The FIRST Diesel Event in the country - 2001 - Thunder in Muncie!

 When the drag strips would not let diesel pickups on the tracks because of the axle height and truck weight, and the fairgrounds would only let tractors pull at the fairground tracks there was one event that allowed both.

Thunder in Muncie - Indiana 2001!

That one event was Thunder in Muncie started by Eric McBride (Diesel Motorsports Hall of Fame) of the old DHRA group in 2001! Drag racing at the Muncie Dragway on Friday night and then it all moved over Saturday to the Gaston Lion's Club Park just north of Muncie. 

Back when diesel pickups hovered around 500-700 HP using bolt-on technology for more power. When 12V Cummins and VP44 trucks were the norm for modified trucks. 

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the first diesel only event held in the same format as the first one at both locations. How many of you were there in the beginning years? I know I was not until 2005 but many who I have come to know over the years was there. Many of their kids now come and help or compete at the shows while we sit back and enjoy the show. 

The trucks have all changed and I would not think too many of the originals are even around anymore, especially since many of the trucks are 1200-1800 hp. Some are even higher with custom billet blocks and performance internal parts that climb 2-3000 hp. 

The industry has easily quad-tripled in the 25 years since the first event. I have told people that sled pulling is at every fairground from June to the end of August with easily a sled pull most days of the week in each state from Kansas over to New York.  The sport started out getting little time on TV in the beginning with now weekly shows featuring either diesel pickups or tractors.

There are many people who have helped build the diesel performance industry what is today and many are no longer with us. The names are endless and some players are still here, many can be found on the DIESEL Motorsports "Hall of Fame" plaque at the Gaston Lion's Club Park in their Club House. I will print out many of the old photos to put up during the event so many of us can view and remember the people.  Were you there or possibly some of the early years of the events?

June 19th - Muncie Dragway Albany IN (just east of Muncie) Gates open 5pm

All local trucks welcome - 1/8 mile racing - Semis, Pickups, rat rods 

ET Bracket, 7.70 Index, 6.90 Index and 5.9 or heads-up driver choices

June 20th Gaston Lion's Club Park Gaston IN (just north of Muncie) Gates open 3pm

Truck Show-N-Shine Cruise-In - Semis, Pickups (diesel & gas), Rat rods, SUVs, Jeeps 3pm-6pm Awards given at 5:30 over 25 Categories with a Best of Show Special Award

Sled pulling 6pm- til finished Main arena - Tractors, Semis, Pickup Truck Classes

All local classes welcome to come and compete (local rules apply)

2 BATTERIES IN A DIESEL TRUCK! Which two? Wet vs Sealed?

Wet vs Sealed – Battery for your diesel trucks!

As most of you know the diesel truck takes 2 batteries as designed by the OEM. Most of the OEM trucks come with wet batteries from the factory. In most cases, they cost less and work in most conditions. Many of you go the least path of resistance if one or more fail and visit the local parts store and just replace it with an appropriate wet battery in stock.

If it works for you why change from the OEM replacement?

There are several reasons if you use your truck for work or in harsh conditions such as hot/cold climates. A sealed, Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) battery is considered an upgrade when replacing the OEM battery. They handle the extreme heat and cold much better with higher Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) when you need it. 

So, if you are outside a lot, and it’s so cold your coffee freezes from your kitchen to the truck, you may need a AGM battery with 1100 CCA even at 80% level. The AGM battery is a work horse for when you need extra power for not just starting the vehicle but also powering all onboard accessories.

Being an advanced AGM battery, ODYSSEY® batteries from EnerSys hold much more power than even some of their dry battery competitors.  These batteries in my truck that are group 27 have a 1750 pulse cranking amps, 195-minute reserve amps and 930 cold cranking amps! What that means is a lot of power when you need it! For those of you who use group 31 batteries the ratings are even higher with 2150 pulse cranking amps, 220-minute reserve amps and 1150 cold cranking amps!

Let me put this in some perspective ratings. My current wet batteries at 50% charge and at 50ºF (10ºC) will produce a crank/recharge rating of 38.5, while my ODYSSEY® batteries exposed to the same conditions have a rating of 325.3! That means I can rely on these to start my truck even after running some extras on my truck while it was sitting idle.

The newer ODYSSEY® battery models now have Bluetooth technology inside the batteries that connect with your smart phones that monitor the condition of the battery. Set your alerts if the battery falls below a certain level and your phone alerts you! Check from the comfort of your home levels of the battery while your truck sits in the garage or outside.

