, shops, racers and industry leaders. The show was packed with many people coming into the show. Did not hear final estimates but initial was around 40,000 people.

Yes most of the show is round track business and the gas industry but we saw a lot more diesel people here than the Orlando show. DIESEL Motorsports was on the far corner of the main hall exiting the show and we still had given out over 10,000 decals of our sponsors and DM's before the end of the second day. All of our free give-aways of DM backpacks, water bottles and free hats were gone on the first day.

Now it may have had something to do with the NEW DM girls passing items out but we had a lot of people stopping by the booth viewing our video of the Thunder in Muncie pulls.

Many of our sponsors were in the show and in the main hall! The only difference in the shows is the Convention Center in Orlando was much bigger and everything could fit in the same area. The Convention Center in Indy consists of several rooms so the show was spread out quite a bit. If you didn't get in the main hall it was hard to find you, we had several people say they had a hard time finding us and we were in the main entrance. We walked a long way to find our friends at Premier and to see Jeff Dean's dragster.

We saw many of our diesel friends who were interested in our sponsor's products. A lot of tracks and manufacturers stopped by our booth inquiring about the growing sport of DIESEL Motorsports. The last day was a little lighter in attendance because of a snow storm that moved into the area overnight but it was still busy. We had the DM girls go visit many of our sponsor's booths and pass out decals.

It was a very successful show for DIESEL Motorsports, and yes, we'll be back!

Why do we display & visit trade shows?

Next week DIESEL Motorsports will display at the Performance Race Industry Show (PRI) held in Indianapolis this year December 12-14. Held at the downtown convention center you will find us out of the main hall by the escalators toward the mall, booth #7126.

We could only afford a 10x10 booth but we plan to have a lot going on inside of our booth. We will be playing videos of trucks pulling and racing at events, passing out give-aways/decals and you can pose with the "Girls Gone Diesel"!

Friday you can meet and pose with the DIESEL World Cover Girl for "Girls Gone Diesel", Caitlin Aiken among others from the issue.

Saturday you can meet a special guest from the circuit which is one of our "Girls Gone Diesel" plus a racer, receive a special backpack from DIESEL Motorsports and a water bottle.

All it takes to get in the show is a business card and ID, 9-5 every day.

Why do we do these shows? SEMA, PRI, etc etc.

TO PROMOTE DIESEL AS A SPORT - DIESEL MOTORSPORTS!

We tell open crowds and business people about our sport of diesel truck drag racing, pulling and the diesel truck lifestyle. Educating the masses about our sport will make it grow.

DIESEL Motorsports makes an effort to educate people in the industry about diesel truck racing and pulling. I have had company executives of products you buy and install on your truck ask what is sled pulling? I pull up Youtube on one of our channels and show them, they are shocked that a sport surrounds what I just displayed to them.

We are ALL familiar with our sport but there are many in the automotive industry who has never viewed or heard of our activities.

What happens when we lose one of our own?

This week was a National Holiday for giving thanks for all that we have around us. It was a tough one to feel good about for many of us who knew Danny Toops which was tragically taken from this world in a truck/car wreck on the eve of the holiday.

A lot of us knew him as a fun loving diesel puller who just started his own shop not too long ago and was doing really well with it. I saw him as one of the young people in this sport that will make a mark on this sport. Yes he was competitive just as I am, sometimes a bit too much but that is what made him a leader in the sport. He didn't name his truck the Instigator for nothing, it matched who he was in this world.

I liked Danny a lot because of his positive outlook on work, life, and views of the world. There are a lot of people in DIESEL Motorsports who stand out as leaders and positive people who want to progressively get better for themselves and the sport. I can name immediately 100 such people in our travels who are fun people to be around in this industry and many more if you give me time.

We need to take care of our own as those that can make it to Danny's funeral tomorrow, but remember those that are still here and live with the same drive that this young man had for the sport. In his memory keep the sport alive by embracing those in the sport with the same positive attitude, even if you didn't agree with them before.

Unity and teamwork wins in every sport, division and discontent loses in the end. Take this time to embrace the people that make up our sport and it will grow immensely in the following years, keep a positive attitude toward all that are involved in DIESEL Motorsports.

Losing Danny reminds us all that no one is exempt from catastrophe and we are all here a short time so let's make the best of every day which includes progressively making the sport better for the future.

What's on the outlook for 2014???

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEMA 2013 Report

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ET Bracket World Record

Doug Brarens - Mt Pocono Pa

1929 Rat Rod/Cummins

Reaction .002, ET 12.0

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

12.0 Quick Diesel World Record

Susan Stump -Fleetwood,PA

1934 Chevy Rat Rod

Reaction .091, 12.0

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

Unlimited Time World Record

Brett Deutsch – Elburn IL

1969 C10/Duramax

Record – 9.468

Muncie Dragway ¼ mile

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

Unlimited Speed World Record

Dmitri Millard – Highland UT

2001 Chevy Duramax

Record 149.10

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

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

What's a Sanctioning Body for motor sports?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What makes a WORLD RECORD?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Falling into Fall . . . DIESEL Motorsports!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Following the rules . . . DIESEL Motorsports!

DIESEL Motorsports are governed by a set of rules that are written for fairness across the board for all competitors in every state. They are written broad because we get so many complaints that local shops, clubs or manufacturers change the rules to fit their customers or equipment.

We have been asked on several occasions to change our rules for equipment in exchange for funding or favorites in the industry. They have all been turned down in order to keep a fairset of rules for the sport. Many of the new people in the sport do not know just 10 years ago many tracks and tractor clubs told the diesel trucks to go away, they could not run.

