The Diesel World Guide To Diesel Events

No doubt, you’ve read about diesel motorsports events in Diesel World, or know people who’ve attended, but what really goes on at these events? Can I go and just watch or do I have to enter my truck? What does it take to compete and what activities or events can I participate in? These are all legitimate questions that we’ll answer in this story so you can be a part of the diesel lifestyle.

First of all, there are a wide variety of diesel events out there and there might even be one that takes place near you. Lots of diesel performance shops have open house events throughout the year to show off their shop’s capabilities and vehicles. Often they will also have their in-house dyno available to measure real world horsepower and torque, or bring in a portable chassis dyno for a day of dyno competition.

Dyno Runs

The good news is that anyone can enter a dyno competition. The dyno is a great place to see just how much torque and horsepower your truck puts down and whether or not any modifications you’ve made produce results. We have seen diesels of all sizes and varieties on the dyno rollers, from custom-built one-off rat rods with diesel transplants to stock VW TDIs. If you have a diesel you can pay the fee and run it on the dyno to get a good idea of how much power you’re putting to the ground.

Some people worry about putting their truck on the dyno for fear of blowing it up. But if your truck is safe enough to drive on the street, it will be fine on a chassis dyno unless your rear tires are junk. In general, a dyno pass involves strapping down the truck and running it up to your maximum recommended engine RPM with the transmission in the 1:1 gear.

The simulation will basically replicate a blast down the drag strip or a very aggressive freeway onramp adventure. As long as your engine is up to temperature, the likelihood of engine damage is minimal since most modern diesels are electronically controlled with both speed and rpm governors. Since there’s a tremendous load on the tires against the dyno rollers, be sure your tires are in roadworthy condition and properly inflated before attempting a dyno run.

Sometimes with dyno competitions the prize or prizes are simply awarded to the single highest horsepower truck of the event. But that’s not always the case. Many events award prizes for the highest horsepower Cummins, Duramax and Power Stroke diesels competing. Another common prizewinner is the lowest horsepower, which typically wins a programmer or gift certificate to help them make more power at the next event. We’ve also seen dyno competitions that divide competitors into various classes in an effort to level the playing field and have similar trucks competing against each other.

Even if you don’t think your truck has what it takes to take home the top prize, running on the dyno can be a good experience and it will show you what your truck is really doing. Also, if you make changes and upgrades and then run on the same dyno, you can compare the results from before and after the changes to see exactly how much improvement the mods made. It’s also a great way to settle that bench racing bet between you and your buddies as to who really has the most powerful truck!

Show-N-Shine Competition

Many events have show-n-shine competitions that can be a good chance to show off your hard work and the custom touches on your truck. While it will require a good wash, vacuum and maybe even a fresh coat of wax, if you have a nice-looking truck entering a show-n-shine competition may possibly be the easiest way to get into diesel motorsports. Here’s a friendly reminder: the judges at diesel events are likely to be gearheads so be sure to clean and detail the truck under the hood too, and show off your engine throughout the day. It could be the difference between winning and participating in the show-n-shine.

Diesel Drag Racing

Diesel drag racing can also be a lot of fun. We see the fastest speeds and quickest times from the purpose-built drag trucks and dragsters but regular, street-driven trucks can compete and have fun too. Diesels work well on both 1/8- and 1/4-mile drag strips, but the big tracks see higher speeds so be sure that your tires and brakes are up to par before attempting any drag racing.

For those worrying that it would be too hard on your truck, a typical 1/8-mile run is roughly the same as aggressively accelerating onto a freeway onramp with a top speed in the 60-70-mph range for most street trucks. A word of caution to GM truck owners if you opted to launch in four-wheel drive: the weak link up front is the pencil-size tie rods so most GM owners install upgraded tie rods or tie rod sleeves. Not only will this give you peace of mind on the track, or at sled pulls, it’s also a good investment if you’re running 35-inch tires or larger.

The entry level way into drag racing is through the Bracket Racing class. Essentially, you make a few initial runs down the track to come up with an average time, called the dial-in. You’re then paired with another vehicle, but the starting lights are staggered to start each lane independently so that the trucks would ideally cross the finish line at the same time. This allows trucks (and cars) of various speeds to race against each other on a level playing field where reaction time and driver skill will be the main determining factor of who wins.

