PRI report 2022 - Indy here we come . . .

 What was the 2022 PRI show like and was it worth going and displaying? I get asked every year since we have displayed there for over 10 years.

I was a bit concerned when SEMA/PRI changed it from competitor free admission to $40 per person/member was anyone going to attend. My negative thoughts were wrong and the place was packed with people Thursday and Friday, always a little lighter on Saturday.

That's right, PRI got the people there who were quality enthusiasts, no kids or homeless people and tire kickers. It was well attended by good people who like motorsports! 

Our booth #1835 which has been there for quite a few years was busy the first two days so much we ran out of most materials we brought to hand out. Of course it helps our booth has the DM girls in it but don't be fooled these young ladies are smart and know diesel pickups.

Many tracks and customers came by to talk us about our 2023 schedule of events including our own regional motorsports trade show in Missouri in October (21)! We did downsize the booth this year because of economy costs for being there.

Even going with a 10x10 booth it is still a $5-7,000 investment when including all costs for personnel, travel, hotel and food costs! It is no longer a cheap show to attend or display but far cheaper than the Las Vegas SEMA show. For smaller companies who do business in performance motorsports it is the show to go to for the year.

Prepare to walk, there is a lot to see in three days. I average walking 4 miles a day and standing on my feet 13 hours per day, according to my Apple Watch.

We stayed out by the airport (Plainfield) for cheaper hotels, restaurants etc so you do miss a the excitement of being downtown. However, it is less busy and shorter waits to get into restaurants, free breakfasts and safer environment.

Downtown is like any big downtown there is some characters who prey on normal people and there was a few muggings on vendors and attendees. But I did see increased police presence after the first day even in the garage walkways. You just have to be aware of what is around you, I was approached last year staying downtown by a homeless person with a gun while staying at a connecting hotel. That is why I stayed back out by the airport including much cheaper.

The vendors displaying at the show were great performance manufacturers  and there were a few t-shirt and sunglass vendors, however no window or gutter people. Anyone attending as a motorsports enthusiasts would have no problem finding parts or services to view for three days!

Considering a year after Covid and building for the future good job Jamie and PRI people!

Sled Pulling rules for 2023 - what's next!

 One of our most read blogs is the pulling rules throughout the years. Everyone wants to know what changes because we go to so many different areas and we are based on safety via the SFI.

Most will remain the same for 2.6, 3.0 smooth bore classes along with ProMods! However the lower street classes will be emerging again with map-groove classes for the more affordable pulling classes. 

All trucks still must have safety equipment installed based on horsepower and weight! We have seen many accidents during the years and it does come down to safety for everyone that keeps the sport alive.

No accelerates are allowed such as nitrous, methane, jet fuel, etc. in any of the classes. Too much can happen in such a small amount of time and space (300 ft) to allow more power through the accelerates. 

Exhausts must point up with classes including cross bolts in higher hp classes. Only stock exhaust allowed is on pure work stock with DPF, muffler in place on exhaust. 

Only huge difference this year DIESEL Motorsports will NO longer allow dually wheel/tires in classes! This has gotten us in trouble because of the different states legal width on dually setups. Easy fix is to get rid of it.

All former rules and safety equipment will be in place for 2023. So there we have it!

As far as classes here is what we have run in the past:

Workstock - pure stock turbo

Hot Workstock - see rules - larger turbo but limited

2.5 MapGroove Class

2.6 MG Class

2.6 SmoothBore Class

3.0 SB Class

Pro-Mod

Runwhatubrung Class (safety equipment required)

Let's have some fun pulling this year - get back to the track!

Diesel shortage ??? How real is the threat?

 Any threat is real in today's environment but it's how you view the source. Realistically if it comes from our fuel suppliers I would take it under advisement, however coming from government parties it is somewhat unbelievable and viewed as politics.

Fuel for vehicles, home heat, electricity and transportation is big monies. When that much monies are involved then the government likes to be involved.

When the government takes control then it is normally a mess because of many factors including party politics. While I was at SEMA I was asked countless times about the diesel fuel supply! I told most people I was not worried it is all politics.

