Resetting The 6.0L Bar

For several years now, Charlie Fish and Austin Denny have been trading the quickest eighth-mile 6.0L Power Stroke record back and forth. Over the weekend, it was Charlie’s turn to reclaim the elapsed time record. Competing at the NHRDA World Finals, Charlie piloted the KC Turbos’ single cab Super Duty known as “Haunter” to a 5.12-second pass at 134 mph—beating out the previous ET record (held by Denny) of 5.19. Charlie would later back it up with a 5.13 at 133 mph, proving that his 6.0L is just as reliable at that power level as it is quick. Perhaps even more impressive is that the nitrous-fed, HEUI-fired Power Stroke sees just 1,450 degrees on the pyrometer during each pass.

Drag Racing

NHRDA World Finals

After a four-year hiatus, the NHRDA World Finals is back! And it’s still at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas. The season finale, which featured a monster-size truck show, expansive vendor’s midway, and a truck pull (in addition to the champion-crowning drag race), consumed the entire weekend of September 15-17. In the Pro Street category, the aforementioned Charlie Fish brought home the hardware in his 5-second, 6.0L Power Stroke. Over in Super Street (the NHRDA’s version of 5.90 Index), 5.90 veteran Brett Marcum got the win. And in the Sportsman class (ET Bracket), Indiana-native Robin Ridgway not only won the event but also wrapped up the 2023 NHRDA points championship in the process.

Unexpected Catastrophe

One of the more recognizable high-end trucks on the diesel drag racing scene belongs to Logan Yelton of Loganbuilt. His eye-catching, immaculate jet black first-gen coined “The Fossil” is one of the few 5.90 or quicker trucks still sporting a mechanically injected 12-valve Cummins. Unfortunately, a recent test hit at the track resulted in a pop roughly 40-feet into his pass, which was quickly traced back to a rod failure by way of the quarter-size hole in the block you see here. The extent of the damage is yet to be discovered, but Logan is hopeful that the camshaft and all top-end parts are salvageable. One thing is for sure: the truck will be back and Logan will not be going common-rail.

OEM

2024 Duramax Tuning Is In The Works!

We already know the ’24 Duramax is a beast, but the folks at PPEI are fixing to make them even more enjoyable. The Louisiana-based company is in the process of developing emissions-friendly engine and transmission tuning to help wake up what is easily the most powerful generation of GM HD’s ever produced. According to PPEI owner, Kory Willis, the 10-speed Allison tuning in the ’24 HDs is a great starting point, but that there is definitely room for improvement. In fact, it’s not uncommon for the converter to partially slip when the new Duramax is lugged. Look for that (and many other things) to be addressed with PPEI’s coming transmission tuning.

UAW Strike Update

At midnight last Thursday, thousands of UAW employees officially went on strike in one of the largest walk-outs in union labor history. Roughly 12,700 UAW workers initiated a coordinated strike that targeted three key assembly plants, one from each of The Big Three. So far, the strike has brought production to a standstill at plants in Michigan, Missouri and Ohio—plants that assemble the popular Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler and Chevrolet Colorado. With the prospect of either side reaching an agreement in the near future low, we could be in for a lengthy shutdown, and one that only picks up steam in the days and weeks ahead…