Cummins, Duramax, and Power Stroke. A look inside some of the strongest-running and most consistent rides in diesel drag racing.
Diesel drag racing is as fast-paced and competitive as it’s ever been. And, as the drivers of the trucks spotlighted in this article well-know, living at the technological peak of compression ignition definitely has its benefits. From 7.70 Index to Pro Street, their engine, fuel, turbo, transmission, and chassis arrangements present the perfect mix of tried-and-true with cutting-edge. It’s proof that whether you’re campaigning a Cummins, Duramax, or Power Stroke, electronic or mechanically controlled injection, or a TH400, 4R100, or Allison transmission, there is a recipe capable of carrying you to the top of your preferred racing category.
They don’t come any more determined than Paul Cato. The Maverick Motorsports owner has been campaigning this common-rail second-gen for five years now and things are finally starting to fall into place for him since bumping up to Pro Street. Following a Second Place start to the ODSS season, Paul collected his first Pro Street win at the recent Bluegrass Truck Jam in Kentucky. His ’98 Dodge is back-halved and front-halved, sports a 25.6 roll cage, a fiberglass front clip and fiberglass doors, yet retains a steel cab and bedsides—as well as the factory Dana 70 (with a welded open diff) and Dana 60 axles. Paul tunes the potent Cummins himself, and he’s on the verge of making the truck run 4.90s like clockwork.At the heart of Paul’s Pro Street Dodge rests a common-rail Cummins that’s been assembled and clearance’d by D&J Precision Machine. The competition-ready 6.4L benefits from a No Limit deckplate and girdle, 14mm main and head studs, Wagler rods, D&J FSR pistons, and a valvetrain that features a No Limit 195/221 camshaft and Wagler dual valve springs and pushrods. Here, you can spot the Kingspeed intake plenum, the air-to-air intercooler (complete with a thick, 3.5-inch core), and Hammertech/Wagler Tripler nitrous solenoid and distribution block, complete with a Mega Series Jet arrangement for all three stages of N2O.Aided during staging thanks to a Nitrous Outlet Promod .127 solenoid for spoolup, a 98mm GT55 from Stainless Diesel forces boost into Paul’s 6.4L Cummins. The massive, Garrett-based charger hangs from a Ronin exhaust manifold equipped with two external 45mm TurboSmart wastegates. The engine’s fueling recipe consists of the largest Comp Hybrid injectors Flux Diesel Injection has built to date, and dual 14mm CP3’s from Exergy Performance. Paul is able to fine-tune the engine, pouring on fuel precisely when he wants to, thanks to a MoTeC M142 stand-alone ECU. The final piece of the powertrain puzzle is the Rossler Pro Mod Max TH400 transmission, which is topped off with a Sun Coast/ProTorque billet bolt-together converter and that benefits from an SCS billet transfer case with two-wheel drive disconnect.Mixing it up in 5.90 Index, one of diesel drag racing’s faster categories, you’ll find Nathan Bandstra of Bandstra Diesel Repair. His LLY Duramax once owned the eighth-mile record for a 4×4 Allison-equipped GM (a 5.61) and it’s also a member of the 2,000 hp club according to the rollers. Last year, Nathan traded in the Allison, the most unpredictable transmission to ever grace a pickup truck, for a 4R100 from Brian’s Truck Shop—and he’s never looked back. With more simplicity and consistency now in the picture—not to mention the fact that he finished runner-up at the biggest race of 2024—Nathan could easily make a run at a top three finish this season. He’s currently sitting sixth in points with two races to go.Under the hood of Nathan’s Silverado, things are about as serious as a heart attack. The power plant is a 7.1L stroker from SoCal Diesel, complete with a 4330M billet crank, forged-steel Carrillo rods, and Mahle forged-aluminum pistons. The turbos are large, with the massive, 106mm G57 shown here serving as the low-pressure charger in the compound arrangement. Up in the valley, an 80mm unit gets things started. Both turbos came from VS Racing and boast ball bearing center sections. Big fuel comes by way of a set of 330-percent over, LLY-based injectors from Flux Diesel Injection.Zack Pierce has been lighting things up for the Ford camp in 2024. Not only did he earn the Pro Street win at Outlaw Diesel Revenge, but he also managed a new personal best 5.06-second eighth-mile (at 139.99 mph) and currently sits second in ODSS points. Previously owned by Taylor Overcash, this F-350 once owned the title of being the quickest 4×4 Power Stroke for a period of time. Now, Zack has his sights set on dipping into the 4’s and seeing just how far he can push the 6.4L Power Stroke platform, all with the truck weighted up to 4,400 pounds, no less.Beneath the Atlantic Wraps-covered front clip, Zack’s Pro Street Super Duty boasts a single turbo’d, nitrous-huffing 6.4L Power Stroke. The remote-mount turbo, an externally wastegated Garrett GT50, sports an 85mm