Sleepless in Kentucky: 2014 TS Performance Outlaw Drag Race

Sleepless in Kentucky: 2014 TS Performance Outlaw Drag Race & Sled Pull

Once again a large contingent of diesel enthusiasts and competitors converged in Southern Kentucky for what has come to be known simply as “TS.” The event officially known as the TS Performance Outlaw Diesel Drag Race & Sled Pull has become the go-to event among diesel enthusiasts from all across the United States. The 2014 event provided two days and nights of diesel motorsports action on tap, and the best diesel rigs in the country on hand for lots of fun. It’s easy to see why more than 15,000 diesel faithful descend upon Bowling Green and Franklin, Kentucky, annually for the event.

For 2014, TS got started on May 30 at Beech Bend Raceway Park under threat of rain. Fortunately for diesel drag racing fans, rain never fell, allowing the full drag race event to be run on the scheduled day. Past years have not been so lucky.

The Bowling Green action began on Friday. In addition to drag racing and vendor booths, fans were also able to check out the dyno competition on the DP-Tuner Dynocom portable chassis dyno. A total of 30 trucks ran across the dyno rollers with the top five trucks breaching the 900-horsepower barrier, which we’ve seldom seen in the last few years. The top 11 trucks put down more than 750 hp, making this a very powerful dyno day.

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This was especially true for the crew from Maryland Performance Diesel. MDP placed six trucks in the top eight when you consider runs with and without nitrous oxide enhancement. An MDP truck topped the list with a nitrous-assisted 1,535-hp dyno run in their 2009 Ford F-250, while second place went to MPD’s 2011 Ford F-250 at just under 1,100-hp on fuel only with their triple-turbo 6.7L Power Stroke. Third place also broke 1,000 hp on fuel only as Lavon Miller’s 2004 Dodge made almost 1,050 hp.

The action on the Beech Bend 1/4-mile drag strip was good with a ton of bracket racers as well as 12.0- and 10.5-index classes and a small field of Pro Street trucks. Essentially, the Pro Dragster and Pro Mod classes made exhibition passes as the Scheid Diesel rail dragster piloted by Jared Jones and the Power Service altered funny car with John Robinson behind the wheel were the only cars running in their respective classes. They each made single runs as well as a side-by-side pass, but Robinson was having issues putting the power successfully to the ground. Jones, on the other hand, made passes in the 6s at nearly 220 mph each time he was on the track.

The grandstands at Jim Roberts Park were filled to capacity to watch the diesel truck action on the pulling track. — John Robinson had a hard time putting the power to the ground smoothly and repeatedly lifted one, two or three tires off the track surface as he pedaled the Power Service altered trying to get it down the track.

We saw a few good passes in the Pro Street class as well with a lot of bye runs and some unfortunate carnage. One of the victims was Phil Taylor, who “grenaded” his transfer case at the 1/8-mile point and coasted through the 1/4-mile beams in just 9.731 seconds at 45.27 mph. Wow, we wish we could have seen him make a clean pass with that run and can only imagine what the time would have been with the power put to the track for the entire quarter mile!

Chase Lunsford and the team from Bean’s Diesel Performance threw together a 2001 Dodge 3500 just before TS to run Pro Street. The Bean’s machine managed to qualify well and have bye runs up to the final round where Lunsford ran a 9.836-second pass in a losing effort to Payton Hugie and the H&S Performance-sponsored team in their 1994 Ford. Hugie ran a winning 9.131-second pass, and his Ford made passes in the low nine-second range throughout the day.

The Index classes usually offer tight racing and TS followed the norm with good side-by-side racing throughout the day. For most of the Index trucks, making the number was not a problem, but staying over the number was, with a few trucks breaking out throughout the rounds of competition. Matt Misner took the 10.5 Index win, coasting through the lights after Chris Buhidar was unable to make the call, handing Misner the win with a bye run. The 12.0 Index class win went to Gaylon Tarkington who defeated Matt Maier 12.318 to 12.425 in a close contest.

Bracket racers of all kinds were on hand for round after round of action in the ET Bracket class. We saw a head-to-head match between two short buses, as well as just about any diesel truck combination you could imagine running down the Beech Bend track. Kevin Meredith and his traditional yellow short bus lost to the white Bean’s Diesel Performance short bus in their qualifying round matchup, but Meredith got the last laugh with his 25-second ET passes, making the final on consistently good starts and passes. However, in the final round he jumped early, handing the win to John Eggland and his 2010 Dodge 3500. The final pass of the day was completed just before 6 p.m.

Thirty trucks ran across the DP-Tuner Dynocom mobile chassis dyno making anywhere from the low range of 300 horsepower to more than 1,500 hp from the heavy hitters. This second-generation Dodge fell somewhere between those extremes.

