Heads-up racing, truck and tractor pulling, a dyno competition, a sprawling show ‘n shine, a busy burnout road, and thrashing in the pits… There is never a dull moment at the Hub City Dirt Drags.
In case you didn’t know, much more happens at the Hub City Dirt Drags than the name implies. A lot more. On both Friday night and Saturday, top-caliber trucks and tractors hook to the sled—and this year more than 170 vehicles hit the dirt. Then comes the hundreds of trucks entered in the sold-out show ‘n shine, the fan dyno, a very busy burnout road, some of the most respected names in the diesel industry and, of course, the thousands of spectators that show up to take it all in.
From exotic engines and hard parts, to a new chassis dyno record, to all the dirt slinging that took place out on the track, take a look at the best-of-the-rest from the 2026 Hub City Dirt Drags.
After a Fifth Place finish the night before, Brandon Lucht bounced back in a big way on Saturday. During his hook in the Open Diesel Trucks class, Brandon’s late third-gen Super Stock Cummins built more than 32 mph worth of ground speed and moved the sled 335.36 feet to take the win. Brandon’s “Nightmare” Dodge hails from Loyal, Wisconsin (just two hours up the road from the Hub City event) and represents Advanced Diesel Performance. You can find Brandon’s cut tire monstrosity competing at select PPL and NTPA events throughout the year.Dirty Hooker Diesel had a big presence at this year’s Hub City event. On top of their track-side booth (more on what we found there below), DHD’s “Cheap Hooker” took care of business in the dirt. Following the damage incurred from a fuel fire at a pull over the summer, the cut tire Silverado showed up sporting fresh paint and a completely polished engine under the hood. The truck turned in a Second Place finish in the 3.6 Pro Stock Diesel Truck class on Friday, then edged out Scheid Diesel’s Brady Ingram (in the “Hammer Down” Ford) with a 307.56-foot distance on Saturday.Because even concrete filled LML blocks crack… After teasing about it back in the spring, DHD officially let the cat out of the bag on this crankcase at the Hub City Dirt Drags. DHD owner, Tony Burkhard, has partnered with renowned V-8 innovator, Steve Morris Engines, on a billet Duramax block—and it’s a work of art. The first thing we noticed were the splayed main caps, something we’ve never really seen in the performance diesel segment before. But that’s not all. DHD hinted that a set of billet heads are next…We’ve seen this one before: RayJay Rindt putting on a clinic in the Pro Street diesel truck class. Rindt’s 2.6-inch smooth bore Dodge swept the weekend, beating out 11 other trucks on Friday night and nine others on Saturday. The “Wicked White Knight” moved the sled 340.96 feet in session 1, and 359.62 feet in session 2—a performance that saw a best-in-class 32.3 mph ground speed and a distance nearly 17 feet out in front of Second Place. RayJay and his hard-charging third-gen are regulars on the Wisconsin Tractors Pullers Association circuit, and finished Fourth in points for 2026.It was the final hook of the year for Jeff Helt and his “Ram Tough” second-gen. And despite his ’01 Dodge being a purpose-built Limited Pro Stock (3.0 smooth bore) truck, Jeff tried his hand in the Open Diesel Trucks class—where Super Stocks and Pro Stocks were mixing it up. In both sessions the Limited Pro held its own, with Jeff traveling 291 feet and change on Friday night (Sixth Place) and 303.46 feet on Saturday. The power plant under the hood of Jeff’s Fair Valley supported second-gen is a 12-valve 5.9L Cummins that was built years ago (and has yet to be cracked open for a refresh) by fellow puller, Joshua Stahl.Within the ranks of the Southwest WI Pullers’ Work Stock diesel truck class it’s hard to keep up with the Duramax-powered HD’s campaigned by Dan and Heather Clarke of Dan’s Diesel Performance. Right out of the gate at Hub City, Heather’s ’02 LB7 set the tone with a 350-plus foot effort, which she turned down. When it was Dan’s turn to pull, he and his ’05 Silverado stormed out to a First Place, 373.95-foot distance. Though her second attempt bested Dan’s