DIESEL Motorsports gets asked every year are we going to change our ruleset for pulling. Past years DIESEL Motorsports pulling rules were determined by a group of rural regular pullers and partner Larry (Gene) Mohney based on what should be legal and allow the most diesel trucks to run.
A fair ruleset so everyone in the country could go county to county, state to state to run in everyone's pulls and the rules were the same as not to favor a local group.
What a grand idea and thought to grow the sport of pulling!
It worked for a few years while everyone was cordial and friendly, a family of diesel truck pullers.
It didn't work long though since businesses with pulling trucks competed in the group and wanted to win every time. More power, more wins and more advantages with technology, then the rules started to change at the local pulls again to favor the local trucks. Then entire state groups started to change influenced by those who had the most powerful trucks along with selling the parts to make those trucks.
Turbo rules, weights, etc started to change for the more powerful trucks. This should be a natural progression for technology and advanced performance - right? Yes the trucks that were once considered Modified ran 1000 hp and now the 2.6 trucks easily run over 1000 hp.
2.8 class disappeared and now less 3.0 trucks so the trend starts of less trucks competing. The local rural pulling enthusiast can no longer compete unless you are quite well off - trucks from $50 - 100,000 are the norm for the better pulling trucks.
Let's introduce the 2.5 trucks to include the locals so they can still pull! Now during the past two years i now see 2.5 trucks trailered to the events and are getting close to 1000 hp.
Higher price turbos, injectors, engines, etc and now the modified class trucks are not even trucks and resemble funny car frames with fiberglass bodies reaching near $250,000 each.
Meanwhile the local person cannot afford to keep up with a sport that once dotted all of the fairgrounds with pulls and the fun of competing with other diesel friend's trucks.
DIESEL Motorsports stayed the same for years on local levels and had to change at Regional events until last year where we changed then to accommodate the Midwest trucks. DIESEL Motorsports does not sell parts or favors one brand over the other so more people can compete.
Now other organization's rules are being set by the people who are selling the parts! More higher price parts sold, higher end pulling trucks but less people who are pulling because of costs.
Is this progress?
Now the rules are in question again for the future which basically knocks out the lower truck puller completely. Sure they can drop down as the 2.8 trucks did, or the 2.6 trucks did to 2.5 but how many do we lose in the process.
Sure every one wants to win and take home the big checks but if there are less trucks then the fairgrounds look for other pulling options such as tractors, semis and alcohol mods.
So DIESEL Motorsports is still trying to keep the ruleset on a fair playing field for local trucks and professional trucks in the near future. We want the sport to grow with more people with diesel trucks getting into the sport. What do you think should be the direction? More horsepower and less trucks or fair ruleset with more trucks?
We will see where this takes us for the future for the sport of diesel truck pulling. . .
A fair ruleset so everyone in the country could go county to county, state to state to run in everyone's pulls and the rules were the same as not to favor a local group.
What a grand idea and thought to grow the sport of pulling!
It worked for a few years while everyone was cordial and friendly, a family of diesel truck pullers.
It didn't work long though since businesses with pulling trucks competed in the group and wanted to win every time. More power, more wins and more advantages with technology, then the rules started to change at the local pulls again to favor the local trucks. Then entire state groups started to change influenced by those who had the most powerful trucks along with selling the parts to make those trucks.
Turbo rules, weights, etc started to change for the more powerful trucks. This should be a natural progression for technology and advanced performance - right? Yes the trucks that were once considered Modified ran 1000 hp and now the 2.6 trucks easily run over 1000 hp.
2.8 class disappeared and now less 3.0 trucks so the trend starts of less trucks competing. The local rural pulling enthusiast can no longer compete unless you are quite well off - trucks from $50 - 100,000 are the norm for the better pulling trucks.
Let's introduce the 2.5 trucks to include the locals so they can still pull! Now during the past two years i now see 2.5 trucks trailered to the events and are getting close to 1000 hp.
Higher price turbos, injectors, engines, etc and now the modified class trucks are not even trucks and resemble funny car frames with fiberglass bodies reaching near $250,000 each.
Meanwhile the local person cannot afford to keep up with a sport that once dotted all of the fairgrounds with pulls and the fun of competing with other diesel friend's trucks.
DIESEL Motorsports stayed the same for years on local levels and had to change at Regional events until last year where we changed then to accommodate the Midwest trucks. DIESEL Motorsports does not sell parts or favors one brand over the other so more people can compete.
Now other organization's rules are being set by the people who are selling the parts! More higher price parts sold, higher end pulling trucks but less people who are pulling because of costs.
Is this progress?
Now the rules are in question again for the future which basically knocks out the lower truck puller completely. Sure they can drop down as the 2.8 trucks did, or the 2.6 trucks did to 2.5 but how many do we lose in the process.
Sure every one wants to win and take home the big checks but if there are less trucks then the fairgrounds look for other pulling options such as tractors, semis and alcohol mods.
So DIESEL Motorsports is still trying to keep the ruleset on a fair playing field for local trucks and professional trucks in the near future. We want the sport to grow with more people with diesel trucks getting into the sport. What do you think should be the direction? More horsepower and less trucks or fair ruleset with more trucks?
We will see where this takes us for the future for the sport of diesel truck pulling. . .
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