Thunder in the Bunker REVIEW/Results!

 

DIESEL Motorsports held the last event of the year this past Saturday at Bunkerhill Dragway which is the oldest Dragstrip in Indiana. A cool brisk day but we did have sunshine the entire day! Over 40 vehicles raced during the day along with over 1300 enthusiasts watched as trucks and cars ran down the track. A couple of our longtime racers (since 2001) showed up in diesel cars instead of trucks to race (one BMW and one Chevy Cruze), in fact the Chevy Cruze won the ET Class.

 

 

DIESEL Motorsports wants to thank all of the competitors and enthusiasts who came out Saturday for the Thunder in the Bunker/redux from this Spring. It was a beautiful day on Saturday and a big thanks goes to the Bunkerhill crew for helping with the event along with sponsors Cornfed Diesel, Agro Eco, Diesel Mafia, Amos Diesel and Blessed Diesel Performance! 

 

A lot of familiar old competitors along with some new faces enjoyed a day of racing and conversation about our favorite subject Trucks! Winners are listed below along with a few photos - go to DM FB photos for the album of the event.

 

Winners:

Heads-Up Class

Champion - Cody Lambert

2nd - Vince Neiderhauser

ET Class

Champion - Bruce Block

2nd - Seth Blackburn

Show-N-Shine 

Best of Show Julia Camp

 

Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=DIESELMotorsports.US&set=a.4827552483945611

 

 

SEMA 2021 Review - DIESEL Motorsports!

 Many of our diesel shops or enthusiasts are too busy working to take the time to come to SEMA, so I try and give a short review along with photos so they can see what they might have missed.

After being canceled last year because of Covid and coming back to a high level restriction for access I would say they had a good show! Was it as big as the shows before pandemic? No, but you have to remember this show gets a lot of foreign companies and enthusiasts that regularly come that could not come this year. 

As I told one SEMA official, you have to start somewhere and this was it for the year. Many manufacturers opted to not be there which is understandable right now with Covid still an issue and part shortages throughout the automotive world. The crowd was down quite a bit but it made it nice to be able to walk the show easily, take photos and visit with clients with time to spare.

Reminded me of the SEMA show in the 80/90s era, where quality not quantity was important to the show as far as visitors with badges. 

Was the vendors there worthy to see and visit, yes they were for my part looking for truck performance and accessories. And yes, I still am a motor enthusiasts both gas and diesel so I look at them all.

There were many display vehicles which made for nice viewing along with some great vendor booths. Many vendors had video or social media outlets at their booths along with visiting industry leaders.

I actually had time to visit with longtime friends and business associates since we had not seen each other for over two years. It is always good to network and visit with people in the industry about the one thing we all love - motorsports! 

Since we have a booth at the PRI show (#1835), I was actually coming to SEMA to measure what to expect from the enthusiasts and industry manufacturers. 

Both were very positive about the future and wanted to keep the sport alive for many generations. That is exactly what I wanted to hear from both groups. 

Problems they need to fix for 2022, BETTER PARKING, easier registration (many of my guys got nixed) and always more water lol! Had a fun week and back to normal setting for SEMA! (masks were required but many chose not to wear them). 

Horsepower Festival Review 2021!

 HORSEPOWER FESTIVAL 2021 Winners

2021 Winners - What great weather and great time for the 2nd annual Horsepower Festival at US 36 Dragway! I want to thank all of the US 36 crew along with Diesel Motorsports/All Speed Expo people for putting on a fun event! We had perfect weather this year with great results including new people and new vehicles from last year. Below re the winners of the event.

Horsepower Festival winners 2021

Truck/Car Show Winners

Best of Show – Trucks

Tyler Little – 2017 Ford F350

Robert Jenkins – 1975 Chevy K20

Best of Show – Cars

Mark Larsen – 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner Covertible

