Full of smoke and fury, the...
Full of smoke and fury, the Corvette-bodied, biodiesel-fueled jet car driven by Kevin Therres woke up everybody in the stands, even those wearing earplugs. This one also ran in the mid-6s at 246 mph.
Looking at the event overall, and the perspective of five years of oil-burning Blackouts, NADP's Barry Voltner is impressed by the rapid growth of the event, which now awards nearly $35,000 in prize money. "We're seeing more fan participation and more vehicles than ever, with lots more racers and bigger classes. Pro 2 this year was the biggest we've ever seen," he says. "People are now taking more notice of diesels and having fun with 'em. That's what our Annual August Blackout is really all about."
Well, that, and some kind-hearted charity work as well. After noting that a close friend's child was part of the Make-A-Wish program, Voltner approached this Foundation and offered to take some kids down the dragstrip several times in his personal truck. You couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces on the return lane. "They felt like movie stars, smiling and waving," he said. And on a couple runs without the kids, Voltner was also pleased to see his shop's dualie break a personal best, running 12.1 seconds at 114 mph.
Next year, NADP plans to push even harder for more recognition. If the Blackout keeps on growing as it has so far, locals just might have to reconsider Canada's "Great White North" nickname.
 Dr. Performance's 24-valve...  Dr. Performance's 24-valve Cummins operating room was open for drag engine surgery. |  G&J Diesel's DirtyMax ran...  G&J Diesel's DirtyMax ran clean enough to take First Place in Pro Street. On this run, DirtyMax nailed a 10-second pass at 138 mph. |  Harbour City's mobile chassis...  Harbour City's mobile chassis dyno gave everybody a chance to see just how much power they had at the wheels. |
 A special show-'n'-shine area...  A special show-'n'-shine area sponsored by Industrial Injection presented nearly $2,000 in cash awards for the prettiest pickup. First Place went to Dennis Fair's lifted 6.0L Ford F-350 with spiked hubs and a custom Flareside bed. |  The Drever family, which has...  The Drever family, which has been featured in Diesel Power more than once, brought three trucks this year. Their Ram was still the strongest of the lot, running consistently on slicks in the low 10s, and eventually tying with Inkster for Third Place in the Pro Street class. Mike Drever's best time of the day was 9.949 seconds at 140.64 mph. That makes his Ram one of the fastest four-wheel-drive pickups in North America. |  We've heard of problems with...  We've heard of problems with a diesel particulate filter catching fire, but this is a whole other deal entirely. Bruce Andrew's J34 Westinghouse jet-engine-powered rail was just getting warmed up here, before blistering down the track in just over six seconds. |