PPL truck and tractor pulling, ODSS drag racing, a Terre Haute homecoming and a 30th anniversary party all rolled into one.
In the annals of Scheid Diesel Extravaganza history, 2026 will go down as the year the “Extravaganza” came back to Terre Haute. But it was more than a homecoming. This year also marked the 30th anniversary for SDX—an event that’s become one of the most revered and longest-running affairs in the diesel industry. None of this was lost on truck pullers, who filled the Terre Haute Action Track infield, the drag racers that lined the pits at Wabash Valley Dragway, or the thousands of fans that packed the grandstand and bleachers.
In the dirt, the 2-day (4 session) Pro Pulling League sanctioned truck and tractor pulls saw more than 500 vehicles hook to the sled. Among them were Pro Stock diesel trucks (3.6), Pro Stock and Super Farm tractors, Limited Pro Stock diesel trucks (3.0), Pro Street diesel trucks (2.6), and an incredible 39 Super Stock diesel trucks. To our knowledge, the 2026 Scheid Diesel Extravaganza attracted the largest field of Super Stock diesel trucks ever assembled. Take it from us, watching 3,500-plus hp machines pound the earth for three straight hours is a sight to behold.
At the drag strip, more than 110 Outlaw Diesel Super Series drivers took to the 1/8-mile for heads-up, index, and bracket racing. Michael Cordova’s 3-second rail, Justin Zeigler’s 4-second Dodge, and Rudy’s new Pro Mod Mustang gave fans a taste of what wicked-fast diesels can do while drag race ride-alongs allowed spectators to go down the track as passengers. Nightfall on Friday brought a highly anticipated gas vs. diesel shootout, with a host of 5.90 and 6.70 Index trucks mixing it up with local race cars.
If you were there, you know. In fact, how could you forget? In a field chock full of the highest caliber pulling trucks on the planet, no one could touch Cummins Killer III at this year’s Scheid Diesel Extravaganza. The triple-turbo, mechanically injected, Duramax-based, billet-aluminum Wagler V-8 that’s driven and maintained by Craig Dickey proved unbeatable. Both nights, Craig put the 4,500hp GMC out front—winning by 6 feet on Friday, and 6 feet again on Saturday. Losing the battle but winning the war, Jon Woskob and his “Rollin’ Coal” Dodge were able to sew up the PPL Champions Tour points title with strong finishes at SDX.An early hook at a nighttime pull doesn’t often work in your favor, but despite being the 10th truck to pull, Scheid Diesel’s second-gen Super Stock still managed to hold on for a 14th Place finish on Friday night. With second generation driver, Trenton Ingram, behind the wheel, the ’96 Dodge moved the sled 316.47 feet. A member of the big single club, it packs a 5-inch Hart’s turbo—along with the full Scheid Diesel catalog. That means Scheid’s billet-aluminum block and head, the company’s 16mm injection pump, and its in-house, billet triple-feed injectors.There’s an interesting story associated with the “Hammer Down” Ford, another Super Stock truck benefiting from a Scheid Diesel power plant. The heart of this Super Duty is the same billet block and head Cummins that used to power John Robinson’s dragster down the drag strip. Owned by West Coast puller, Jim Mulrooney, the truck is living in the Midwest at the present time and is being driven and maintained by the folks at Scheid. At SDX 30, Brady Ingram handled the driving duties and moved the sled 309 feet Friday evening.On the same entertainment level as the Super Stock tractors, it doesn’t get any better than watching the 10,000-pound Pro Stocks storm down the track. Building on the road Brandon Coates built right before him in the “Fuelin’ The Fire” John Deere, Jeremy Wagler moved the sled 8 feet further in the “Real Deere” (shown), going 377 feet and change on Friday evening. On Saturday, Brandon Coates’ 8330 Deere finished third, behind Ryan Coates’ “Dealin’ With Fire” (second) and Brandon Simon’s green machine coined “Loud & Heavy.”The Limited Pro Stock diesel truck class (3.0 smooth bore) is one of the most competitive categories in the country, with virtually any driver capable of winning any given event. However, at the Extravaganza the Cummins-powered Dodges campaigned by Landen Perkins and Coty Bader were on another level. Trading wins, Coty drove the “Full Bore” third-gen to victory on Friday (his 348.14-foot distance beating Landon’s Second Place, 346.56-foot effort), with Landen’s “Perkins Brothers” second-gen returning the favor Saturday night, besting Coty by mere inches (341.83 feet vs. 341.65 feet). To top things off, Landen finished first in both of his qualifying sessions.Competitors from as far away as Texas and Louisiana showed up to battle it out in the Pro Stock diesel truck category (3.6 smooth bore). On both nights, 21 trucks dug into the Terre Haute Action Track dirt, and you’re looking at Saturday’s winner. The “Outta Hand” Chevy was driven by Jon Strandlie, a Wisconsin-based Bow Tie benefiting from a Scheid Diesel-built Cummins. It spends its summers running the Badger State Tractor Pullers circuit. The night before, Will Christopher earned the Pro Stock win in the “High Roller” Dodge out of Kentucky.40 Pro Street diesel truck entries were on the docket at SDX, and qualifying sessions were held each afternoon to decide which 16 made the cut for the nighttime