So here we are past the date they gave we would be out of fuel and actually the price fell this week for diesel fuel. I do understand in the NE with the threat of snow storm and falling temps the shortage of diesel fuel and heating oil was real and the price shot way up!

Isn't that normal this time of year and peel back the layers, how much of the increase was additional taxes for the NE part of the country?

Again, it is more about politics than a shortage or how much profit can we squeeze out of people before they start yelling?

The United States has the biggest reserve of fuel in the world under our ground and the refineries who can process it. Now, will they let them produce it is another question.

We will see what happens with the rail strike not being resolved, again politics involved!

Lake Ozark Performance Expo Review! 2022

 This was a first for this location as a area trade show and car/truck show! We held two like this before in Kansas City but when Covid hit they canceled them. So we had to start over for the Ozark show which turned out great for a first year. 

The show was supposed to bring in 4 sate area shops, manufacturers and services for our motorsports enthusiasts. We did fill the small space we had with a little bit of everything from all venues of motorsports.  It took a while to place everyone properly so it could flow for someone walking the hall.

What made this Expo Center unique was the hotel resort attached to it so you could stay in the rooms at night, along with eating and refreshments right next to it. We did fill the hotel but they were not used to the traffic since Covid along with worker shortage so we had our challenges during the weekend.

Even with the challenges most people staying and attending had a blast visiting with local motor heads and each other during the weekend. We are already discussing next year and what changes need to be made to make it better and bigger.

Of course heavy on the truck side since I had many people come in but we had circle track represented along with muscle cars, rat rods and vintage trucks. Everyone enjoyed talking to all vendors since many had over 30 years experience in what they had done for the industry. 

The weather started out warm the day before and during setup but like Missouri in the winter it fell from 70 degrees to 30s overnight with even snow flurries on Saturday. This put a damper on our car/truck show but some came and many were inside the competition.  The judges had to wear coats to go outside to view the entries but everyone was a winner.

These type of shows take a lot to setup and especially for the vendors to haul everything in for the show but after they seemed to think it was worth it and want to return for next year. We had a pretty good crowd of enthusiasts come in Saturday and of course lighter on Friday and Sunday.

Children were welcome and free under 12 with many things for them to see like the monster truck, the rat rod truck  that they could draw on with sidewalk chalk and of course the apparel trailer! The resort also had a arcade right outside in the open area before the expo center.

To expand we will need more space, more parking and more places to eat and relax! But what a good problem to have after the first year.

See everyone next year at the Performance Expo!

Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.6026245944076253&type=3

SEMA 2022 Review!

 What did I see at SEMA/AAPEX 2022? More and more people do not get to come to SEMA every year so I go to not only report to our members but also to meet and support our sponsors who are there! 

I have several meetings on every day I am there and into the evening hours. To give you and idea I walked the first day 4.8 miles, 2nd day 6.8 miles and half 3rd day 4.1 miles. I can tell you my feet were hurting on the way home.

It was great to always come out for SEMA/AAPEX show every year and yes, they are still rebuilding from being shut down during Covid. Being a show promoter and sanctioning body I can tell you this takes time with many obstacles. Obstacles like the hotels are charging unbelievable high pricing to make up for being off for Covid and monies lost. I stayed out by the airport in a plain non-casino Marriott which was $200 a night with resort fees while the same down by convention center was $400 a night. Parking during event at SEMA $40-60 a day and AAPEX free parking.

Expenses having to play a big part of crowd attendance since fuel in Vegas was easily $5-6 per gal depending on which station so yes, expensive week to attend a show that you go to as an industry show.

Attendance at SEMA was reported 35% over last year which I can say yes most likely so since last year was still low. Compared to 2018 or 2019 to be fair was about half. But again it takes a while to build back plus hurting economy, expensive accommodations and for the first time in a long time rain/cooler temps for Las Vegas! It was warmer back home in Kansas City! Weather makes a big difference on attendance and it was really cool the last 2 days there, people who live there had winter coats!

