13 trucks chase 3,000 hp on the dyno, pursue 5-second eighth-miles on the drag strip, and go for broke in the sled pull.
Ultimate Callout Challenge was already big, but when Firepunk Diesel combined its ODSS sanctioned Outlaw Diesel Revenge race with it back in 2021 it became the undisputed heavyweight champion of diesel events. For 2024, the Poor Diesel Challenge was added in support of the headlining act, and it brought plenty of fireworks to what was already a very colorful affair. Explosions, fires, and burnouts, as well as broken records, broken parts, and broken hearts were all in a weekend’s work at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park between May 31 and June 2.
Given U.C.C.’s storied past and the inevitable entertainment it provides, it’s no wonder the Ultimate Callout Challenge brings more people through the gate than any other event held at this legendary facility, except for one (Cleetus And Cars). So, who ended up winning the competition that’s become the most grueling torture test in all of diesel motorsports? Who merely survived the 3-day melee? And who blew up? Keep scrolling for the U.C.C. recap, along with the lowdown on the Poor Diesel Challenge and a look at the winner of Friday night’s Epic truck pull.
Kenny Bruner traveled 2,300 miles, one-way, to compete at U.C.C. 2024—and the California native wasted zero time getting to work. Right out of the gate, his bright orange third-gen made a 5.49-second pass at 135 mph. Kenny is no stranger to U.C.C. (he competed in 2021) and, judging by how quickly he is able to stage his truck, has competed in eliminations before. Trust us, this 3,000hp Cummins is fun to watch. Before Day 1 was in the books, Kenny rocketed to a 5.29 at 139 mph, topping every other U.C.C. competitors’ efforts on the drag strip.Even though his first pass ended with a ride back to the pits on a rollback, Unrivaled Diesel‘s Chris Patterson would eventually claim Second Place points on the drag strip with a blazing, 5.50-second eighth-mile. Then, on the dyno, Chris lived up to his “Mr. 3000” moniker, hitting the 3,000 hp number right on the nose—along with 3,760 lb-ft of torque. With those horsepower and torque figures added together, Chris handily won the dyno portion of U.C.C. 2024. An unfortunate distance of 45 feet and change during the truck pull ended Chris’s chances of reaching the podium, ultimately forcing him into Fifth Place overall.Now a member of the 3,000 hp club and recently running the Pro Street class within the Outlaw Diesel Super Series, it only made sense that Greg Alberalla believed the WrenchWorkz ’05 Dodge had what it takes to compete in U.C.C. With the nitrous coming in a bit too soon on this trip to the starting line, Greg A. and company went back to the pits to make a few adjustments—the result of which was a 5.52-second eighth-mile that was good enough for Third Place on the day. A catastrophic engine failure on the dyno, complete with two blown rear slicks, brought Greg’s U.C.C. title hopes to an end—but not before the truck cleared an incredible 2,597 hp and 2,749 lb-ft on the rollers.It’s possible no one competing at U.C.C. had fewer days to prepare than Black Magic Performance‘s Colt Carter. Yet, in 30 days he and his Texas-based crew built what ended up being the truck that took Second Place overall. Colt’s first hit on the drag strip sent his mystic third-gen Cummins through the traps in 5.66 seconds (at 131 mph). Later, his ET would improve to 5.56, a Fifth Place finish on the day. Aboard the dyno, 1,944 hp and 2,686 lb-ft of torque were squeezed out of his feisty setup, good enough for the number six spot. Then came Sunday’s truck pull, where Colt’s regular cab Ram went to work, moving the sled 316.99 feet—the second furthest distance.If there was a resiliency award handed out at U.C.C., Charlie Fish and the team from KC Turbos would own it. Despite putting up a 5.57-second ET on the drag strip (sixth best), their 6.0L Power Stroke melted a piston and the compression leaking into the crankcase actually blew the oil pan off the block. After an all-night engine swap (and a miraculous oil pan repair), Saturday’s rain forced them to both dyno and sled pull on the same day (Sunday). Nitrous issues on the rollers forced Charlie and team to settle for 1,587 hp and 1,834 lb-ft (Ninth Place), but the sled pull—which essentially called for an entirely different back-half of the truck and sourcing a pallet of Quikcrete to put in the weight box—proved fruitful. They went 298.9 feet and wrapped up a Fourth Place overall finish at U.C.C. 2024.Having competed in the U.C.C. qualifier back in 2018, High Country Motorsports’ Dan Lee was no stranger to Ultimate Callout Challenge, and he arguably brought the most unique truck to this year’s event. His ’67 F-250 sits on a cut-down ’05 Dodge chassis and axles, sports a potent, Hardway-tuned 