ground speed (and tapped 30 mph), Heather would end up second with a 367.43-foot encore performance. For the first time ever, this dynamic husband-and-wife duo tied for First Place in the Southwest WI Pullers season points chase.Scheid Diesel sent two pullers to Hub City. One was the battle-tested ’96 Dodge and the other was Jim Mulrooney’s “Hammer Down” Ford. The former (shown) was driven by Trenton Ingram in the Open Diesel class, while Brady Ingram handled the Blue Oval’s driving duties in 3.6 Pro Stock. Trenton drove the Scheid second-gen to a Fourth Place finish on Friday night, finishing behind the likes of Ryan Dedolph (First), Ryan Funk (Second), and Steve Blodgett (Third). On Saturday, Trenton was able to put a faster pass together (32.2 mph) and move the sled further, going 329.71 feet and ending up in third.Warren Diesel Injection is a huge supporter of the Hub City event, and the western Pennsylvania company brings a diverse crowd of pullers, drag racers, dyno slayers, and show trucks to Wisconsin each fall. For 2026, and with the help of SC Diesel Repair’s Ivan Stoltzfus, Warren’s UCC/Pro Mod truck—a HEUI-fired, nitrous-huffing, 6,000-rpm 6.0L (billet block 7.0L)—was strapped to the Northwest Dyno Series SuperFlow Saturday morning. Unlike 2025, the big single charger held on during the hit and the truck made an incredible 2,390 hp, establishing a new overall horsepower record for all Power Stroke platforms.Once Burnout Road opens, there is never a dull moment. For hours, business was steady, with one truck after another leaving its mark on the 300-foot concrete slab. Positioned near the show ‘n shine and within quick walking distance of the chassis dyno, this was the place to be for the younger crowd. Overheating, blown head gaskets, under hood fires, hurt engines, and obliterated tires are all in a days’ work at this Hub City attraction, with music, drinks, and food even on tap. According to Backwoods Beats Mobile DJs, at one point some 67 vehicles were lined up, waiting their turn to roast tires.Full Disclosure: We love V-8 powered tractors. And we might just love this Pro Stock the most. Freshly debuted just weeks before the Hub City event, Chris Feller brought his perfectly executed creation coined “Heavy Metal” out to Richland Center to make a couple passes. Within the Challenger 1050 body something extraordinary exists. How about a 3208 CAT-based engine with a forged-steel block and reverse-flow heads! At the front of the valley sits an inline pump from Wimer, and just above it to the left you’ll find a massive turbo with a 6.25-inch inducer (Chris left the 6.7-inch snail at home this weekend). Chris and team were still working out the new build bugs at the event (it kept pulling to the right), but that didn’t keep Heavy Metal from going 318 feet on one of its two attempts.When you offer multiple piston, rod, and other hard part combinations in the engines you build, it’s hard to convey that to the average spectator. So why not showcase all of them in a cutaway long block? This cutaway Cummins was on display at the KD Customs/Duernberger Diesel Service booth, and it displayed everything on the menu. But that’s not even the best part. The rotating assembly turns and the valvetrain is fully functional. The crank spins 40 rpm while the oil pump supplies 5-psi of oil pressure. And on the driver side, there’s even a window into the block so you can watch the cam operate. Catch it action here.Of course, there were dirt drags on the docket at Hub City, and the event marked the final stop along the 2026 Diesel Drag Series tour. With a runner-up finish (second to Logan Olson), Daden Oberbreckling was able to sew up the Hot Street class championship for the year—along with receiving a $2,500 check. Consistency paved the way for Daden’s success, with a Fourth Place finish at the first race back in the spring, a win at the Southern Ohio Smoke Show, a Second Place at the North Iowa Truck Fest, and the runner-up finish mentioned above. Daden’s first-gen—a D250 he converted to four-wheel drive and also swapped a Dana 80 rear into—sports a P-pumped 12-valve 5.9L Cummins, compound turbos, and a Firepunk 47RE.