Bracket racing is also a very good way to get started in drag racing and to get used to running on the track. If you have a faster truck you can step up and run one of the indexed head-to-head classes. And for the true novice, most diesel event officials will help you line up for the start and give you some simple instructions on how to make a safe run down the truck, and let you know where the finish line is so you lift out of the throttle.

Burnout Contests

Burnout contests are also common at drag race-related diesel events since the starting line is already covered in rubber and in many cases, is a concrete launch pad. As the name implies, it’s a simple event where competitors smoke the rear tires in a burnout for a specified amount of time (typically 30-60 seconds) and crowd reaction and/or a judge determines the winner by the amount of smoke produced during the burnout.

Burnout contest prizes generally include cash of some kind and occasionally include gift certificates for things like tires or other truck goodies. While impressive to the crowd, burnouts (especially prolonged ones in a contest) can of course be detrimental to your rear tires and not great for your engine if you let the EGT get too high and stay high for prolonged periods of time. Weigh the cost of burnout competition (the toll on your truck and tires as well as the entry fee if any) against the potential prize or prizes and decide for yourself if the reward is worth the risk; many diesel enthusiasts answer yes it is! But they’re one of the best spectator events at the show.

Sled Pulling

One of the most popular spectator events at any diesel gathering is the sled pull. Tractor and truck sled pulling has been around for generations, and is the ultimate test of strength. While there are professional pulling leagues and organizations, and many of them feature the high-horsepower, unlimited smoke-billowing trucks and tractors, there’s always a class for the beginner to try his or her hand.

In essence, sled pulling involves pulling a weight trailer down a 300-foot track. As the truck and sled move forward, so does the weight load so the load gets heavier as the truck moves down the track. A “full pull” means crossing the 300-foot mark successfully.

Diesel events that are held at fairgrounds and similar locations usually feature sled pulling. Many times these events will also host a dyno competition as well as a show-n-shine competition. Sled pulling has classes to even the playing field and make sure that similar trucks are competing against each other. In many cases, at the local event level, there are even 2WD pulling classes to give them a chance to tackle the sled too. The classes are typically based on the turbo inlet size and most local events have a Work Stock class for street trucks to pull with stock turbos. But the big regional events tend to only have the big-power pro classes.

Of course, to enter a sled pull your truck needs a hitch mount and a receiver with a loop to drop the sled’s large hook into. Check out the rules for the event you plan to enter for details on maximum hitch height and weight requirements and such before you go so that you don’t have any problems with the tech inspection before the pull.
While running on a dyno and drag racing are relatively safe for your truck, dragging 20,000 pounds or more across the dirt can and will show where the weak points are on your truck. We’ve seen plenty of carnage on the pulling track from broken drive shafts to U-joints as well as turbos, transmissions and, of course, stock clutches in manual transmission trucks.

Diesel Trifecta

Some of the larger events throughout the year, like the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza, the TS Outlaw event and Weekend on the Edge (among others) feature all forms of diesel motorsports with dyno, drag racing, show-n-shine and sled pulling competition in one major event with some of the biggest names in diesel motorsports competing with tens of thousands of spectators on hand. If you get a chance to attend one of the big events, jump on it; we’re sure that you’ll enjoy it as much as we do. But, don’t overlook getting your feet wet at a local event since they are great training grounds, which will give you confidence in yourself and your equipment by the time you get to the bigger events.

It’s Supposed To Be Fun

The main thing to keep in mind when attending a diesel event, other than to have a cooler full of frosty adult beverages, is to have fun. You won’t have much fun if you tend to take things too seriously or get upset if your truck is not as fast or as powerful as you thought. Most diesel events are family friendly but you may want to bring hearing protection for the little ones if you do bring them along.

At some of the larger events, the after-parties and impromptu get-togethers after the racing is over are definitely adult oriented where the general rules of don’t drink and drive apply. And to avoid getting any tickets, keep the competition on the track and go easy on the smoke show.

Check out some of the action we’ve captured at events throughout the last year or so to see what you’ve been missing if you haven’t made it out to a diesel motorsports event. Online forums and manufacturer websites are the best way to find out when events are scheduled near you. Also, the May issue of Diesel World lists this year’s big events in the front of the magazine in the News section.

As they say, try it, you’ll like it. Diesel events also feature tons of vendors who can answer questions about their products, and plenty of other diesel enthusiasts, like yourself, with whom you can share stories and make new friends. In reality, diesel events are more of a lifestyle happening so go check them out and let us know what you think. DW