Abel Garza – 1970 Chevy Camaro

Best Dodge Car – Darech Schiesser – 1970 Dodge Challenger

Best Chevy Car – Randy Smith – 1969 Chevy Chevelle

Best Ford Car – Steve Hurst – 1964 Ford Fairlane

Best Pro Street – Car – Tyler Ruoff – 1967 Dodge Dart

Best Vintage Car – Mitch Swindler – 1935 Ford 5 window

Best Pre-50 Street Rod – Tom Gouge – 1933 Plymouth

Best Late Model Car – Brian Braymiller – 2020 Toyota Supra

Best Engine Car – Jewell Fern – 1964 Plymouth Belvedere

Best Specialty Car – Brian Stiffler – 2018 Can Am X3

Best Dodge Trucks – Charly Peak – 2006 Dodge 3500

Best Ford Truck – Nicholas Covey – 1994 Ford F350

Best Chevy/GMC Truck – Joey Callaway – 2015 Chevy

Best Semi – Bryan Chellew – 1986 Pete 359

Best Engine Truck – Neil Minor – 2015 Ford F150

Best Vintage Ford Truck – Todd Hunt – 1965 Ford F-100

Best Vintage Chevy Truck – Robert Vieth – 1951 Chevy

Best Vintage Dodge Truck – Fred Jacobs – 1992 Dodge Ram

Best Vintage Wagon – Brandon Lawrence – 1972 Chevy Suburban

Dyno – King of the Dyno – Caleb Shipers – 706 hp

Drag Racing

Super Pro

1st Brad Janousek, Lincoln, NE

2nd Jacob Short, Lawson, MO

Semi Jerry Franks, Kearney, MO

Pro

1st Jacob Short, Lawson, MO

2nd Josh Henderson, St. Joseph, MO

Semi Randy Collins, Excelsior Springs, MO

Sportsman

1st Jacob Cole, Rosendale, MO

2nd Bob Saunders, St. Joseph, MO

Trophy

1st Tyler Apley, Platte City, MO

2nd Jessica Lynn, Oak Grove, MO

Jr. Dragster

1st Ryan Cole, Maysville, MO

2nd Colton Koontz, Kearney, MO

Diesel Pick-Ups

1st Vince Neiderhauser, Sparta, MO

2nd Tyler Williams, Blue Springs, MO

We will see everyone next year!

Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=DIESELMotorsports.US&set=a.4734788416555352

+3

East Coast Diesel Nationals 2021 Review!

 It is always fun to go to the Poconos in the Summer for this event. This year was filled with small pop-up storms all around us before and after the event. It didn't keep the diehard fans away or competitors and enthusiasts saw some great competition.

However we still had plenty of very nice trucks represented at the show. On top of that mountain it was clear and sunny but hot all day long on Saturday. Perfect time to get our show in with some great racing match ups and even a few past champions tried their best at Numidia Dragway. All of the trucks chose to run 1/4 mile with speeds well over 120mph. The crowds saw some great action on the Estimated Time Class with many different diesels represented in the class.

 

Sled pulling got started about 30 minutes behind schedule because the track needed a little more prepping considering the rain it had received the last two days but in the end it was a very good track with plenty of traction. The Allison sled was a nice addition this year with even pulling weights and digital readout of footage. Overall classes provided plenty of entertainment with high footage pulls on a newly redone track. 

Vendors were busy all day with people asking about products and services along with concessions. With it being hot for this region there was plenty of drinks and Italian Ice being purchased. Family fun on top of the mountain watching trucks, tractors and rods plus vendors all in one day. It is the only venue I know where you can watch drag racing and sled pulling going on during the same time right next to each other. 

The dyno had trucks lined up all day long with much breakage among the trucks but always controlled and safe. This was a competition for the highest horsepower which was won by the four time champion from past years. This competition always draws a crowd!

Show-N-Shine was fewer trucks because many were afraid of dangerous storms with hail and high winds but we still had some diehards who provided great views of their personal builds! We hurried the track officials all day long and they moved it along quickly so we could finish early with more incoming storms. Not only did we beat the storms we had time to properly cleanup the tracks and head to the motels. No sooner than we pulled into the hotel all of our phone started to buzz with weather alerts to take shelter because a huge black storm cloud front was bearing down on us.

Regardless of the hurried day we got the event in with all activities completed and made sure everyone had some fun on top of the mountain at Numidia Dragway! What a great crew there and a big thank you to our DIESEL Motorsports crew who has done these shows so often they know how to complete our event effiiciently. . . . winners and photo link is below:

 

Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=DIESELMotorsports.US&set=a.4518378251529704

 

 

ECDN 21 Winners

 

Racing

ET Bracket

Champion – Jake Allison

2nd – Dennis Harnish

Heads -Up

Champion – Marlin Shirk

2nd – Mark Vandice

 

