The first stop on our Midwest tour this summer brought us to La Porte, Indiana, for the 2009 Truck and Tractor Nationals. The goal of the event was to present a family-oriented exposition showcasing nearly everything the automotive enthusiast would want to see. Best of all, it provided yet another venue for diesels to perform in, and do so in front of the masses.
In its inaugural year, this event featured a monster truck show, where the diesel-powered Hushpower competed against Bigfoot. Spectators could also watch diesel sled pulls that were run by the National Association of Diesel Motorsports (NADM). If that wasn't enough competition, the mud bog allowed another place for diesel and gas to battle it out. Many took a break from the action to visit the diesel-specific vendors, which rounds off the list of what La Porte had to offer.
 Action Machine was on hand...  Action Machine was on hand showcasing its custom driveshaft samples, U-joints, end yokes, slip yokes, and more. |  The Hushpower truck was parked...  The Hushpower truck was parked next to NADM's booth the entire weekend... |  ...except for when it was...  ...except for when it was out mixing it up with the other monster trucks. |
 After losing control of all...  After losing control of all electronics on the starting line, Joe Occhipinti's Overfueled suffered some steering issues while blasting down the track. However, it did make for a heck of a photo! Joe finished Sixth in Super Street with a distance of 287 feet. |  AirDog's booth was packed...  AirDog's booth was packed all weekend with bystanders curious to see a live simulation of its new fuel preporator (AirDog II) system in action. Also on display were its fuel module upgrade kit for Dodges, Raptor fuel pumps, and all of its custom hardware components. |  Ben Duvall had a strong-running...  Ben Duvall had a strong-running truck all weekend. His '07 common-rail Dodge took the win in the 2.6 class, and he also stole the show the day before, during the exhibition pull. |