Dragin" Diesels

[cwilli84]

Trucks
Diesel dragging

The Diesel Hot Rod Association is expanding its schedule due to the increasing popularity of its events.
photo courtesy DHRA
Used to be, this was just a blip on the screen when it came to straight-line competition: A few strips had big-rig events, but that was pretty much it. More recently, however, drag races involving diesel-powered vehicles have become increasingly popular; and why not? Each of the Big Three offers mega-diesel packages for its full-size pickups, aimed primarily at towing, which also work out pretty well when it comes to rapid acceleration.

As evidence, we point to the Diesel Hot Rod Association, which has a schedule for both drag racing and sled pulls. It was formed in 2003, because diesel-powered race trucks (and cars, including rear-engine dragsters) didn’t fit into bracket categories at the longer-standing sanctioning organizations. The DHRA has held national events in Texas and at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, but added a western date last year in Las Vegas. For 2007, the schedule has been expanded to an even dozen events, including one this Saturday at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania, near Reading.

This is absolutely not the same thing as watching a full-size Freightliner or Kenworth lumber its way down the quarter. At the DHRA’s most recent national event, Chris Calkins took Pro Street in his 1970 Chevrolet C10 with a pass of 10.56 at 130.04 mph. At the same go, Andrew Thomas’ turbo Cummins-powered 1998 Dodge Ram ran 12.105 at an even 111 mph to capture Quick Diesel. Interested in blowing some smoke? Check out www.dhraonline.com.