2,000 HP, 5-Second 1/8-Miles & Daily Drivable?

Is the Swiss Army knife idea even possible? It is if you have the skills, know-how and mindset to make it happen. After racing a 4-second common-rail second-gen (and securing an ODSS Pro Street championship), and with a Cummins-powered radial car also in his stable, Paul Cato has his sights set on piecing together the ultimate do-everything diesel—and it’s based on the truck he’s owned for nearly two decades. But it’s more than just a plan at this point. In fact, the next time you see this ’07.5 Dodge out and about in the wild, it’ll be sporting a deck-plate 6.7L under the hood—along with all the fuel and air that’s required to meet Paul’s 2,000hp needs…

King Of The Street Challenge 2026

KOS has become a great all-in-one style event for competitive diesel owners over the years, and this year’s King Of the Street Challenge was one of the most exciting to date. Not only did a relatively unknown driver, AJ Santora, get the overall win with his deadly consistent third-gen, but Seventy 2 Fast champion, Matthew Parker, was also on hand and competed on the same 72mm VS Racing turbo that earned him $170,000 in 2026. Rumor has it that Parker sent 1,000 hp worth of nitrous through the little T4 charger before it gave up… And who could forget Lewis Carter’s Cummins-powered OBS service body Ford? Carter would win the drag race portion of KOS and make 2,403 hp on the dyno but forfeited his Third Place award (and payout) to Evan Moser on account of not having the proper safety gear while strapped to the rollers.

At The ‘Strip

Diesels Head South To No Mercy 17

One of the biggest radial tire races of the year kicks off at South Georgia Motorsports Park this week, and a slew of diesels are headed there to mix it up with the spark ignition crowd. Firepunk’s billet D&J Executioner-powered Duster will be signed up in Radial Vs. The World, and the team that holds the current diesel door-slammer record (3.85 at 198 mph) will be gunning for 3.70s. Justin Goode and his fire-breathing Duramax will also be on the grounds at SGMP, and this time Justin and the folks from MTKB Racing are looking to improve on the wild 4.63-second pass they made at Lights Out 17 back in February.

Upcoming In The Dirt

Leitchfield Fall Showdown

The Leitchfield Fall Showdown brings truck and tractor pulling back to Kentucky’s Grayson County Fairgrounds this Friday and Saturday night. Part of the Triple Track Throwdown (Weakland’s, Leitchfield, and Diesels In Dark Corners), where combined distances from six different hooks determine the champion, the Hometown Hangout-presented event brings Super Stock diesel trucks, 3.0 diesel trucks, 2.6 diesel trucks, Light Limited Super Stock tractors, Light Modified tractors, and even 2WD Hot Stock trucks to central Kentucky. The action kicks off at 6 pm both nights and admission runs $20 per adult, $10 for kids aged 6-10, and is free for children 5 and under.

New To Market

L5P Duramax High-Flow Y-Bridge Kit

Engineered to maximize airflow, improve efficiency, and complement everything from a stock truck to a high-horsepower build, Wehrli Custom Fabrication’s new high-flow Y-bridge kit is here. Years of R&D have culminated in an upper intake manifold that delivers 33-percent more airflow than OEM, a product that evenly distributes airflow into the cylinder heads (vs. the 70/30 factory split), fits every model year L5P Duramax (2017-2026), and offers 100-percent emissions-compliance. No aftermarket tuning required, no spacers needed, no special tools, and reengineered MAP sensor mounting to increase sensor life. Of course, WCFab’s high-flow L5P Y-bridges can be had in virtually any powder coat color under the sun. Complete powder coated kits start at $1,195.

Written by Mike McGlothlin