It's Diesel Power Challenge time once again, and readers from all over the country swamped our offices with entry forms. The Dodge contingent was strong, representing more than half of the entries we received. The Duramax crowd had the second-most entries, but the owners seemed serious (many listed having sled pulling and drag racing experience). To round everything out, there were a couple of 600-plus-horsepower Fords in the mix that are poised to be spoilers. Heck, we even had a Mercedes this year. Unfortunately, only 17 contestants will make the cut. The participants will look like this: five Dodges, five Chevys, five Fords, and last year's two winners.
The Perfect Diesel Power Challenge EntryMany people will ask, "Why didn't my truck get picked for Diesel Power Challenge?" or "Why didn't I get picked for Readers' Rides?" Well, the answer isn't all that simple, but here are some helpful hints for sending in a Diesel Power Challenge entry. Write everything clearly, include as much info as possible, and include a nice 4x6 or a CD with a high-resolution digital photo. If the photo is just printed out on a piece of paper, we probably won't be able to use it. It also helps if you have done all of the events-drag racing, sled pulling, and running on a dyno. If you haven't, it doesn't necessarily mean you're out, but having experience definitely helps. If you've sled pulled, tell us what place you finished. If you've drag raced, include a timeslip. If you've been on a dyno, include a graph and specific power figures.
This year, we got a whole bunch of entries from really nasty pulling trucks that were making big power. Problem is, a lot of them were manual transmissions, and the dragstrip and towing test are really hard for manual competitors. Remember, last year's winning dragstrip times were in the low 12s and high 11s, so if you can bang gears in your diesel like it's a sports car, send us the quarter-mile times to prove it. Doing all these things will give you the best possible chance of making it into Diesel Power Challenge or having your truck in the magazine.