As far as SEMA having a fun and successful show I would say they did a good job, everything seem to be normal. Yes fewer vendors/exhibitors than 2018 but consider the circumstances it was better than last year. Some of the exhibitors I had never heard of but new people are always good. It was great seeing some of my usual people I see every year and also meeting new people and viewing new products!

The industry is in a transition stage and managing through it will take some time. Was all the people walking down the aisle having buyers badges on, no, not really but it was a diverse crowd that may be the new crowd that attends every year.

The AAPEX show I spent the last day attending was very busy with more business like atmosphere down every aisle but it has always been that way. AAPEX is for wholesale, jobber, chain store sales and fulfillment. We used to call this show the hard part show but it is so much more nowadays! I did not see any empty spots in the hall and many companies there to exhibit. No vehicle displays or performance activities at the AAPEX show, it is all business with many products, services you would find at chain garages, truck stops and part stores.

Overall it is always fun to attend SEMA/AAPEX show to see what each show plans to display and have for our entertainment while doing business. Both shows succeeded! Was it like the good ole days, nothing is folks, so be glad we have the NEW shows for our industry!

More than I could ever get around to see in 3-4 days but it is something we need to keep around for many years to come. 

PS - the reason for so many photos of the Rambler American halfway down is that was my first car at 16 yrs old - exact model! It was not as refined as this one but I did buy it used at a garage sale!

SEMA/AAPEX Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.5997568663610648&type=3

Horsepower Festival Review 2022

 As outdoor events go this was the nicest weather we have had for quite some time! Sunny in the 80s with low humidity all day long made for a perfect day for enthusiasts to get out and see some unbelievable cars, rods and trucks in our Show-N-Shine where we had over 65 entries competing for 2 best of shows - one for car category and one for trucks. Then 8 categories in cars and 8 categories for the trucks, we still did not have enough trophies for the top quality vehicles we had there! It has gotten better every year.

We started this venue 3 years ago during Covid and it was originally a truck show but then car clubs started to call because no one would let them gather in the cities. The US 36 Dragway sits on large carriage in the country so it is not an issue for large crowds, plenty of room to spread out. I told them to bring them out since our guys love all motorsports so thus the combination makes for a great gathering.

Add in the dyno, swap meet, vendors and the food trucks it is a nice way to spend a morning and afternoon! Once we made the presentations of the Show-n-Shine winners is about time the drag racers start showing up on the other side of the track. The drag racing had over 142 entries going down the track from 6pm to midnight! A wide variety of vehicles from trucks, rods, muscle cars, newer dragsters, junior drags and even a couple of brand new Yenko Camaros! 

The crowd of enthusiasts saw a great show of drag racing all night long! We started out paying tribute to the president of a local Diesels of Kansas City who passed over a week ago from a cycle accident - Joey Hull! We asked the crowd for a 30 second silence while he ran the lights one last time. Joey has supported and attended the event since it started! Anything motorsports he always supported!

Again the US 36 Dragway made for a perfect venue for our event with a great crew manning the track and racing. DIESEL Motorsports/All Speed Expo crew managed the rest of the show, we had fun doing it with such a great crowd of enthusiasts.

The winners are listed below along with photo link of the event!

Photo link:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.5875017699199079&type=3

Winners:

Diesel Motorsports/All Speed Motorsports want to thank everyone who made this weekend's show a great success and the beautiful weather helped tremendously! There was so many great Car/Truck Show entries we had a hard time deciding since many deserved trophies, we are going to include more categories/trophies for next year! High quality vehicles for this show and they get better every year! Also very high quality race vehicles who entertained the crowd all night long, we thank them for a great show! Of course we thank our sponsors, crew and workers at the US 36 Dragway, DM crew and attending vendors and sponsors! What a GREAT day for motorsports in the middle of the country! Winners are listed below!

