HEADLINES: PRI Prep Is At Its Peak
The thrash for PRI is on, Ryan Milliken’s Cummins-powered Nova nearly pulls off another X275 win, and Scheid Diesel caps off 2023 with a trio of awards.
It’s crunch time for PRI at Wagler Competition Products. This chunk of billet-aluminum is currently being massaged into a Duramax block at Wagler HQ in Odon, Indiana, but you’ll be able to see the finished product in their booth Thursday morning in Indy. Rumor has it that this particular work of art will be the foundation for the new Duramax power plant motivating Jordan Healey’s high-flying C10 megatruck. Rumor number 2 is that this block will also debut a brand-new set of head studs from ARP. Look for it in booth #4749 located in the Yellow Hall of the Indiana Convention Center.
Drag Racing
Another Strong X275 Showing For Diesel
With a 4.18 at 177 mph during qualifying (good enough for the number 2 spot), Ryan Milliken and the blue ’69 Nova from Hardway Performance were once again turning heads in X275 over the weekend. This time, the action was taking place at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals held at Bradenton Motorsports Park. Unfortunately, following Ryan’s 4.20-second pass at 177 mph sent him to the semifinals, the skies opened up and Mother Nature forced an eventual rain-out. Despite the infamous Cummins-powered Nova’s season ending on account of rain, it was a memorable year for the car, Ryan, his team, and indeed all of diesel motorsports. Expect even bigger things from the Hardway camp in 2024.
Truck Pulling
Scheid Diesel Extravaganza Honored With Pull Of The Year
The year 2023 was very good for Scheid Diesel Service, and things were capped off with the company’s long-running Scheid Diesel Extravaganza being awarded the Pro Pulling League’s Pull of the Year honor. The 27th annual Extravaganza took place in August at its new location (since 2020), Wagler Motorsporst Park. But that’s not all. Team Scheid also walks away from 2023 with the PPL points championship in both the Super Stock and Pro Stock diesel truck classes. Kent Crowder, a 24-year Scheid employee who specializes in engine R&D at the company’s engine dyno facility, claimed the Super Stock trophy. Brady Ingram, the 19-year-old young gun who drove Scheid’s ’96 second-gen this season (shown), accepted the Pro Stock trophy.
OEM News
2025 Chevy SUV’s To Receive More Powerful 3.0L Duramax
GM has announced that the automotive industry’s best-selling large SUV’s—Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban—will receive the new, more powerful 3.0L Duramax option for 2025. This means the I-6 diesel will come with the same 305 hp and 495 lb-ft of torque ratings seen in the Silverado 1500. The previous version of the LM2 3.0L Duramax turned out 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of twist. Properly equipped, Tahoe will offer maximum towing of 8,400 pounds (8,200 pounds for Suburban). The 2025 Tahoe and Suburban will also debut fresh exterior and interior designs, as well as cutting-edge trailer technology such as trailer navigation and trailer tire health monitoring.
EV News & Emissions
“5 Years Behind Schedule”
At the SAE Energy and Propulsion Conference held in Greenville, South Carolina on November 27, plans for decarbonizing the U.S. economy—from the perspective of the federal government—was a central topic of discussion. In mentioning the Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization (made available in January), the U.S. Department of Energy stated that the target for 2030 is to have 50-percent of all new light-duty vehicles be electric (“zero-emission”) and 30-percent of all new heavy-duty vehicles be battery electric. The U.S. DOE also stated that the biggest obstacle in getting there will be the slow rollout of EV charging infrastructure. So far, despite the goal of having 500,000 public chargers available by 2030, the project is now some five years behind schedule.
