The annual 3-day adrenaline rush returns—and the 10th anniversary was nothing short of explosive.
In competitor turnout, spectator attendance, and overall scope and size, Ultimate Callout Challenge is the biggest motorsport-related event in the diesel industry. Held at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and combined with the ODSS Outlaw Diesel Revenge race, it brings thousands of show-goers, hundreds of competitors, and dozens of top-tier manufacturers to a historic venue for three straight days of extreme competition. Now add in the fact that this was UCC’s 10th anniversary—as well as ground zero for the $70,000-to-win Seventy 2 Fast race (more on that soon)—and you start to see why 2026 was so big.
At UCC X, past UCC champions Justin Zeigler and Ken Bruner showed up to compete, while last year’s champ, Josh McCormack, was in town lending a hand to UCC newcomer, Myer Stump, and others. Returning entrants included Tim Moore, Michael Brown, Colt Carter, Robby Garcia, Austin Denny, Patrick Brown, and Cody Hawk. Rookie year entries representing the next generation of UCC champion hopefuls included Tristan DeVries, Jake Rodriguez, Johnny Hooper, Steven Lucero, and 19-year-old Edge Thompson. With 4-second eighth-miles, multiple trucks clearing 3,000 hp on the dyno, and a dominant cut-tire performance in the dirt, UCC X brought new records, fresh blood, and a few explosions to Indy.
Drag Race
Cool, calm, collected, and determined. First-time UCC competitor Myer Stump came out swinging. The first drag race pass he made in his common-rail Cummins-powered second-gen put a 5.14 at 153 mph on the board. Later in the day, and during the second (and final) time trial, Myer would go 4.90 at 155 mph—which is knocking on the door of the 4.88-second 1/8-mile record for a 48RE transmission. Under the hood, a nitrous-fed, compound turbo’d, wet deckplate 6.4L Cummins from Power Driven Diesel was subjected to 144-psi of boost and never skipped a beat. Back in the pits, 2025 UCC champion Josh McCormack was in Myer’s corner.If this truck looks familiar, it’s because it should. This ’06 Ram once belonged to Firepunk Diesel’s Lavon Miller and it won the first three UCC’s ever held back in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Under the ownership of Justin Zeigler, it tacked another UCC title onto its resume in 2022—including a wild, 3,336 hp dyno performance (and in what was actually Justin’s second UCC win). With that kind of history behind the truck, it only made sense that Justin should compete in UCC X. And because of the truck’s backstory and Justin’s current mission of making it the quickest 4×4 diesel truck in the world (sub 4.40s in the 1/8-mile), he was an obvious favorite in the drag race and dyno portions of this year’s show.Those on hand for Thursday’s test session knew Justin Zeigler’s Exergy-fueled and Firepunk-tuned hot-rod had the potential to set a new UCC high mark. After all, he had already gone 4.95 through the eighth after completely lifting at the 330-foot mark… Predictably, Zeigler made a statement right out of the gate, sending his regular cab Dodge through the ‘660 in 4.65 seconds at a healthy 169 mph. While no one had the ability to match that pass, Justin returned to the staging lanes anyway for the second time trial. There, he pushed the UCC record even deeper into the 4’s while also recording a new personal best: a 4.57 at 171 mph. At 4,200 pounds, that trap speed means more than 3,000 hp was applied to the track.Thanks to Tim Moore and the Poor Boys Diesel Performance team from Arizona, Justin Zeigler and Myer Stump were in good company. On its first voyage down the track, the Poor Boys Mega Cab went 5.05 at 147 mph (the truck’s best 2025 pass was a 5.41). A few hours later, Tim and crew put a 5.01 on the board. Who knows, with a third time trial we might’ve seen another Cummins in the 4’s… But while the truck’s drag strip performance was downright impressive, no one could’ve prepare themselves for what this S&S fueled, MoTeC stand-alone controlled and TSD-blessed common-rail third-gen would do the following day while strapped to the rollers.