Horsepower Festival Winners 2022

Car Truck Show Winners

Best of Show – Truck

Travis Baldwin 2016 Chevy/Silverado

Best Ford

Carl Hufford 1950 Ford F100

Best GM/Chevy

David Walker 1967 Chevy C10

Best Dodge

Nick Hotzler 2011 Dodge Ram 2500

Best Vintage

Derrick Parrott 1991 Dodge W250

Best SUV

Brett Burnett NSK Cadillac Escalade

Best Rat Rod

Paul Hamby 1953 GMC 150 – Johnny Cash Truck

Best Semi

Bryan Chellew 1986 Peterbilt 359

Best Race Truck

Al Roscoe 1980 Dodge D1500

Best of Show - Cars

The Drechelers 1969 Chevy Impala

Best Ford

Scott Hendrix 1955 Customline

Best GM

Brice Haman 1964 Pontiac GTO

Best Hotrod

Jerry Kins 1940 Chevy Coupe

Best Late Model Car

2022 Chevy Corvette

Best Dodge

Darek Schisser 1970 Dodge Challenger

Best Vintage Drag

Tim Owen 1931 Coupe

Jr Dragster

Waylan James 2005 Jr Dragster

Drag Racing Winners

Pro

1- Jimmy Lynn

2- David Williamson

Semi- Robin Hughes

Qtr- Stacy Behrman

Qtr- Jody Watson

Qtr- Jim Lynn

Super Pro

1- Jacob Mike Short

2- Scott Grubb

Semi- Chuck Berve

Qtr- Stacy Behrman

Qtr- Ryan Skaggs

Sportsman

1- Wyatt Wagner

2- Josh Reynolds

Trophy

1- Jessica Lynn

2- Ryan Williams

Jr Dragster

1- Mac Gear

2- Jackson Spilman

Diesel ET

1- Jacob Cole

2- Vince Neiderhauser

Diesel Heads Up

1- Vince Neiderhauser

2- Tyler Williams

Dyno Highest HP

Tyler Williams – 736 hp

Making your diesel fuel last the week! DIESEL Motorsports

 Yes there are some basics to stretch that fuel a little more before fill ups!

1. Keep your lead foot out of the pedal - lol! I do it all of the time, I got to test the power and enjoy it, yes it eats up fuel! Spool back and take it easy on take off and driving, it will make a difference.

2. Inflate your tires! Basic but it works, make sure you have them full especially if you are hauling.

3. Plan your trips or spend more time at home: Of course, easier said than done if you have children but plan the trips out and don't go out just for something to do! Every time you go out it costs you so make it count. 

4. Find the lowest price for fuel in your area along with discount programs. There is even apps for your phone to find the best prices.

5. Make sure your diesel truck is serviced regularly since clogged systems and filters will effect your fuel mileage. Find a local reliable shop or do the work yourself but make sure your truck is working properly.

6. Use some form of diesel fuel additive at least every other tank since the quality of fuel from stations have degraded over the years. This will help in keeping your system clean and efficient. I know about once a month I put an additive in a full tank and find a remote entrance ramp where I floor it to at least 80 mph to get out on the highway for at least 3 times. This helps clean out the stem and it feels like I had a tuneup.

7. If you feel you have sticking injectors or running rough there is a couple of products on the market that will do a clean out of all components using my method mentioned above, I have used CRC Diesel engine clean, Opti-Lube, Gold Eagle and Howes! But there are many out there that will do the same, they are not cheap but can be had for less than $30! Pretty cheap tuneup!

8. If you have older tuner diesels you can dial them back to use less fuel and on newer models there are boxes that are legal in 50 states that can make a difference if used properly.

Just a few thoughts I'm sure many of you have thought of but now is the time to use them since fuel it seems for the time will remain expensive.

How does the price of diesel effect our diesel crowd - DIESEL Motorsports!

 EVERYONE wants to know about the price of diesel fuel across the country and how does it effect us? 

Just like the rest of inflation it passes it on to other products, services and entertainment dollars. It shorts all of us in one way or another because generally the price of our wages have not risen that sharply in order to keep up with rising prices.

Everyone feels it in their pocketbooks from the lowest to the highest wage earners, so where do we feel it first?

At the fuel pumps every time we stop to fill back up whether it's your diesel pickup or your car. We stand there watching the numbers click by and are in shock when they stop for a full tank. From two years ago I know my old 12v Dodge went from $60 to now $160 for a 35 gallon tank. More than double from two years ago so I know my wages have not doubled.