5.9L Cummins, and routes nearly 1,200 hp through an ATS-built 4R100. His build proves that you don’t have to make 3,000 hp or run 5’s to survive the show, or have fun. Dan’s numbers were 6.89 seconds in the eighth-mile (11th), 1,184 hp and 1,452 lb-ft on the dyno (10th), and 226.84 feet during the sled pull (Sixth).Somewhere in his quest to build a lighter weight Pro Street truck, Austin Denny decided to try his hand in U.C.C. 2024. After all, his 6.0L-powered ‘06 Super Duty had already been 5.19 at 144 mph in the eighth-mile before its recent, front-and-rear 9-inch axle swap, so competing at 300 fewer pounds might’ve meant 4’s. Unfortunately, transmission gremlins limited Austin to a 5.55-second best through the ‘660, and they were also believed to be the primary culprit behind his 1,102hp performance on the dyno (the math for a 5.55 doesn’t add up there). Fear not, if you follow drag racing at all then you know this truck’s bugs will get ironed out soon. When that happens we fully expect it to shatter more 6.0L Power Stroke records.On the heels of winning Thoroughbred Diesel’s annual Throwdown event two weeks prior to U.C.C., many expected big things from Mike Brown and his ‘07 Mega Cab. They weren’t disappointed. Mike would guide his 7,120-pound missile through the eighth-mile in 6.06 seconds, beating the 6.50 ET goal he’d set for himself. Up against the Northwest Dyno Series SuperFlow, the same set of rollers he’d rocked to the tune of 2,270 hp and 3,189 lb-ft of torque 14 days before, the truck improved to 2,457 hp and 3,213 lb-ft. In the dirt, Mike would yank the iron sleigh 299.38 feet. His collection of strong performances across the board earned him the Third Place spot on the podium for U.C.C. 2024.Trust us, there’s a truck in there. The Poor Diesel Challenge presented an interesting sideshow at U.C.C. this year. Within it, four drivers were allowed to campaign a truck they’d bought and built for no more than $10,000 in six different competitions. The events included a 100-mile durability drive, a fuel economy test, an eighth-mile drag race, combined horsepower and torque numbers on the dyno, a show ‘n shine (complete with judges), and a burnout competition. It proved a hit with fans, so expect the PDC to return—as a 15-truck competition, no less—in 2025.Here, Poor Diesel Challenge driver, Justin Hildebrand of JH Diesel & 4×4, is midway through the burnout session that popped both of his truck’s rear tires. Justin’s used and abused 6.0L-powered Super Duty would leave the burnout pad on its rims. His fellow racers included Merica-Tv’s Ron Maple (the P-pumped 24-valve second-gen Cummins that ended up winning the event, pictured above), Robert Rowley (TheBuiltCmax Creations) in an LB7 Duramax, and Tyler Hewett (Hewett Industries) in his 6.0L-swapped first-gen Dodge. Surprisingly, Justin’s Ford didn’t catch fire (that we know of) at any point during the weekend, but Robert’s Chevy and Ron’s Dodge did get a bit crispy.By 7:30 Friday evening, all drag racing had ceased and the truck pull commenced on the dirt track that’d been built next to the drag strip. Sanctioned by the Epic Pulling Series, the early season hook attracted the likes of some of the strongest-running 3.0 and 2.6 trucks in the nation. While the track was a bit on the loose side in the early going, the steady progression of 3.0 trucks (i.e. Limited Pro Stock) gradually transformed it into a road. By the time it was Danielle Corey’s turn to pull, she practically turned it into a runway. Her “Sugar Girl” Duramax ran away with a memorable, 311-foot, First Place effort.Just as he’d done Friday morning, Kenny Bruner showed up bright and early on Saturday, this time to hit the dyno. He would end up beating the rain that postponed most of the dyno action until Sunday. After a couple pulls in the 1,500 hp range due to Overdrive issues, Kenny’s rowdy ’06 Dodge laid down an impressive 2,832 hp and 3,120 lb-ft of torque. His numbers were only surpassed when Chris Patterson hit the rollers the next day. Still, with a First Place in the drags and a Second Place finish on the dyno, Kenny’s points tally was looking very favorable heading into the sled pull, and everyone knew it.Surprising to many, Kenny dominated the truck pull, traveling 317.81 feet with the sled in tow. The strong hook put him in front of Second Place finisher, Colt Carter, by inches, and earned him the title of U.C.C. Champion. Kenny’s victory is proof that you don’t need to be based out of a big-name diesel shop or benefit from some huge sponsorship in order to win U.C.C. Kenny enjoyed a helping hand from his friends at Capital Diesel Performance, Dynomite Diesel Products, Hardway Performance, A2 Motorsport (who built him a rock-solid 48RE), and Freedom Racing Engines. Want to know something else? He won it all with the late “Turba Tom” Borrell’s Cummins under the hood!