DIESEL Motorsports cannot just change our rules at a drop of the hat either, we are governed by SFI and the insurance companies. WE can only submit once a year to change our rules and classes in January and they remain the same for another year. That is why we are different than the other promoters who change the rules at anytime running under someone else's rules - that promoter is called an Alternate Sanctioning Body or ASO.

DIESEL Motorsports is a true sanctioning body for diesels. How important is that today?

Not important to many competitors because the more rules there are the safer and more equipment they have to buy for their trucks in order to run. When an accident does happen it is good to know you are covered by insurance and protected though. To sponsors it's very important to know they are covered for liabilities surrounding the sport in all aspects.

When competitors don't follow the rules they always try and make us out as the bad guys, happens with NHRA and IHRA too! Human nature is funny when one does wrong is to shift the blame to someone else - shift the focus to someone else no matter what!

There is always one or two out of line people who scream the loudest and expect the attention will get them vindicated.

Let me ask? When a child is throwing a fit acting badly in a candy store do you give them the candy?

I know what I got as a child, what about you?

DIESEL Motorsports has to take a stand against such people even though it may cost us or we look/sound like the bad guys. We must enforce the rules no matter how minor they sound how slight someone tried to cheat the rules in order to gain some extra edge in competition.

That is why we don't respond to raving unfairness on the Internet forums about our actions, nor do we respond to people making wild claims that we are the bad guys in the industry. We can't be about one person, we are about the masses and fair to all who compete. We strive to satisfy many and not just one person who thinks they are important.

Call or email us and we will respond about the rules in a fair fashion, if we don't reply to fit your needs we are sorry but DIESEL Motorsports is here to service the sport and not individuals.

We let our actions show how fair we are to the competitors, when we say we are going to pay purses for certain classes then we pay those people at each event! WE offer refunds to competitors when others don't when inclement weather hits, and we in many cases pay full purses when not enough trucks show to compete.

We are here for the sport which means all of you, and yes all of you are important to us, as long as the rules are followed.

It's a business with many people we have to answer to for many different reasons and it can't be about just one person! Please read the rules for safety, competition and sportsmanship, they apply to all diesel owners who compete.

What are we looking for in Diesel Performance???

I think most people are looking for their street trucks is a little more power when they need it and better fuel economy all of the time!

We use our trucks for hauling, pulling and most use them for work. Some use them for recreation which involves pulling a boat, trailer or ATVs.

What ever the use we are all looking for a way to customize our truck for a personal look plus the performance.

However, we look to the track for the enjoyment of seeing how far someone else can take the diesel engines in performance. What most people don't understand is the trucks on the tracks do smoke but for a short amount of time and they are trailered there by completely street legal diesels.

What gives us a bad name or rap is the young kids who smoke-out the intersections and thinks it is funny when they smoke a small car. Yes we are all foolish when we are young but this is what gets reported to the local authorities and relayed to the EPA.

Well we all know what the EPA did to the tuning companies this Spring and Summer, so do we continue to flaunt it or be smart and take it to the track. What we do on the track is legal as long as you de-tune before leaving!

So to further advance diesel technology for the streets we need to look to the professionals who are building the trucks for performance on the track.

Exhaust for the street diesel? What works for you!

What makes a good exhaust for your diesel truck?

It all depends on what you are wanting out of your truck or what kind of setup you have on your truck for performance. Is it a truck for street use or strictly performance racing or pulling?

Let's talk about street trucks first since that is what most of us are driving. If you live in a state with strict emission laws then you need to follow state and local laws. If you live in a state where not much is required you can pretty well do what you want with the truck's exhaust.

I live in a state where there are not many restrictions so we can run straight pipes if you wish, however I run an enlarged turbo back system with a muffler and tip. Stacks are a nice added look but I did not want to cut holes in my truck bed and tonneau cover. More of a sleeper diesel truck with normal street use but yet can get into it when I want to or need it.

Another problem with stacks is it is hard to squeeze a muffler into the configuration and I drive too many highway miles to have the rumble behind my head for a long period of time. Same goes with a straight pipe setup, the drone in the cab is annoying after many hours of driving.

I hear the biggest problem with diesel's exhaust is not the loud noise but the constant drone while driving long trips. Some tell me it is so bad they cannot talk or hear each other inside the cab. Even with some industry mufflers installed they tell me the drone is bad!

I have known about a solution for this problem for about five years - there are only two mufflers on the market that removes the drone in a diesel using large turbo back exhaust! One is really expensive and made in Ohio, so if $500 for a muffler doesn't scare ya then it's the one that will not impede performance and cut the drone sound.

The other is from our title sponsor Flowmaster, the Pro Series muffler available in 4 and 5 inch for around $140-160 depending on where you buy it.

We dynoed this muffler 5 years ago at Danville Performance in IN and found just by cutting off the old muffler and putting on the Pro series the Duramax cut out the drone and picked up 32 HP at the wheels! 

It's the internal design that makes it a perfect fit for the diesel engine, too much out flow hurts the performance even though most guys will tell you straight pipes work the best. We found this on a dyno not to be the case, now regular mufflers actually do produce too much back pressure but the Pro Series adds just enough back pressure that increases the HP and torque.

PLUS no more drone in the cab! They are not pretty but they do work and Flowmaster has them partnered on every diesel exhaust kit for trucks from 98.4 to 2007! From 2007.5 to current they are one of the few companies who has DPF back kits that will improve performance!

So for the average guy with a diesel truck who drives a lot on the street the Flowmaster Pro Series Muffler is one to consider!

I don't know about you but if the boss lady says she won't ride in the truck because she can't talk to ya, ya better get it fixed because we all know who the boss is in the end!

Oh yea and made in the USA, not many can say that, in fact hardly any in the diesel exhaust industry!

If you have noticed we try and encourage use of US made products since that is where most of us get jobs!