Sled Pulling

WorkStock

1 – Matthew Fessler – 339.19

2- Nick Harter – 322.65

3- Ben Gelsinger – 321.06

Hot WorkStock

1 – Tom Hassler – 317.95

2 – Lyndall Steiner – 306.21

3 – Seth Ulmer – 298.70

4 – Ross Harter – 296.85

5 – Steven Raap – 291.99

2.5/2.6 Class

1- Brenden Finck – 315.28

2 – Kyler Zechman – 302.49

3 – Lovis Sloboda – 301.83

4 – Benny Stone – 299.44

5 – Stefan McGowan – 295.92

6 – Dennis Gemloerling – 294.09

7 – Dave Orwin – 261.22

8 – Cody Cameron – 258.26

9 – Collin Zechman - 12

3.0 Class

1 – Jared Brown – 342.68

2 – Joshua Gardiner – 341.14

3 – Jason Heinbach – 335.33

4 – Tyler Bogley – 321.35

2WD 6200 LB Trucks

1 – Dale Forrester – 311.39

2 – Jason Forrester – 304.93

3 – Andy Forrester – 295.70

4 – Ian Errickson – 292.13

5 – Cheryl Foley – 274.87

8500 LB Mod Tractors – (single/Multiple engine)

1 – Vern Zerby – 315.81

2 – Steve Beckley -314.55

3 – Jason Forrester – 314.43

4 – Vern Zerby – 313.92

5 – Vern Zerby – 271.89

6 – Justin Latour – 106.10

7800 LB Tractors

1 – Amber Blizzard – 351.12

2- Jason Weikel – 349.55

3 – Andy Forrester – 343.99

4 – Rick Blizzard – 343.13

5 – Ian Errickson – 329.44

 

Mothers Polishes Show-N-Shine

Best of Show – Ben Maurer

Best Dodge – Mike MacLean

Best Ford – Bryanna Dickinson

Best Dmax – Derek Bedway

Best Modified – Rich Strube

Best Rat Rod – BJ Keiffer

Best Import – Steve Berry

 

Dyno – Ken’s Diesel/Auto

Highest HP – Justin Burke

HP Ford - Nicholas Cadigan

HP Dmax - Andrew Martin

The diesel truck and tractor sport is king in rural communities! DIESEL Motorsports . . .

 DIESEL Motorsports switched to rural community tracks over 10 years ago! Why?

Because that is where our customers are located! PERIOD!

Rural communities use diesel trucks for everyday living, be it farming, automotive, construction, hauling products or recreation! The diesel truck is still king when hauling heavy loads for longevity, fuel economy and hauling ease with heavy loads.

You go where the market supports your product. Not saying suburban folks don't own diesels, many do but the majority is still rural owned based on DMV records. And yes, the farming states that most people fly over is where the trucks reside. 

DIESEL Motorsports has been the only sanctioning body for diesel pickups for over 14 years and have held events in many states across the nation. We tend to go to where the trucks are for numbers, but we have ventured out to other states that show promise.

We have tried many areas for events and for the numbers they tend to be more Midwest to East part of the country. The Western states have trucks but the number of people are far less than the Eastern part of the country. DIESEL Motorsports even tried California early but backed off after the state's restrictions on performance parts. Why hold events there when our sponsors can not ship to the state?

The people in rural communities understand the importance of a diesel vehicle in their life and livelihood! That is why DIESEL Motorsports continues to run events in rural settings, the people appreciate what we are bringing to the show. We are still in the entertainment business, people fill the stands to watch vehicles they want to replicate or use themselves be it trucks, tractors or semis.

DIESEL Motorsports represents our sponsors products to the rural crowds so they can learn firsthand about new products and services. Many local diesel shops display at the events to also sell their services and products. Anything that is connected to rural living is sometimes on display at the events.

Our marketing programs for manufacturers has not changed over 14 years, it is steady because it works for the ROI for the sponsor. Some sponsors has been with us for the entire term we have been in business and many we have helped develop new products for our diesel vehicles.

The rural youth who work hard everyday understand the importance of what we are doing for their entertainment and for the rural communities. I am encouraged by many of these young diesel enthusiasts and owners of businesses. These people are what has helped build this great country and keep us all fed and supplied the products we find in the stores everyday in the cities.

DIESEL Motorsports markets to the rural customer because they understand the importance of diesel in their life!

Vehicle counts WORLD wide- where do we stand? How dirty are we . . .

 So the United States is always the bad guy on the media stations about power, vehicles, racing and pollution! Does it seem like it or am I just imaging things? Go GREEN is the big new buzz word for all concerning regarding transportation. 