Yes, they do cost more upfront than the wet batteries ($130 - higher) as to the AGM ($300 - higher), but as with many things you purchase, you get what you pay for! AGM batteries usually last 4-12 years (4 year warranty) while wet batteries last 2-4 years. Plus, ODYSSEY® batteries have a higher level of durability against vibration/jolting in your truck for those of you who are a little rough while driving. 

AGM batteries require no-maintenance while wet batteries require checking the acid levels and topping off with distilled water. Wet batteries corrode around the posts while AGM batteries never have an issue. Many old mechanics used to say not to replace the wet with AGMs but that has been proven false with many tests. For those of you who compete in racing or pulling I have had many people rewire their system to one ODYSSEY® battery to drop some weight and they start quite easily every time! 

I replaced my old wet batteries on my 1996 12V Dodge and I thought a turbo had been added to my starter! I had never experienced quicker cranks, and power is now never an issue. Even when my starter was going out (290,000 on the old beast) it shorted my system and drained the batteries pretty low, I turned the key first and let it light the gauges. Then hit the key and even though it was cold it kicked over and started.

Once I had the starter replaced, I’ve never had another issue since it totally recovered charging to full power level, my ODYSSEY® batteries have been in the truck 9 years and counting. I have been sold on these batteries for diesels but even more now that I have found they are made in the USA! Both plants for EnerSys ODYSSEY® batteries are right in Missouri within a few hours of my house.

I have never seen or had any idea how batteries are built so I took a trip down to Springfield in my old 1996 Dodge and EnerSys was gracious enough to give me a tour of their facility. I don’t know if an article has ever been done on the actual building of a battery. My words cannot do the manufacturing plant justice since I have to condense the story, but I can tell you it was amazing.

This plant has a little over 300,000 sq ft with over 400 employees at this location. EnerSys has over 30 facilities worldwide with over $4 billion in revenue. With another 3 facilities in Missouri, they employ over 1,000 people in 1-3 shifts depending on workloads. Reading PA is their headquarters for EnerSys in the USA! The employees are treated as a family and the workplace looked very cohesive producing 20,000 batteries a week at capacity. 

EnerSys took me from a 2,000 lb. block of lead to a finished battery model walking me through their production lines. Their two plants are all automated and robotized so no human hands touch the lead or acid in the batteries, yet they employ over 400 to maintain the lines.

I saw the lead plates produced and coated with the glass paste (I called it mud) and then heated for 48 hours. Each plate is designated positive or negative and compressed into the cells, which make up the battery. I did find out most of the other batteries use a calcium-based paste that breaks down in extreme heat and vibration, while EnerSys uses another mixture for their ODYSSEY® batteries that does not include calcium.

Through an automated line the cell plates are placed in the battery case, then topped with the connectors that are welded together (see photos)! Even putting the acid in the battery is completely automated and then they go through a wash bath before charging. The room with thousands of batteries being charged is amazing and the batteries are cooled by A/C from underneath. Labeled and packaged for delivery these batteries are ready for distribution throughout the World.

How do you justify a battery that is more than double the price of wet batteries? All I know is once you are caught out in the middle of nowhere or a very cold morning and the truck won’t start those dollars are well worth what you just spent! Ask the customer how much does he use his truck? Ask him how upset he was when the truck would not start that cold morning?

With today’s truck loaded with so much electronics having the correct flow of power running through it is a big concern for your truck’s longevity. Concerned about being built in the USA and talking to English speaking customer service then check out EnerSys ODYSSEY® AGM batteries at any local outlet or warehouse. 

For more info: www.Enersys.com

or ODYSSEY®- https://www.enersys.com/en/products/batteries/odyssey/?page=1&capacity=0&brand=&industry=&application=&technology=&design=&voltage=

Horsepower Festival US 36 Dragway Review - 2026!

Between rainy days we found a beautiful sunny Saturday for the Car/Truck Show that was started during COVID and continues today with some the best builds in the area! We are lucky to have such talented fabricators and performance competitors in the Midwest right around us. People enjoyed visiting each other, the vendors and the food trucks while waiting for the drag race to begin.

We did have a cold front blow thru but no rain which made everyone's day since most had already arrived. Just as the judging for the Car/Truck Show ended clouds moved in with cooler air but it was needed honestly since it was around 86º which is quite warm for this part of the year. As most racers do they looked at the online radar and saw no rain and kept coming in for the next couple of hours.