Dyno
Bright and early on Day 2, and following Tristan DeVries’ formidable 1,543hp effort on the Northwest Dyno Series SuperFlow, the 2024 UCC winner was strapped to the rollers. Ken Bruner wasted no time putting up a huge number. Not only did his 3,098hp performance make him the newest member of the 3,000 hp club, but it set the bar extremely high. In years past, this kind of power could’ve easily been enough to win the dyno portion of UCC. However, 2026 was a whole new ballgame and Ken’s impressive run was merely a sign of things to come later in the day.Myer Stump made a monster number on the dyno. How about an ultra smooth, drama-free 3,620 hp! And to top it off, he squeezed it through a 48RE. Not bad for an old, 440,000-mile farm truck transformed into a dyno-melting, 4-second, ¾-ton rocket ship. In addition to Power Driven Diesel, Myer’s build got a helping hand from some of the best in the business: Goerend Transmission, Exergy Performance, Scheid Diesel, Hot Shot’s Secret, Firepunk Diesel, Dynomite Diesel Products, Wagler, Colt Cams, AirDog, and Black Tie Race Fab. At this point during UCC, we weren’t sure Myer’s showing would be topped in the horsepower department—even with Justin Zeigler and Tim Moore on deck.Then came Tim Moore’s date with destiny. Aboard the rollers, the Poor Boys Diesel Performance Mega Cab stole the show with a UCC record-setting 3,825 hp. Incredibly, the team made it happen on a cast-iron block. Part of their crankcase-saving, dyno-winning execution came from the use of a big single turbo rather than compounds. The GT57-based 107mm charger from Stainless Diesel took the well-timed hit of nitrous like a champ and provided more airflow than the 98mm version they were running on the drag strip. Here you can see Northwest Dyno Series owner and operator, Kody Pulliam, congratulating Tim on the historic run.After Jake Rodriguez’s catastrophic engine failure on the rollers, Justin Zeigler provided some additional fireworks. We hated seeing it, but at 172-psi of boost (and with a boatload of 4-second passes on the clock) the intercooler that sits in front of his billet-aluminum, Wagler-built Cummins blew apart—and it brought a bit of collateral damage with it (think valvetrain). Thankfully, the damage was nothing too extensive. Staying true to his all-or-nothing style and having a number like 3,825hp to chase, Justin was swinging for the fences. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out this time. It is worth noting that his Dodge was already making 1,750 hp when all hell broke loose.Thursday during testing, Cody Hawk ran a personal best in his fire-breathing Duramax: a 5.46-second 1/8-mile. Unfortunately, the truck wasn’t as happy leaving the line when it mattered on Friday and Cody had to settle for a 6.72-second pass. Looking to redeem himself on Saturday, Cody and team brought the “party” tune-up to the dyno. But after blowing the wastegates wide open on the first run (and then capping them), a bent shaft on the high-pressure turbo limited the second attempt to 1,996 hp. A strong number for the Duramax camp, for sure, but less than Cody made in 2025 and not enough to keep pace with all the Cummins competition. Look for Cody to go low 5’s (or high 4’s), put up 2,500-plus hp, and move the sled further in 2027.
Sled Pull
Following a complete frame swap in the pits, which consisted of Power Driven’s old dual rear cut/rear Rockwell 145 axle arrangement from UCC 2017, Myer Stump’s ’96 Dodge was ready for Day 3. Simply put, he dominated in the dirt. With the sled eased out of the hole, Myer poured on the power smooth and consistently, with all six cuts never failing to take big bites out of the track. Things culminated in a cloud of dust well beyond the full pull mark, with Myer having moved the iron sleigh 355 feet. It’s a performance that put the exclamation point on his UCC 2026 endeavor. He’d won it.Ken Bruner’s Second Place effort in the sled pull was like watching his 2024 performance all over again, at least in terms of distance. This time, his 3,000hp third-gen covered 319 feet worth of ground vs. 317 feet in 2024. Although it didn’t get him the win, Ken’s 5.27 at 140 mph from Day 1 (4th), the 3,098 hp made on the dyno on Day 2 (3rd), and his full pull finale proved he still has what it takes to survive the event and finish near the top (Second Place overall). Behind the scenes, a Freedom Racing Engines Cummins, DDP injectors, Hardway tuning, and backing from Capital Diesel Performance helped make him a top contender.With a Third Place in the drag race and the top spot on the dyno, the points were tight heading into the sled pull—and even after Myer Stump’s incredible hook, mathematically Tim Moore still had a shot at the overall win. Unfortunately, driveline breakage shortly after the start ended any chances of that happening. Tim’s 100-foot pull dropped him to Fourth Place overall for 2026—but he didn’t leave town without making a few headlines. How about third at the dragstrip and a resounding First Place on the dyno! If you didn’t know the Poor Boys Diesel Performance name before UCC X, you certainly do now.
