Diesel Sand Drags: Merchant Automotive’s “Battle Of

Diesel Sand Drags: Merchant Automotive’s “Battle Of The Diesels” In West Michigan

To people outside the performance diesel industry, diesel trucks are little more than tools to move heavy loads and/or equipment from point to point relatively efficiently. However, real performance diesel enthusiasts know that our trucks are so much more. Yes, our trucks are great for hauling and towing heavy equipment, but they’re also good daily drivers and tons of fun on the track. Amazingly, our big diesel rigs seem to do well in just about any competitive track environment. Recently we had the chance to experience diesel sand drag racing at the West Michigan Sand Dragway. The event in late May was Merchant Automotive’s first annual “Battle of the Diesels.”

People around the country may not know about the Silver Lake area of Michigan, and their recreational sand dunes. Michigan residents (and those in the know in nearby states) have been flocking to the dunes for summertime off-road recreation for decades. The West Michigan Sand Dragway is just minutes from the Silver Lake Dunes, making it a great place to hold organized racing events. The track is complete with a starting tree and timing lights. Many of the diesel trucks were making passes in the mid to high five-second range at around 60 mph down the 300-ft. sand track. Five seconds for 300 ft. may sound slow, but when you consider that most of these trucks were doing it on loose sand with street-legal DOT tires and trucks weighing around 7,000 lbs., it’s pretty darn impressive.

On a solo pass, Nick Beaudoin put a new set of larger paddle tires on the buggy and promptly stood it up on the wheelie bar, improving the 60-foot time by 0.498 seconds while tripping the 60-ft. lights with the rear tires since the fronts were still in the air.

Gerry Hilder throws up a wall of sand partially obscuring Ryan Anderson's Ford during this round of the non-DOT class heavyweights. — Gerry Hilder throws up a wall of sand partially obscuring Ryan Anderson’s Ford during this round of the non-DOT class heavyweights.

Dylan Spink made the trip all the way from New Hampshire to compete in the "Battle of the Diesels" but fell short of the win with his Chevy. — Dylan Spink made the trip all the way from New Hampshire to compete in the “Battle of the Diesels” but fell short of the win with his Chevy.

The event was a lot of fun and a great way to spend an afternoon with other diesel enthusiasts. Trucks ran down the track trouble-free since the sand is a very forgiving surface and relatively easy on the drivetrain, when equipped with DOT tires. Paddle tires can be another story, but even so, there was no carnage or breakdowns like we commonly see on paved drag strips.

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The first passes of the day ran just before noon with the awards happening around 4:30 p.m. More than 1,000 spectators were on hand to cheer on their favorite trucks. They filled the grandstands and overflowed onto the grass hillsides to take in the action.

For simplicity sake the racers were divided into two classes—one for DOT tires and one for non-DOT tires such as paddle tires. All trucks were raced heads up, side by side. The first one to cross the line was the winner in each run. A typical double-eliminations format was used in the first round to ensure that every competitor was able to make at least two passes.

Entry fees were only $20 per truck with a $500 purse for each class. Class winners received $400 while the runner-up in each class received $100; not a bad way to get rewarded for going out and having fun in your truck.

Justin Kennedy raced in both classes swapping back and forth between the paddle tires seen here and street-legal tires to race in the DOT class between rounds.

The DOT tire class was staged on the far side of the track while the non-DOT class was staged on the near side to allow the track operators to smoothly funnel the drivers into the lanes and keep the action going on the track.

The eliminations began after a couple rounds of practice passes for drivers to get a feel for the dragway lights and running on the sand. To give drivers a “mulligan,” the first round was run with double eliminations with the winners advancing to the second round and losers coming back to run an additional round. Then, the winners of the second run from the losers’ bracket would also be advanced into the second round where the winners would advance and the losers would pack it up for the day.

Prize money was also on the line for best reaction time for each truck brand. Justin Kennedy took home the $100 prize for the best reaction time in a Dodge with a 0.055-second reaction. The quickest off the line in a Ford was Ryan Anderson with a 0.017-second reaction. The quickest reaction of the day went to the GM camp with Producer Steve from the syndicated “Free Beer & Hotwings” morning radio show clocking a 0.012-second reaction.