It turned out to be a good night for racing with a lot of performance vehicles going down the track. I want to thank all of the competitors for putting on a great show along with US 36 track personnel for one great day and evening.

By the time the competitors started to go down the track both sides of the track were lined with people and vehicles watching. It was a fun night with lots of fast vehicles and wheelies off of the line. The winner of the truck classes was Vince Neiderhauser who gambled and entered in both classes as ET Bracket Truck and Heads-Up Truck! He won both spots by hot lapping his truck back to the starting lanes on each round. We saw some fast passes by Chris Calkins with a 6.10 in his Orange Crush Chevy S10 Dmax but later dropped with a broke truck.

As the night fell it did get cooler which made the clothing booth happy with everyone buying all of his hoodies in stock. It went from 86º to 61º in about 4 hours.

This was our 10th year at US 36 and it is alway a pleasure to return every year. Photos are in the galleries and results of the winners are below:

Photos are in 3 galleries (over 500 photos)

https://www.facebook.com/DIESELMotorsports.US/photos_albums

I want to thank US 36 personnel along with sponsors, DM Crew and the competitors for such a fun event in the Spring season!

Horsepower Festival US 36 Dragway 2026

Drag Racing
Super Pro
1st David Williamson, Basehor, KS
2nd Aidan Eckart, Raytown, MO
Semi Adam Stephen Engnes, Plattsburg, MO
Qtr Steve Rivera, St. Joseph, MO
Qtr Josh Henderson, St. Joseph, MO
Pro
1st Hayden Webster, Plattsburg, MO
2nd Jacob Short, Lawson, MO
Semi Chris Anderson, Kansas City, MO
Semi Dan Swank, Truso, IA
Sportsman
1st Jessica Lynn, Oak Grove, MO
2nd Mike Smith, Cameron, MO
Trophy
1st Tim Clinger, St. Joseph, MO
2nd Michael Aborn, St. Joseph, MO
Jr. Dragster
1st Kayden Gallus, Liberty, MO
2nd James Sloan, Gallatin, MO
Diesel Trucks ET
1st Vince Neiderhauser, Rogersville, MO
2nd Derrick Parrott, Atchison, KS
Diesel Trucks Heads Up
1st Vince Neiderhauser, Rogersville, MO
2nd Austin Potter, St. Joseph, MO

Car/Truck Show
Best of Show Car –
Brice Hamann, Osborn MO 1964 Pontiac GTO
Best of Show Truck –
Eric Barrett, Marceline, MO 1959 Chevy Apache

Trucks
Best GM – Neil Taylor, Lathrop MO 2004 GMC 2500
Best Dodge – Derrick Parrott, Atchinson, KS 1991 W250
Best Ford – Ian Langner, St Joeseph, MO 1951 Ford Lightning
Best HD 1 ton – Jason Reeves, Turney, MO 2015 Chevy
Best Work Truck – Mark Hemm, Gower MO 2006 Dodge Ram 3500
Best Custom Truck – Shawn Young, Lathrop MO 2018 Dodge 2500
Best Vintage Truck – Paul Schneegass, Liberty, MO Chevy 1948 3100
Best Rat Rod Truck – Paul Hamby, Maysville MO 1953 (36-71) GMC Cash One Piece a Time

Cars
Best Muscle Car – Rod Pierce, Grant City, MO 1969 AMC AMX
Best GM Car – Kurt Omenski, Oak Grove, MO 1971 Pontiac Tempest
Best Ford Car – Matt Tarl, Winston MO 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1
Best Vintage Car – Clayton Dennis Cameron MO 1967 Chevy Chevelle`
Best Jeep – Rick Gilmore, Bucklin MO 1984 CJ7
Best SUV – Jerry Stevenson, St Joeseph, MO 2008 Toyota 4Runner
Best Land Yacht – Charles Moore, Excelsior Springs, MO 1966 Ford Futura Wagon
Best Street Cruiser – Curtis Eickemeyer, Clarksdale MO 1968 Mercury Cougar XR7
Best Commercial Car – Clayton Dennis, Cameron MO 1957 Chevy Belair Wagon
Best 70s Car – Jesse Wall, Excelsior Springs MO 1974 Chevy Malibu
Best Late Model Car – Trennen Frazee, St Joeseph MO 2009 Pontiac GT
Best Jr Dragster – Coltan Koontz, Holt MO,
Best Family ATV/Jr Dragster Family – Kern Family, Kearney MO
Best Oldest Driver’s Ed Car – Jim Arjabright, Sabetha KS 1955 Chevy 210