So like everyone else, I look where to cut elsewhere on the budget! Do I not go out to eat as much, travel as much, and/or spend less at the stores! I try an anticipate what is coming next in order to plan for it. Some store items have more than doubled while others have risen 3-5% so where do they get the 8% inflation rate? I know they think we are dumb, but we are not and most have had simple math.

Our poor trucking companies are getting squeezed on driving and delivery of products. What they priced last week may have gone up this week. Normally it ALL gets passed on to consumers through price increases. Like everyone else then the stores and /or services have to raise their prices.

Does it effect our events, yes it does, but we went through this in 2008. We rely on local shops and businesses to send their customer's trucks to our events. We do more localized events so people don't have to travel as far and use so much fuel to come to the events.

Travel to and from work makes it tougher for all segments of work, farming, construction, shipping and automotive repairs. Again, it cuts into our discretionary income for when we want to relax and forget about the work week. After being closed up for 2-3 years because of Covid it makes it even more unbearable for the working class.

So what do we do? For many young people who have not been through tough times it is a first. For those of us who are older we can give some insight on how to handle the situation a bit better. But make no mistake it is not easy and yes, it does get better.

Series one - I will continue as to how to adjust some posts may be little some may be long. Some of the suggestions may seem simple to many of you but if you have never experienced the current atmosphere it may be new so take what you can and leave what don't agree.

EAST Coast Diesel Motorsports 2022 Review!

The Numidia Dragway after 13 years changed our date to a month earlier because of higher paid track rental! So after changing dates I knew we had an uphill battle in front us including the Covid period where many people stayed home! Throw in the hurting economy with high inflation, double fuel prices ($6-7 a gall East Coast) and date change we accepted the challenge this year.

We came out just fine most likely because we have held this event so long over the years and we tripled the advertising budget for more local participates! Beautiful weather of course helps which being a month earlier did help a few degrees but for local they said it was warm than usual 87º which is fine for me coming from 100º! Cool breeze all day along with low humidity it was a sunny great day for a fun event.

DIESEL Motorsports included new classes for 1/8th mile racing for diesel and gas trucks. Over 8 classes for racing along with new classes for the Show-N-Shine which had over 50 trucks of SEMA quality! We moved the gates open time to noon instead of early morning so people could have time to drive to event on Saturday. All afternoon activities included vendors, dyno competition, show-n-shine, Grudge racing, and race classes till 5pm.

DIESEL Motorsports started the pulling around 5:30 pm with 8 classes of pulling which included diesel trucks, tractors and modified multiple engine rails. Pullers with up to 3000 hp trucks and tractors went down the 300 ft track and produced a great show for the crowd.

Since the locals considered it warm many every year line both sides of the tracks with trucks, popups and coolers (tailgating) to watch the activities. The crowd stayed pretty much through the entire day because there is always plenty to see and show the kids with so many activities going on throughout the day.

I noticed from years past a lot of competitors not coming from out of state with fuel prices so high but did notice an uptake of a lot of PA entries. I don't blame them with high fuel prices and towing a vehicle you only get 8-10 miles per gallon hauling. We still had a lot of great trucks and tough competition with many local shops sponsoring the event.

Numidia Dragway is only 2 hours from Philly, Newark, NYC, Baltimore and located in the Eastern part of Pennsylvania! It makes for a great place for truck event on top of the Poconos mountains! We met a lot of new young people and saw many older faces from when the event started! Always a pleasure working this show even though trying to get there flying was an issue this year!

DIESEL Motorsports/Truck Motorsports wants to thank ALL of the fine people/fans/competitors who came this last Saturday to the show! With a change of dates we decided to change a few things up such as classes, trucks, diesel & gas and pulling classes/times! Still the same great gathering of trucks, vendors, dyno competitors and race/pull competitors - it was a fun day!