The short bus showdown pitted Kevin Meredith in the yellow bus against Jack Grubb in the Bean's Diesel Performance short bus. Grubb took the win with a 17.448 second pass at 74.52 mph compared to Meredith's 24.325 second pass at 53.47 mph. — The short bus showdown pitted Kevin Meredith in the yellow bus against Jack Grubb in the Bean’s Diesel Performance short bus. Grubb took the win with a 17.448 second pass at 74.52 mph compared to Meredith’s 24.325 second pass at 53.47 mph.

Vendors at the drag strip packed up their booths late that afternoon and made the trek south about 20 miles down I-65 to Franklin where the sled pull was set to get underway at Jim Roberts Park. While Bowling Green stayed dry throughout the day, Franklin was not so fortunate and was hit with thunderstorms in the afternoon. This resulted in a pushback of the start time for the sled pull until around 9:15 p.m. Needless to say, with the pull starting late, the action went on into the wee hours of the morning.

When the pulling action finally got started, the huge crowd of diesel enthusiasts was treated to an action-packed evening with three sleds operating on the track. This ensured a good flow of activity with one lane pulling at almost any given time while the other lanes were being prepped or hooked.

The PPL crew wrangled three classes of diesel pulling trucks with 2.6 and 3.0 classes pulling alongside tractors and 2WD trucks. The few remaining spectators who waited out the entire event were treated to the Super Stock diesel truck class, which ran at somewhere around 3 a.m. With a huge field of tractors and diesel trucks, there was action on the pulling track for hours and hours with pull after pull.

Whitfield's Dodge was dialed in to the Franklin track, taking the 2.6 class win on Friday and Saturday as the only competitor to double up at TS this year. — Whitfield’s Dodge was dialed in to the Franklin track, taking the 2.6 class win on Friday and Saturday as the only competitor to double up at TS this year.

Shawn Proctor lifts the front wheels into the air nearly every time he launches the bright green Dodge Ram 1500 as it hooks and scoots down the track.

Jared Jones and the Scheid Diesel dragster are impressive to watch any time they’re on the track. Jones made several passes with the best run of the day coming in at 6.629 seconds at 219.54 mph!

Friday night’s action finished with Eric Whitfield and his “Southern Hooker” Dodge taking the top spot in the 2.6 class, putting a little more than a foot on Adam Hallien and the “Wrecker.” The battle at the top of the 3.0 class was even tighter with Wesley Kusilek and his “Cummins Killer” GMC finishing less than a foot ahead of Andrew Sauer’s “Justified” Dodge. Matt Clemons’ Hulk-themed “Alter Ego” truck pulled out more than 10 ft. on Shane Kellogg’s “Gotta Have It” to take the early morning win in the Super Stock diesel truck class.

Saturday was the second day of action at Jim Roberts Park. That morning we were greeted with bright blue skies and puffy white clouds along with warm weather, making for a fun day of diesel goodness. Performance diesel industry vendors had their booths and displays set up to educate attendees on their latest and greatest products.

The Saturday sled pull got started on time and finished late in the evening, but at a much more reasonable time than Friday, especially considering that the PPL crew ran three diesel truck classes in addition to two diesel tractor classes. They also had 2WD alcohol trucks, alcohol tractors and multi-engine tractors on hand.

Spectators could also walk the Show-N-Shine area to check out some great-looking diesel trucks. Jacob Nevenschwander’s 2004 Dodge Ram was awarded Best of Show honors, while a total of seven other owners were presented with awards in various categories. For smaller scale pulling aficionados, the National Micro-Mini Tractor Pullers Association hosted a pull in the picnic area near the Show-N-Shine. We saw small tractors weighing only 3 lbs. pulling 170 lbs. of total weight.

Saturday night’s truck pulling action got underway at about 7 p.m. with much of the huge field of 2.6 class trucks running in daylight. The earlier start time and changing conditions didn’t impact Eric Whitfield at all. He outclassed his 2.6 competitors, once again taking the win by almost 3 ft. over Daniel Mooney and his “High Maintenance” Chevy. The longest pull of the weekend came from Curt Haisley in his “Off Constantly” Dodge at nearly 350 ft. Haisley entered the five-truck 3.0 class pull-off as the favorite after his excellent pull, but was only able to manage second place behind Chris Muhs in his “White Lightning” Dodge. In the premier Super Stock diesel truck class, Calvin Miller took home the win in his “Runnin In The Red” Dodge with Kellogg once again having to settle for second with “Gotta Have It.”

Darrell Reese's unique air suspension allows him to raise and lower his truck at will, controlling either axle independently as seen here. It’s no surprise that his 1985 Dodge took home the Best Suspension honors. — Darrell Reese’s unique air suspension allows him to raise and lower his truck at will, controlling either axle independently as seen here. It’s no surprise that his 1985 Dodge took home the Best Suspension honors.

Calvin Miller's "Runnin' In The Red" Dodge won the Super Stock class Saturday night, leaving second place to Kellogg once again. — Calvin Miller’s “Runnin’ In The Red” Dodge won the Super Stock class Saturday night, leaving second place to Kellogg once again.

