HEADLINES: Dominating The Dirt
Pulltown USA, King of the VE’s and Horsepower in Horse Country highlight a jam-packed weekend in diesel motorsports.
Tim Tuttle's Common Cents Cummins storms to the front of the Limited Pro Stock diesel truck class.
It’s the height of event season, there’s no doubt about that. And for Limited Pro Stock Diesel Truck pullers there is usually a place to hook to the sled every other night. Last week, Tim Tuttle, the owner of the common-rail Cummins known as “Common Cents,” put his Dodge in the winner’s circle at the 2023 Missouri State Fair. Over the weekend, Tim traveled down to Shelbyville, Kentucky to get in on the 2-day, Horsepower In Horse Country affair, where he took Seventh Place on Friday then earned the win the following evening. He’s currently sitting third in a very tight points race.
Dyno
The Baddest VE In The Land
As proof that big advancements have been made on the rotary-pumped VE platform in recent years, a group of first-gen Cummins owners descended on Firepunk Diesel over the weekend. The goal? Break the VE horsepower record on the rollers. In the end, Gavin Huke blew past the 972-rwhp record with a nitrous-assisted, 1,179-rwhp effort (his first-gen also cleared an impressive 717-rwhp on fuel). Even the man who’d owned the VE record for the past 11 years—former Associate Editor of Diesel Power Magazine, Jason Sands—traveled more than 2,000 miles to be at the show. In beating his 972-rwhp figure, Sands (left) rightfully handed his “King VE” license plate to the new king.
Pulltown USA
Kent Crowder Earns “The” Ring
Scheid Diesel’s Kent Crowder has racked up a lot of wins in the Super Stock Diesel Truck class over the years, but this may be the one he never forgets. The National Tractor Pulling Championships held in Bowling Green, Ohio is the most coveted event in the sport of truck and tractor pulling. Winning here is what every driver dreams of. The icing on the cake is that several Scheid customers were in hot pursuit of Kent’s distance, ultimately finishing in the Top 5. This weekend, Kent will be competing against the Super Stocks on his home turf at the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza.
Drag Racing
New Venue Added To 2024 ODSS Schedule
The Outlaw Diesel Super Series is expanding into Florida next season. The organization’s official season opener will be held at Orlando Speed World from April 5-7. While the 2024 schedule has yet to be released, we can only hope that Rudy’s Spring Truck Jam will follow this race, along with Bowling Green, Kentucky remaining on the circuit. If the latter holds true, diesel motorsport fans could be looking at eight events next year. With many ODSS drivers based in the northern portion of the country (always looking for a chance to escape the cold), look for the race in Florida to yield a big turnout.
Carnage
‘19+ Cummins Hydraulic Lifter Failure
You’ve heard of the horror stories associated with Cummins’ changeover to hydraulic lifters for the ’19 engines—and now, thanks to a video posted by Firepunk Diesel, you can see why so many are reverting back to solid lifters. The truck this lifter came out of was a ’21 Ram with just 140,000 miles on the clock. Lifter failure was immediately suspected due to the engine’s constant tick. Upon pulling the engine and cam, the guys at Firepunk found a chewed up cam lobe and lifter roller. When it goes back together, solid lifters, OEM adjustable rockers, and new pushrods will get the call, courtesy of Wagler Competition Products’ 2019+ Cummins hydraulic lifter conversion kit.