compressor wheel. Two remote-mounted K16 high-pressure fuel pumps join forces with a third unit (located in the factory location) and feed a custom set of piezo injectors built by Dynomite Diesel Products. Zack also bumps in and puts all of the 6.4L’s power to the ground thanks to a trans-braked 4R100… The truck’s timeslips indicate that at least 1,700 hp makes it to the ground—but we believe there is quite a bit more left on the table for this wild Blue Oval.Dustin Canter has been knocking on the door of both 7.70 Index and ET Bracket championship runs in the ODSS in recent years. He and his ’01 Silverado 2500 earned a Third Place podium finish in 7.70 for 2021, Third Place overall in the ET Bracket chase in 2022, and ended up fourth in ET points for 2023. It should come as no surprise that Dustin is currently sitting fifth in points in both of the previously mentioned categories. At any given event, you can count on him knifing his way to the semifinal and final rounds of racing.Beneath the S475 over stock HSP compound turbo kit you see here, an LB7 Duramax with a bone-stock bottom end continues to provide Dustin loyal, trouble-free service. A 10mm CP3 sits in place of the factory pump and supplies high-pressure fuel to stock body injectors equipped with 75-percent over nozzles. Consistent low pressure fuel supply comes from a 150-gph AirDog system. Highly refined tuning from MTKB Racing’s Mark Broviak is credited with keeping the factory LB7 short block alive. Dustin’s Allison 1000, also fine-tuned by MTKB Racing, conceals Sun Coast internals and a torque converter spec’d by Kamron Burchette at SMR Performance & Offroad.Daden Oberbreckling could’ve easily traded in his 12-valve for a common-rail when he decided to go drag racing with his first-gen Cummins. After all, the Iowa native had already stripped the truck down to a bare frame when he decided to go forward with the 7.70 Index project. But, in Daden’s own words: “mechanical injection is my passion, and I’m ready for the challenge.” The 5.9L under the hood has been treated to a P-pump conversion, and the engine is backed up by a 47RE (and an Anteater) from Firepunk Diesel. Another neat little tid-bit: Daden converted the truck (a D250) to four-wheel drive and replaced the rear Dana 70 with an 80.Daden’s owner-built 5.9L was pieced together with 14mm main studs, stock forged-steel rods with ARP rod bolts, Industrial Injection fly cut, coated, and chamfered pistons, and a 188/220 camshaft from Hamilton Cams. Up top, the 12-valve head has been machined to accept fire-rings, and also treated to port work and 165-lb valve springs. It anchors to the factory cast-iron block by way of ARP custom age 625+ head studs. Daden also fabricated the turbo piping that makes a Smeding S363 over S480 compound setup work flawlessly—so flawlessly that he says the truck is virtually smokeless, in addition to being completely streetable.A DK Diesel-tweaked P7100 fuel’s the 5.9L’s fire, and the 12mm P-pump feeds a set of custom injectors equipped with 5×0.018-inch nozzles. To run as close to the number as possible, Daden swaps governor springs between rounds in the pits. “So far (the build is less than a year old), I’ve just been playing around with them, making small adjustments,” he told us. “It’s allowed me to move power around in the rpm range, or take some rpm out or add some back in. It’s mostly just tension adjustment via the governor spring collar and shims.” We’d say it’s working. Despite only making it to two ODSS events this year, Daden sits 12th (out of 79 trucks) in 7.70 points.Megatruck mud bogger turned drag racer? Why not! JH Diesel & 4×4’s Justin Hildebrand is trying his hand at the tree in the 6.70 Index category this year, and he’s chose a great platform to help him get the job done. These regular cab, classic body GM’s are lightweight, equipped with the stout AAM 1150 from the factory, and the IFS up front can made rock-solid with the proper reinforcements. According to Justin, the plan is to get his feet wet in 6.70 Index, then bump up to 5.90 and, if all goes well, end up in the Pro Street field eventually. Luckily for Justin, his ¾-ton Silverado is already pretty well gutted and its cage is certified to get him where he needs to be, legally, in Pro Street.Packing a neutral balanced, Comp Race short block from Wagler Competition Products, Justin’s LB7 has all the makings of a bombproof Duramax (internally balanced Callies crank, Wagler billet mains, street girdle, and rods). A single S480—a BatMoWheel-graced charger from Bullseye Power—sits in the valley and is brought to life on the line courtesy of a .035 jet. Exergy 300-percent over injectors fuel the beast, along with a single 14mm CP3, while MTKB Racing fine-tunes the ECM and TCM. The transmission, believe it or not, was initially built back in 2014 and served time in Justin’s dually before being repurposed for this application. The Allison 1000 sports Sun Coast internals and a Goerend Transmission converter.