East Coast Diesel National Winners: 2022

Racing

ET Bracket – Diesel – ¼ M

1. Dennis Harnish – Quarryville PA – 06 GMC/R-.062/DI-11.75/ET-11.790/MPH-110.72

2. Doug Brarens – Stroudsburg PA – COECummins/R.091/DI-19.40/ET-19.571/MPH-68.73

ET Bracket – Gas – ¼ M

1. Joey Lamond-Effort PA-03 Chevy/R.169/DI-12.60/ET-12.653/MPH-106.54

2. Jason Hoover-New Holland PA/R.104/DI-13.50/ET-13.716/MPH-93.41

6.70 Index – Diesel 1/8 M

1. Eric Snow-Newark CT-01 Chevy/R-.171/DI-6.70/ET-6.702/MPH -103.78

2. Susan Soga -Kutztown PA – 1934 ChevyRod/R.144/DI-6.70/ET-6.799/MPH-100.08

7.70 Index – Diesel 1/8 M

1. Dennis Harnish – Quarryville PA – 06 GMC/R-.254/DI-7.70/ET-7.794/MPH-36.30

2. Brandon Aungst – Pine Grove PA – 12 Dodge/R-.362/DI-7.70/ET-8.006/MPH-87.70

Quick Truck – Diesel 1/8 M

1. Pat Trichilo – Carbeich PA – 05 Dodge/R-.394/ET-6.448/MPH 21.64

2. Susan Soga -Kutztown PA – 1934 ChevyRod/R.106 ET-6.752/MPH-103.17

Runwhatubrung – Diesel – 1/8 M

1. Pat Trichilo – Carbeich PA – 05 Dodge/R-.243/ET-6.524/MPH 20.88

2. Dalton Ness – Shade Gap PA – 94 Dodge/R-.529/ET-6.341/MPH-112.60

Sled Pulling

WorkStock

1. Tommy Hassler – Bethel PA – 08 Ford – 326.33 FT

2. Ben Gelsinger – Robesonia PA – 05 GMC – 319.64 FT

3. Jake Stewart – Robesonia PA – 06 Chevy – 319.45 FT

HOT WorkStock

1. Tommy Hassler – Bethel PA – 08 Ford – 357.97 FT

2. Seth Ulmer – Lock Haven PA – Chevy – 331.99 FT

3. Ross Harter – Avis PA – 06 Chevy – 328.34

2.6SB

1. Riley Andrews – Pifford NY – 90 Dodge – 261.71 FT

3.0 SB

1. Jared Brown – Wmspt PA – 98 Dodge – 296.22 FT

2. Griffin Sullivan – Moodus, CT 01 dodge – 274.61 FT

Super Stock

1. Tommy Hassler – Bethel PA – 08 Ford – 316.76 FT

2. Calvin Miller – Guys Mills PA – 02 Dodge – 300.26 FT

2WD 6200lb Trucks

1. Ian Erricker – Poolesville PA – 314.51 FT

2. Eddie Ocher – 8-up – 305.09 FT

3. Dale Forrester – Scotland PA – 23 Ford – 296.19 FT

8500 lb Modified Turbo

1. Justin Latour – Brooklyn CT – Addicted – 342.21 FT

2. Jason Forrester – OOZ – 335.14 FTT

3. Cole Forrester – Papa Smurf – 318.49 FT

7800 lb Modified Tractor

1. Andy Forrester -Boss 9 – 341.47 FT

2. Kevin Stouffer – Ruff N Ready – 325.83 FT

3. Ian Erricker – Unstable – 325.11 FT

Mothers Show-N-Shine

Best of Show – Erik Pariseau – Budd Lake NJ – 2012 Dodge Ram 2500

Best Dodge – Sheldon Horning – Denyr PA – 1993 Dodge W350

Best Ford – Hugh Kapalkq - Wyoming PA – 2003 Ford F350

Best GMC – Jeremiah Zimmerman – Selinsgrove PA – 2008 Chevy 2500

Best Rat Rod – BJ Keiffer – Watsontown PA – 1930 Ford

Best Import – Steve Berry – Northid PA – 2016 Nissan Titan XD

Best Vintage – Dayton Cote – Sanya PA – 1991 Dodge W250

Best Semi – William Stewart – Weatherly PA – 1995 Peterbilt

Best Dump Truck – John Robinson – Pennsburg PA – Orange Tri-Axle Dump

Best Work Truck – Chris Coleman – Pennsburg PA – Crazy Train Dump Truck

Ken's Auto Dyno – Highest HP – Justin Burke – 2006 Dodge 2500 – 1413.03 HP

Ford HP - Ben Brenner - 822.60

Chevy HP - Troy Hall - 603.30

Photo of event:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.5611216345579217&type=3

Automotive Aftermarket - What is going on?

