We Hauled 10,000 HP to Montana: Diesel Drag Racing at Its Wildest

We just got back from Montana and man, what a weekend. This episode of the Power Driven Podcast is all about going fast, breaking parts, fixing parts, and figuring out what it really takes to push a diesel truck down the drag strip. Between the three of us we hauled almost 10,000 horsepower to the track and it was a mix of personal bests, new records, and a couple engines that did not quite make it to the end. We talk about Uncle Rico, our old school 12 valve four wheel drive truck. It has always been a fighter and this time it finally dipped into the fives with a 5.75 in the eighth before crankcase pressure and a blown gasket ended its weekend early. Then there is the Cummins Cart, our single cab long bed running a Hamilton 6.7 block, big compound turbos, and nitrous. That truck flat out ripped, going 5.17 at 139 mph which is the fastest we have ever been in a mechanical pump truck before a converter issue put it back on the trailer. And Meyer’s 96 half common rail build was lighter, faster, and smarter than ever. First time out with new brakes, new transmission setup, dump valve, and an air shifter, he ended up taking the 590 index class win on a hole shot by less than two hundredths. That is about three feet at the stripe. This was not just about sending it. We break down what really goes into these passes. We are talking sixty foot times, spooling strategies, nitrous control, converters, and why data logging changes everything. You will hear what worked, what did not, and why sometimes the hardest part of racing is keeping the truck alive long enough to use all the parts you have installed. We also cover the burnout contest, the long nights in the pits, and what it feels like lining up next to someone in a true heads up race. If you have ever wondered what 130 psi of boost, 1800 horsepower, or a compound turbo Cummins feels like in an eighth mile pass, this is the episode you will want to hear. And here is the thing. You do not have to have a 2000 horsepower truck to get in on this. There is a class for everyone. We saw guys out there running their tow rigs in sportsman. We saw mid seven second trucks hot lapping and having the time of their life. We also saw some of the fastest diesel drag trucks in the country. The truth is the most fun we had was lining up, cutting a light, and going fender to fender with somebody all the way down the track. At the end of the day that is what keeps us hooked. The late nights, the busted knuckles, the wins, and even the heartbreaks. Racing diesel trucks is addicting and every event we go to just makes us want to build it bigger, stronger, and faster. So if you have been thinking about getting your truck to the track, stop waiting. There is nothing like it. Listen in as we recap one of our wildest weekends yet and maybe you will catch the bug too.