Last day of the first month of the new year and are we busy? So busy planning on some new changes, events and direction for our diesel enthusiasts! The confirmed schedule is now up on our web site along with included at the end of this post. Most people don't realize most tracks take the winter off until after the holidays before thinking about the next year ( I don't blame them).
I was so busy I had to cancel a couple of industry meetings I usually attend every year, instead I headed down to a new area of the country for our first event in New Orleans LA! Planning an event anymore takes a lot of time and effort to make sure everything is in place.
Diesel Motorsports has hired a new agency to help with promotions along with some new connections. This opens a lot of new doors for not only our enthusiasts but also the sponsors. Does it sound like we are expanding? You would be right!
DIESEL Motorsports has slowly been expanding the past couple of years during Covid while working quietly on the sides. I decided we needed NEW activities at the venues after conversing with attendees at the shows.
We have added gas pickups in their separate classes along with even some cars/rods at the show-n-shines and racing classes. We have added tractors into the mix on the sled pulling side and 2WD trucks.
Still the diesel trucks dominate our activities but like all enthusiasts our truck owners enjoy ALL motorsports so they welcomed the newcomers. It is entertaining the attendees that makes our sport grow, and many shops have seen their business grow during these times.
We have even added our own mini trade show held in Missouri for the first time this last November. It was so successful we had to move it to a larger facility (70,000 sq ft) in Lebanon Missouri on October 21st! This was a ALL motorsports show with a little bit of everything for all venues. We had over 40 vendors with vehicle displays that filled the 29,000 sq ft expo center. The hotel was filled, they ran out of parking spaces, ran out of food so we had to move it to accommodate a larger crowd.
Will we have the same classes as before? Some changes in pulling, we have added the map-groove classes back in this year in order to grow the pulling sport. We have found that a lot of our pulling trucks could not afford the smooth bore upgrades demanded by other pulling leagues so they dropped out. We WANT them back to pulling with their old trucks so we can grow the sport.
We took a popular event held in Missouri called the Horsepower Festival and made a Spring and Fall Horsepower Festival. Both held with a 3 hour trip from each other. Spring held in our old location at Us 36 Dragway and the Fall Horsepower Festival held at Eddyville Dragway in Iowa.
Another OLD favorite has returned the original Thunder in Muncie since 2001with a NEW remade Gaston Lion's Club Park July 29th. When NO other leagues/tracks allowed diesel pickups to compete this was the original event started by Eric McBride and Gene (Sleddy) Mahoney! Even this will be a first with Koi dirt drags during the day along with truck show then sled pulling in the evening. The park has added a new track, lights, sound system, tower, buildings and grandstands while being closed during Covid. The will bring back many memories for those that attended the original events held there.
The East Coast Diesel Nationals moved to the date June 24th last year and will continue in it's 14th year there with the same activities as before but now allowing all map-groove trucks in racing and pulling! It has worked out better since it is cooler on this date then when we held in in July.
DIESEL Motorsports has always led the way with motorsports in mind and greater horsepower with safety always on the tracks. Families are always welcomed since we run clean and insured events for all ages to attend. Look for more to come this year, it should be fun!
2023 Schedule
February 24/25th
South Coast Gator Nationals
Show-N-Shine, Burnout Pad
No-Prep Street Drags,
(New Orleans) Nola, Avondale LA
May 13th
Horsepower Festival Spring
Car/Truck Show/Swap Meet
Drag Racing/Food Trucks
Osborn MO/US 36 Dragway
June 24
East Coast Diesel Nationals
Drags, Pull, Dyno, ShowNshine
Numidia Dragway
Numidia, Pennsylvania
July 29
Thunder in Muncie
Sled Pull/Show-N-Shine,
KOi Dirt Drags,
Gaston Lions Club Park IN
August 12
Keystone Truck Drags
Drags/ShowNShine
Keystone Raceway Park
New Alexandria, PA
September 23
Horsepower Festival Fall
Show-N-Shine, Music, Swap Shop
Diesel/Gas drags
Eddyville Raceway, Okaloosa IA
October 21st
Ozark Performance Expo
Trade Show/Car/Trucks/Rods
Cowan Civic Center
Lebanon, MO
Dec 7-9
PRI Show
Indianapolis, IN