 Having been in the business for over 35 years it is amazing how much has changed and most of it I predicted years ago but no one listened. I was even call a conspirency person by some industry leaders who have now left the business with thousands in their pockets.

I have always had the ability to forecast business trends and that is why I change our company's direction every few years. You have to change with what the market is calling for in purchases.

You learn that from being on the front line of your business, not by asking or surveying past participates. The people who are living and working the shops knows what people are wanting and buying.

We are dealing with a current world of hard to get supplies/parts, wholesale pricing and faster deliverability! 

So what is so difficult about this scenario? 

It produces a topsy turvey environment to do business and survival only comes from the strongest and most persistent. It is time to strike out and take a chance on new markets if they are calling! If you don't someone else will and bypass you.

Is this harder to do now? More than ever but the rewards are much higher now than the past. You get to keep going for another year and then some.

If you are an automotive aftermarket manufacturer, now is the time to look around and see what is happening on the front lines. If you keep listening to your beancounter you may be in a downward trend.

I know a lot of young energetic automotive aftermarket guys who are tearing up the market with their localized products.

Our business may be coming back to US soil in a underground sort of way!

BIG TEXAS Truck Show 2022 Review

 Most of us forget or don't know how BIG Texas can be when traveling by truck. Some of the people who came to our event in Amarillo Dragway drove further than I did coming from Kansas City (8 hr drive) and they lived in Texas. Montana/Idaho my be the big sky country but Texas is the BIG horizons country. It seems like you can see forever across the landscape.

Many of the trucks who came to the event whether diesel or gas was high-end performance trucks that were nice looking machines. Many have been displayed at the SEMA show the year before and some on TV shows.

Being a first year show in the middle of nowhere was not a big show but something to build on for the future. This area and longtime track has good vibes since it was built in 1959 and have held many drag races in the past.

It needs some updating but the young staff is doing their best to bring it up to modern standards with a new timing system installed before we got there. We raced both days with lots of fast times and a best reaction time of .0072. 

The town has a lot to offer as a visitor such as the Cadillac Ranch (Cadillacs buried up-rite in the ground) and the Big Texan Steakhouse and hotel.

DIESEL Motorsports met a lot of young enthusiasts who own their own shops that build some very interesting trucks for show and performance!

We look forward to coming back to this location and build for future events.

Winners are listed below along with photo links:

Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.5484940481540138&type=3

Winners:

Quick Diesel

Winner - Russell Longo

R/U - Vince Neiderhauser

Quick Gas

Winner - Gary Quals

R/U - Genaro Chavez

7.70 Index

Winner - Lane Wright

R/U - Larry Knapp

ET Bracket

Winner - Bobby Banks

R/U - Fred Miner

Friday Best Reaction Time

Bryan Tucker - .0072

Dyno Competition

Highest Horsepower

Russell Longo – 1138 HP 1926 Tq

2006 Ram 2500

Best Dodge – Dakota Sargent – 1096

Best Ford – Isaih C – 533

Best GMC – Vince Neiderhauser – 696

Mothers Polishes Show-N-Shine

Best of Show – Carlos Molina – 2021 Ford F-150

Best Dodge – Chris Blair – 2000 Ram 1500 12V

Best GMC/Chevy – Cordale Ussery – 2013 2500 GMC

Best Import – Luis Lopez – 2014 Toyota Tundra

Best Performance Truck – Dakota Sargent – 1998 Ram 2500

Best Vintage Truck – Trevor Tedrick – 1983 Chevy C10

Best Work Truck – Bobby Banks – 2022 Chevy

We the People . . . want racing!