I’m a basic techno nerd who loves technology, always buys the newest gadgets to make life easier so I feel like I am first in wanting new! But I am also realistic when it comes to being practical and ALWAYS look to the bigger picture coming up in the future.

 

Let’s take a look at a few numbers regarding vehicles.

 

1.42 billion vehicles in the World (2B by 2035)

286 million of those in the United States

378 million of those in China

In the US the states with the most vehicles

1 - CA – 29 million

2 – TX – 21 million

3 – FL – 16 million

91.3% of Americans own a vehicle

 

Average life of vehicle – 12 yrs

Average life of truck – 15 yrs

12 million light trucks in the US

 

So my point being who pollutes the most and who has the biggest carbon footprint in the world based on vehicles? Very interesting to what I found out! 

 

Top cleanest countries (Global Footprint Network backed by York University)

1 – Luxembourg

2 – Aruba

3 – Qatar

4 – Australia

5 – United States

6 – Canada

7 – Kuwait

8 – Singapore

9 – United Kingdom

10- Trinidad

 

Now some of these are small countries with small populations so it would be expected but I am pretty sure that the US and Canada made it there because of technology. 

Let’s take a look at some the countries who yell the loudest about how dirty we are here in the US!

 

28 – Russia

34 – Denmark

37 – Germany

40- France

48 – Italy

71 – China

74 – South Africa

79- Brazil

88 – Mexico

92 – Iran

184 – Pakistan

186- Haiti

 

So coming from a country where early inventors help create electricity, wifi, internet, fossil fuels, car/truck industry/industrial revolutionary companies – I feel pretty good about where we are situated. 

 

The automobile industry has been a big influence not only in our country but with our citizens for many years. This will not stop! Multiple million/billion dollar companies employs millions of people for our love of the automobile through parts, building and repairs of these vehicles.

 

Our supplies are all trucked to every large and small town in order for people to work, live and exist everyday. The love of the auto market is shown every weekend with car/truck shows, swap meets, races, county pulls, exhibitions of vehicles. The world’s largest automotive show is held here in the US in Las Vegas every year and for the race industry in Indianapolis every December.

 

Our love for the auto industry is here to stay and I think it is about time we put pressure on other countries to clean up their acts on carbon footprint!

 

Remember what your momma always said, “don’t point your finger when you got four coming right back at you!”

Electric Vehicles VS DIESEL? How soon the change?

 I'll be the first to say I'm all for technology, I'm the first to go and buy the latest tech products. However, I also still use what works the best for the application. All I hear from the auto industry leaders is the NEW electric vehicle technology coming up quick.

Living here in the Midwest (Kansas City) I can tell you we do not see many electric vehicles running around. I see the newer built stores, hotels, etc with electric charging stations in close-up parking spaces but never any vehicles hooked up to them.

It may be the future but I see a lot of roadblocks in the way before it will happen. The inability to go any kind of distance without re-charging, lack of power hauling and longevity of the batteries. The biggest elephant in the room is also the ability to charge the vehicles when at home since many of us have experienced blackouts from local utility companies just keeping up with air conditioning or heating.

It seems there are a lot that needs to be done before this transition takes place to replace fossil fuels. I do see more technology to stretch the use of fossil fuels so the vehicles can get more out of a gallon of fuel.

Face it, the pulling power of diesel vehicles delivers all of our food, supplies, and consumables to our local stores from great distances. Most of our local municipalities use diesel vehicles to service our neighborhoods and streets such as trash, service vehicles, snow removal, street repair and many other services. 

 

Construction is powered pretty much by diesel fossil fuels including the people who work on the projects since they have to haul tools and trailers to distant locations. Progress would come to a screeching halt if we required that industry to convert to electric. Try going to a rental facility and ask to rent an electric backhoe or roller.

I have talked to several people in the battery supply chain and orders are high but the trouble is supply along with being able to recycle the EV batteries. The minerals used are in high demand for the EV batteries coming from 3rd world countries, the mining conditions are sub-level compared to modern standards. 

So how long will it be for replacement - most likely not in my lifetime!

Yes, with demand I'm sure our country's technology will start to tackle some of these roadblocks but it will be many years and at what cost? The United States already leads the world countries for low emissions leaving the smallest footprint. 

So I guess the next article will be why should we abandon our motorsports history and activities when the rest of the world countries do not care! Just asking? 

Many lives currently relies on fossil fuels to get the job done everyday!