VE-Pumped 1st-Gen Makes 1,168HP!
PPL uncorks its Pro Stock tractor class for 2026, another P-pumped Duramax puller is in the works, an L5P Duramax tow-rig runs 10’s on fuel, and a first-gen Cummins makes a nitrous-assisted 1,168 hp on the rollers.
While everyone else was cooped up inside for the holiday, the folks at Firepunk were making noise on the dyno. This time, it was employee Ryan Walker’s first-gen doing all the talking. Putting one of the most ingenious (and safe), wall-mounted ghetto fogging systems we’ve ever seen to use, Ryan’s immaculate old-school Dodge piled 549 hp on top of its 619 hp fuel-only number. The final tally was 1,168-rwhp, 1,503 lb-ft of torque, and one big “F-yeah” from an exuberant Ryan. Still VE-pumped, the extent of Ryan’s 5.9L Cummins build includes a 12mm Ratman Performance VE, a set of Infinite Performance injectors, AirDog providing ample low-pressure fuel supply, a Stage 2 Power Driven Diesel head, and a Garrett G42 turbo. Somehow, the non-wastegated, 73/85/.95 A/R T4 charger stayed together during the melee. Drive pressure (intentionally) went unrecorded.
In The Dirt
No Holds Barred For Pro Stock Tractors Next Season
Ever wondered what would happen if the turbo size limit was removed from the Pro Stock tractor category? Well, it’s happening next season in the Hot Shot’s Secret Pro Pulling League. That’s right, the 6.5-inch turbo inlet restriction has been removed for 2026. We’re told the 6-inch exhaust exit rule remains in effect, but this could get very interesting in short order. How many 680ci IH and John Deere engines will hit the engine dyno this winter with a 6.7, 6.8 or 7.0-inch inlet turbo hanging from the manifold? And how many will debut new, supersized turbos at the National Farm Machinery Show this February? We can’t wait…
A P-pumped Duramax Will Hit The 3.6 Scene In 2026
There’s going to be a new Duramax in town within the ranks of the Badger State Tractor Pullers organization next summer. It belongs to the VenHuizen pulling team, who’ve joined forces with the Kusilek’s (think Cummins Killer). At the heart of re-birthing the VenHuizen’s “My Grain” Chevy sits a billet-aluminum DX460 Duramax from Wagler Competition Products, complete with an inline 8-cylinder P-pump in the valley. Intended to run the Pro Stock diesel truck class, the all-aluminum Duramax will boast a single, remote mount, 3.6-inch smooth bore turbo and, with any luck, will be a formidable force right from the start. Who else is ready to watch another P-pumped Duramax scream down the track turning 6,500 rpm?!
At The ‘Strip
Stock Bottom End L5P Goes 10’s On Fuel
Dyno numbers are great and all—but validating those numbers at the track carries a lot more weight. Having cleared a fuel-only 1,156 hp on the company SuperFlow, All In Truck Performance’s Neal Driedger took his ’19 GMC to the drag strip over the weekend. There, his stock bottom end L5P Duramax covered the quarter-mile in 10.93 seconds at a blazing 130 mph. Not only did the fuel-only pass back up his dyno numbers, but with the 24×11’s and Toyo Proxes still in place the truck looked good doing it. In case you were wondering, Neal’s Sierra is the same factory sealed L5P-powered truck that made a nitrous-assisted 1,579 hp and 1,993 lb-ft on the dyno back in the spring.
Emissions
Rolling Coal = Disorderly Conduct
In northern Illinois, an 18-year-old man is headed to trial for allegedly “rolling coal” on a crowd of protestors. According to local news outlet, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner, witnesses claim Nicholas Thompson intentionally blew exhaust smoke on a crowd gathered as part of a Families First protest along Route 31 in McHenry, Illinois back on July 26th. Following the incident, and with proof that his second-gen Cummins had in fact emitted an abundance of black smoke, Thompson was located by local authorities and charged with disorderly conduct. Thompson has pleaded not guilty, and as a result will receive a bench trial on January 6th. Witnesses have been encouraged to be present.
Written by Mike McGlothlin
