Small-Town Smokefest

Drags, Pulls, and Dynoing in Oregon
Alot of folks fondly remember the old days of diesel racing, back before the big sponsorships and 2,500-horsepower dyno figures. In the old days, there were trucks that did less with more, and even in 2019, we believe that budget 10-second full-sized trucks are still pretty cool.

We enjoyed a big blast from the past in June at the fifth Siskiyou Dieselfest in Oregon. Siskiyou Diesel Performance, a shop in Central Point, Ore., hosts the annual event that features drag racing, sled pulling, and a dyno contest that’s part of the Northwest Dyno Circuit.

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The festivities began with a meet-and-greet at Siskiyou Diesel Performance, where we got a glimpse at some would-be fast rides. It was definitely Cummins country, as a lot of the hot trucks were inline-six powered. We saw builds with towing twins, 160-hp pumps, and some with a lot of nitrous. We were surprised at the amount of lightening that went on — a lot of racers made use of “free horsepower” by reducing weight. It was clear the focus was going to be on drag racing, so we were excited to see what the next morning would hold when racing started straight away at Medford Dragstrip.

Source Automotive (also Oregon-based) brought out a common-rail Dodge that had us shaking our heads in disbelief. With a single S372 turbocharger, the truck had made 1,011 rwhp on the dyno, the first S300 truck we’ve heard of over 1,000 hp. It also backed up its power numbers with trap speed, running low 11s at more than 126 mph.

Unique creations were all over the pits at Siskiyou Dieselfest. Larry Strawn’s Fodge now sports triple turbos and some impressive low 10s on the dragstrip. Word has it that the “Fodge 2” is on the way, and it’ll be shooting for 8s!

When the gates opened, there were classes for virtually every make and speed of diesel truck, from bracket classes to an “open” class, where anything and everything would show up to race. Notable racers included Larry Strawn’s famous “Fodge,” a 1,000-hp Cummins-powered Model A on a Dodge 4×4 chassis. There was also Jim Calhoun and Great White Racing, which has been around since the early years of diesel performance. Source Automotive brought a hot common-rail that was redefining the limits of just how fast a single turbo truck could be.

After eliminations on the dragstrip, we joked with Mat Ray about how he was a ringer, and how you’re not supposed to be the fastest truck at your own event. Although drag racing was the main draw, there was sled pulling, too, and some hot dyno action courtesy of the Northwest Dyno Circuit.

Have you ever seen a diesel-powered Isuzu I-mark? Neither had we. It turns out that these 50 mpg cars were produced back in the 1980s, but the original designers probably never had a turbocharger and hood stack in mind!

Some standout performances included Corey Lingren taking the stock class at 567 rwhp in his Chevy, Cody Heath churning out 1,099 rwhp in the Small Single class, and Rex Gully’s budget 12-valve making 1,150 rwhp in unlimited.

Once the food had been eaten, the dragstrip smoke had settled, the sled-pulling dirt was slung, and the rollers had been spun, everyone agreed Siskiyou had been one good time — and many already have it marked on their calendars for next year.

Are you a hometown hero who thinks you have what it takes to compete? We’d love to see you there.