show. In this class, engines are forced to breathe through a 2.6-inch (66mm) smooth bore turbo, trucks have to run a single rear wheel arrangement, and be equipped with DOT-approved tires. It was a successful Friday for longtime Pro Street competitor, Lane Aldrich and his Freedom-powered second-gen. After laying down a First Place qualifying distance during the day, he and the “Smokin’ Goat” Cummins returned that night and turned in a Second Place, 342.53-foot performance (Ethen Schneider would get the win in the “Unashamed” Ram).For the first time in the history of the Scheid event, an Open Farm tractor class was held. Organized by Open Farm Stock puller, Reuben Spicer, the invitational pull commenced after the conclusion of diesel truck qualifying on Saturday afternoon. The stock-appearing, 12,500-pound class (11,000 pounds for those running double cut tires) limited tractors to 3,000 rpm and attracted a mix of John Deere, IH, and Allis Chalmers iron. Here, Reuben Spicer’s “Last Ride” John Deere moves the Bungart Motorsports sled down the track. He and his 5020 would end up finishing just 0.06 of a foot behind the winner.Just north of the dirt oval, the fourth race on the 2026 Outlaw Diesel Super Series circuit was underway. Like the truck and tractor pull venue, this was the first time the drag racing portion of SDX had taken place here (Wabash Valley Dragway) since 2019, and 112 drivers were signed up to compete. Justin Zeigler and the ’06 Dodge known as “Dirty Diana” fought traction issues all weekend, but despite his troubles Justin and team ultimately prevailed in the Pro Truck class. The win makes it two in a row for the 4-second truck many believe will eventually surpass Derek Rose’s 4×4 1/8-mile record (4.41).Another deep 4-second contender that struggled to find traction in Terre Haute was Austin Doidge’s common-rail second-gen. Throughout the weekend, Austin found himself pulling more and more out of his Exergy-fueled D&J Enforcer to get the truck to make a clean A-to-B pass. By the finals, Austin felt like he finally had things figured out. Unfortunately, his sub-4,000-pound, 4×4 Dodge would run over fuel on the track and break traction again—not something you want to have happen when you’re up against Justin Zeigler. Even so, Austin left Indiana second in the Pro Truck class points chase.In between qualifying for 6.70 Index, the folks at Outlaw Diesel Performance made a few test passes for the upcoming Seventy 2 Fast race in Texas (the one paying out $100,000 to the winner). On Friday afternoon, driver John Roberson put a 6.18 at 111 mph on the board. Not only does the bottom 6-second 1/8-mile pass make this Super Duty one of the quickest 6.7L Power Strokes in existence, but also one of the quickest 6R140-shifted Fords in the land. Look for the Outlaw crew to find a few more tenths before they head to Texas.There was a bit of S&S on S&S crime in the last round of 5.90 Index. After a full day of close racing, Ryan Reiser and Brett Marcum met up in the final. Power Stroke (6.7L) vs. Cummins, Ford vs. Dodge, and first in points vs. second in points. It was actually a rematch from Outlaw Diesel Revenge in Indy, where hot-lapping took its toll on the 48RE in Brett’s third-gen, giving Ryan a crucial win. This time it was Brett turning the win light on and creating some space in the overall points standings heading into the next race, Trucks Unleashed.A new crankshaft option just hit the market for Duramax owners. Southern Illinois Crankshaft, a company with roots in high-end diesel tractor pulling and that’s known to work with Wagler Competition Products, has produced a billet performance crankshaft for the Duramax platform. Made from USA-sourced, aircraft quality 4340 billet-steel, its crankshaft is fully counterweighted with eight counterweights, is core heat-treated, and also induction heat-treated for optimum bearing surface hardness. Additionally, the crankshaft is micro-polished to decrease friction, improve performance, and increase longevity. According to Southern Illinois Crankshaft, custom strokes are also available. This could be a game changer in the Duramax world.No, we didn’t steal Michael Asher’s show-stopping second-gen and drive it to Tucson. The setting sun was just that perfect in Terre Haute. Less than 24 hours after we took this photo, Michael’s ’01 Ram earned the “Best Dodge” award at the Extravaganza’s show ‘n shine. Mr. Asher took home a First Place plaque and a cool $400 in cash. The truck itself is immaculate inside and out, with refinished, Katzkin leather seats, Top Gun Customz upper and lower control arms, and a VP44-fueled 5.9L Cummins 24-valve that purrs like a kitten thanks to E&M Repair & Fabrication.The terms “perfect execution” and “work of art” came to mind when we spotted Justin Ferrell’s diesel-powered dentside Ford. A rust-free, 1979 crew cab body sourced from California sits on a 2016 Super Duty chassis that’s been cut down to accommodate a 6.7L Power Stroke—which has been graced with a host of No Limit Fabrication parts. Top-shelf, PMF Suspension components exist underneath, a full-on, Platinum trim interior makes for a plush experience inside the crew cab, and the attention to detail throughout the build is second-to-none. And who doesn’t love seeing one of these classic Fords sitting on Super Swamper TSL Boggers?!