 "We the People" has a nice ring to it doesn't it? As we are struggling to deal with the new direction of automotive aftermarket which includes racing I see two divisions! 

The cities want EV clean driving vehicles and the rural areas want fun loving fossil fuel vehicles they can enjoy. As many of you know I travel frequently in all areas of the country and I see many large cities along with hours of rural America.

The cities have way too many people traveling to work or to do business and need EV vehicles to cut pollution . . . but they won't use public transportation. I have asked many big city leaders and politicians and the answer is always the same . . . the people won't use public transportation. They want the freedom of driving!

The rural people have to travel long distances to do business and need vehicles that can endure harsh conditions which why fossil fuel is the choice of many. They will continue to use fossil fuels because of the ease of use and the reliability for everyday work. When fuel prices go up many of the products people use in the cities prices will go up as many of us have seen in materials, products and groceries. 

The "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" is being put into play without the resources to do so in our country. I'm being told by industry leaders who are trying to supply the new EV push is that the technology will provide the answer and shortcomings for the industry. 

In the meanwhile how many businesses, corporate and small, with this hurt or destroy? I have said for years the automotive aftermarket is rural America not the cities as past marketing experts have followed.

This past weekend I followed some of my rural racing facilities (weather permitting) and they were packed with people and competitors who are traveling great distances to enjoy a weekend of racing!

Even with high fuel prices they are coming to what they want to enjoy and that is either watching or competing in racing. 

We the people want racing to continue on all fronts, circle, drag, pulling, offload, and road-course racing. Billions of dollars support the race industry with jobs, distribution and income for many families! 

Don't be fooled by the appearance of what is being presented but by reality of going to a local track and see for yourself!

Keystone Nationals Review 2022

After a 2 year hiatus because of COVID the Keystone Nationals were back to normal with some of the best pulling tractors, trucks and rails in the country for a 3 day event in Harrisburg PA. This is a great event that pulls many of the rural community in together in one spot for sled pulling indoors with the help of exhaust tube and filtration system.

Over 250 entries over a 3 day period with lots of exciting moments during the pulls every night and all day on Saturday.

Saturday was a larger crowd with starting competitors with pedal tractors pulling a smaller sled along with smaller competitors of 10 and under age group. Then it jumped to the larger arena with tractor classes that had qualifying pullouts for the Saturday night finals.

The Hot Workstock National Championship was supposed to pull at 12 noon but the track conditions needed some improvement for DOT street tires so they rescheduled for 2pm letting some larger tractors pull before them. This flattened the dirt more and made for a solid track for the street tires of the Hot Workstock trucks.

This is a street truck that has limited turbo inlet of 2.60 with street legal modifications done to the truck. We had trucks from a 6 state area surrounding the pull. Being indoors with a shortened track of 252 ft instead of 300 ft causes some setting adjustments along with the tube exhaust taking some of the power so they had to jump on the acceleration quickly.

The class actually saw 3 of the trucks with a full pull and running into the end barrier on the wall which made it an exciting class for the crowd. This caused a pull off for the 3 trucks with heavier settings on the sled. 

This class was sponsored by Diamond Advantage/Navistar and locally Hassler Diesel. The winners and competitors are listed below.

1st Runs

Lyndall Steiner - 237.62 - 8

Tanner Kels - 240.23 - 6

Seth Ulmer - 239.19 - 7

Wesley Kless - 251.24 - 4

Jacob Wagner - 11.00 - 10

John Costa - 255.30 - 3*

Ross Harter - 221.54 - 9

Shawn Bell - 240.98 - 5

Tom Hassler - 256.37 - 1*

Drew Slayback - 256.04 - 2*

* Runoff was decided by track officials since all 3 went over Full Pull of 252 ft.

Runoff Run - more weight added

Drew Slayback - 233.72 - 1

John Costa - 227.24 - 2

Tom Hassler - 223.06 - 3

The trucks provided great entertainment for the crowd and with some displays of power. They will remember this group of trucks for a long time! DIESEL Motorsports will return this class to the East Coast Diesel Nationals on June 25th!

Congratulations to the winners!

Photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.5327116890655832&type=3