Chris Muhs' "White Lightning" Dodge was beat by more than 20 ft. heading into the pull-off, but he managed to take Saturday night's 3.0 class win. — Chris Muhs’ “White Lightning” Dodge was beat by more than 20 ft. heading into the pull-off, but he managed to take Saturday night’s 3.0 class win.

Curt Haisley has no problem getting his truck in our faces at the end of the track. He put up the longest pull of the night, getting into the 3.0 class pull-off where he finished second.

The Super Stock class trucks finished their last hook at around 10:45 p.m. and then the 3.0 class ran their pull-off among the five trucks that pulled beyond 320 ft. in their initial hook. The 3.0 class pull-off wrapped up just before 11 p.m. and the diesel truck fans quickly emptied the grandstands despite more tractor pulling action. The exodus showed that diesel trucks are the popular draw, even at large events like this one.

Despite a storm cell that dropped rain on the Franklin pulling track and delayed the start of Friday’s pulling action, the 2014 edition of the TS Performance Outlaw Drag Race & Sled Pull was a comprehensive success. Attendees and participants alike had a great time, whether chatting with old friends, making new ones or just soaking in all of the diesel action a person could stuff into two fun-filled and action-packed days.

With a dyno running to prove who has the most power, drag racing, sled pulling, a Show-N-Shine exhibition and a huge vendor alley, there isn’t really anything more that a diesel truck enthusiast could ask for. If you have yet to make it out to TS, we highly suggest you put it on your diesel performance bucket list and check it off again and again over the coming years. Just be sure to tell them that your friends at Diesel World sent you.

With the grandstands packed, spectator overflow moved out to the grass hill beyond the end of the pull track where a very good time seemed to be had by all.

While walking through vendor alley we spotted this set of aluminum rockers with roller bridges for Duramax engines in the Flirtin With Disaster Performance booth.

Large grass areas at Jim Roberts Park allow the large field of Show-N-Shine trucks to be spread out for spectators to easily see the wide variety of trucks.

Saturday also played host to the National Micro-Mini Tractor Pullers Association event where 3-lb. trucks and tractors drag up to 170 lbs. on the sled.

Once the sun rose and people woke up, the park grounds were bustling with spectators in the vendor alley throughout the morning and afternoon on Saturday.

Matt Clemons' kid-favorite Hulk-themed "Alter Ego" truck took the Super Stock class win late Friday night (or early Saturday morning) beating out Shane Kellogg in the "Gotta Have It" Dodge. — Matt Clemons’ kid-favorite Hulk-themed “Alter Ego” truck took the Super Stock class win late Friday night (or early Saturday morning) beating out Shane Kellogg in the “Gotta Have It” Dodge.

Eric Whitfield's "Southern Hooker" took the win in the highly competitive and stacked field of 2.6 class trucks. — Eric Whitfield’s “Southern Hooker” took the win in the highly competitive and stacked field of 2.6 class trucks.

The PPL pull had plenty of tractor action on the track including this great-looking diesel-powered Farmall in addition to a bunch of alcohol tractors.

Saturday night's 3.0 class saw a lone Duramax-powered GMC atop the standings over a field of Dodges with Wesley Kusilek's "Cummins Killer" living up to its name and besting the Cummins-powered trucks. — Saturday night’s 3.0 class saw a lone Duramax-powered GMC atop the standings over a field of Dodges with Wesley Kusilek’s “Cummins Killer” living up to its name and besting the Cummins-powered trucks.

The ET Bracket class final round came down to Meredith in the short bus versus John Eggland in his 2010 Dodge 3500. Meredith jumped early, handing the win to Eggland who ironically broke out at the top end.

One of the closest and cleanest races of the day came when Proctor lined up his Dodge against Hugie's Ford. After the initial cloud of black smoke off the line, both trucks cleaned up very well as they run down the track. Hugie got the win light with a 9.153 at 150.80 versus Proctor's 9.356 at 149.95. — One of the closest and cleanest races of the day came when Proctor lined up his Dodge against Hugie’s Ford. After the initial cloud of black smoke off the line, both trucks cleaned up very well as they run down the track. Hugie got the win light with a 9.153 at 150.80 versus Proctor’s 9.356 at 149.95.

In the shadow of the Beech Bend coaster the parking area was packed with diesel trucks—many of which chose to tailgate at the fence rather than watch the races from the grandstands.

Vendor alley behind the drag strip was crowded all day with spectators looking at the latest and greatest diesel performance products from the top names in diesel aftermarket parts.

A TIP FOR ALL

Be sure to bring a set of earplugs if you plan to attend the TS pull next year as the 2WD trucks and multi-engine Super Modified tractors run straight-piped gassers that are very loud, even when compared to the powerful Super Stock diesel trucks. DW