16th Out Of 200—A Duramax Impresses At Hot Rod Drag Week
Dante Delaney puts diesel on the map at Hot Rod Drag Week, the first plug-and-play module for ’25-newer Rams, and more on Josh McCormack’s record-setting dyno performance.
Not a bad finish for Dante Delaney and his vibrant red, LMM Duramax-powered GMC. Dante entered the Delaney’s Diesel crew cab Sierra HD, a truck that’s been 9’s through the 1320, in Hot Rod Drag Week’s Street Machine Eliminator category. His mission? Run as close to 10.0 as possible. This is what his timeslips looked like each day: 10.08, 10.83 on the brakes hard, 10.18, 10.10, and 10.13 for an average ET of 10.27. For the bracket, Dante matched his 10.17 dial-in with a perfect 10.17. Overall, he ended up 16th in a tough, 200-vehicle field. Want to know something else? It was Dante’s first time ever competing in any type of drag ‘n drive event…
New Product Alert
115 HP Gains For ’25+ Rams
Who knew a simple increase in rail pressure could unlock an extra 115 hp from the latest Cummins-powered Rams! That’s exactly what the new EZ module from Edge Products did on the dyno at Firepunk Diesel. Edge’s first-to-market, plug-and-play power-adder woke up their 10,000-mile, ’25 test mule to the tune of 540-rwhp on Level 5 (vs. 425-rwhp stock). On Level 3, a gain of 77 hp was observed (502-rwhp). Though the EZ module is still in the beta testing stage, Edge tells us it will be ready for public release in late November. Fully CARB-compliant, it will be 50-state legal.
The Rest Of The 4,157HP Story
More Details On Josh McCormick’s Record-Setting Dyno Performance
After thoroughly analyzing the data gathered between the 3,108 hp he made at U.C.C. and the wild, 4,157hp hit he made last week, Josh McCormack broke down his recent dyno success—and that success points toward a single upgrade. By swapping to the new Steed Speed T6 Comp 3000 exhaust manifold, Josh’s setup picked up at least 300 hp thanks to its taller ports improving exhaust flow exponentially. Same turbos, same fuel quantity, same wastegates. An 11-psi drop in drive pressure on the 4,157hp performance helped improve Josh’s boost-to-drive ratio—a stat that, in addition to turning the engine 5,500 rpm, no doubt served to keep the cast-iron block Cummins alive. Of course, three .31875 mega jets, all precisely configured to hit at exactly the right time, also played a key role in the new record.
At The ‘Strip
Torque Vs. Horsepower 101
Contrary to popular belief, diesels competing in the upper echelons of drag racing aren’t turning out the kind of mega torque numbers many believe they are. In fact, torque often causes the most breakage. In the words of Hardway Performance‘s Ryan Milliken, “the engine is capable of it [big torque], but we don’t use it that way in order to keep parts alive.” Milliken went on to remind everyone of the equation to calculate horsepower: Horsepower = Torque x rpm / 5252. Below 5,252 rpm you’ll produce more torque. Above 5,252 rpm, you’ll make more hp. As a real-world example: In the case of the 3,000+ Cummins-powered C7 Corvette he fine-tunes, the engine sits on the trans-brake at 4,350 rpm, immediately flashes to 5,500 rpm at go-time, and then spins up to 7,000 rpm by the time the car reaches the 60-foot mark (in less than a second).
ODSS Racers Dominate Their Local Venues
At the conclusion of the ODSS season, racers don’t simply park their trucks in the garage for the winter. Many move on to their local tracks, or even travel to select events across the country, and continue honing their skills. Case in point, after finishing fourth in points in both the ODSS 7.70 Index and ET Bracket classes this year, North Carolina native Dustin Canter took his ’01 Silverado to the Shadyside Showdown Truck Jam in Shelby, North Carolina. Setting his LB7 Duramax on repeat, Dustin proceeded to go rounds and grab the 7.70 class win. As a bonus, he also made it all the way to the semifinals in the ET category.
A 7.3L Bound For The 10s?!
Some dinosaurs never die, and the 7.3L Power Stroke owned by SDK Performance’s Dan Kropinak may be with us a while longer. Back in action after a multi-year hiatus (and testing out a new camshaft), Dan drove his F-350 Super Duty to and from his local quarter-mile track recently, and ran an 11.39 at 119 mph while there. Despite the truck’s street tires forcing a rather lethargic 1.78-second 60-foot, Dan was emboldened with the fuel-only pass, which suggests his HEUI-fired Ford is making roughly 800 hp. Stickier tires and a 6,500-pound race weight should push Dan where he ultimately wants to be: in the 10s on fuel.
Written by Mike McGlothlin