There were more than 20 trucks in the DOT tire class vying for the top honor and the prize money. The field was whittled down throughout the day from round to round with great head-to-head racing and, unfortunately, more than one red light elimination from drivers trying to get a jump on the competition. Dylan Spink brought his Chevy all the way down from New Hampshire to compete. Spink and his family/crew had a great time at the event, but ultimately fell short of the winner’s circle with his Duramax-powered pulling truck. The final round of the DOT class was a Dodge versus Chevy matchup with Kyle Hammond’s Dodge getting the win over Bucky Raspontnik’s Chevy in a very close run.

There were only four trucks entered in the non-DOT tire class including Justin Kennedy, who actually swapped his street tires for paddle tires on the rear of his second-gen Dodge. All his tire swapping and hard work paid off as he was the runner-up in the non-DOT tire class with the paddle tires and made it to the quarter-final round in the DOT class. Derek Rose won the non-DOT class with his electric blue standard cab third-gen Dodge running a big set of paddle tires in the rear.

Traction is an issue for everyone when you’re racing in sand as seen with this big GMC. Fortunately, the lack of grip is also easy on parts and we saw no breakage on the track throughout the day.

The final round matchup was an all-Dodge affair in the non-DOT tire class which saw Derek Rose (far lane in the blue Dodge) get the win over Justin Kennedy in a tight race.

The sand erupts violently whenever the Merchant Automotive sand rail launches down the track. Tip of the day: do not stand directly behind the rail on the starting line unless you want to be sand blasted.

In addition to the heads-up drag racing action, attendees had the chance to enter a raffle to support the AT Children’s Project (see sidebar) with winners drawn to get a ride along in the Merchant Automotive Duramax-powered sand rail. Around 30 raffle winners had the opportunity to make passes in the MA sand rail, for the 3.9-second thrill of their lives reaching more than 80 mph in just 300 ft. as they rocketed down the sand drag strip.

While Producer Steve (seen here in red T-shirt being congratulated by Merchant Automotive's Nick Beaudoin) did not win a round of racing he did cut a good light (0.012-second reaction time) and won $100 for the best GM reaction time of the day. He promptly handed over the cash to the AT Children's Project. — While Producer Steve (seen here in red T-shirt being congratulated by Merchant Automotive’s Nick Beaudoin) did not win a round of racing he did cut a good light (0.012-second reaction time) and won $100 for the best GM reaction time of the day. He promptly handed over the cash to the AT Children’s Project.

RACING FOR A GOOD CAUSE

In addition to having a good time with diesel trucks in the sand, the event also raised money for the AT Children’s Project—an organization dedicated to helping children and families of those with Ataxia-Telangiectasia or A-T for short. A-T is a rare genetic disease that attacks children, causing progressive loss of muscle control, immune system problems and a high rate of cancer. In addition to the ATCP organization staff on hand, Producer Steve from the syndicated “Free Beer & Hotwings” morning radio was there to support the cause and even drive a truck in the race. While Steve did not make it all the way to the winner’s circle he did cut a darn good light and won the best reaction time for a GM driver. Showing that he puts his money where his mouth is, he quickly donated the reaction time $100 prize to the AT Children’s Project.

Of course, outright donations were warmly welcomed, but to get spectators to open their wallets more freely organizers offered raffle entries that included various items like engraved glasses, T-shirts and all sorts of other swag. Or, for the more adventurous raffle participants (over 18, of course) they could enter for a ride in the passenger seat of the Duramax-powered Merchant Automotive sand rail for a pass down the strip. The raffle raised $469 for the A-T charity to go along with another $2,289 in proceeds donated from the race. If you would like to help support the AT Children’s Project point your web browser to ATCP.org and do what you can to help a good cause.

The crew at Merchant Automotive is already making plans for next year’s event so expect it to be bigger and better than this one. If you weren’t able to make it this year check out the photos over the next few pages to see some of the action. If you’re in the Silver Lake, Michigan, area or can be there next year, you should plan on not only attending, but also racing your truck down the sand strip. We plan to be there to bring those of you who can’t attend all the action. Check the MA website for the latest news about the event and when you arrive at the gate be sure to tell them your friends at Diesel World sent you. DW