Tyler Upton has been around racing his whole life. His family owns one of the biggest diesel performance companies in the country, he's practically grown up at the dragstrip, he's raced the 505hp '05 GMC Duramax truck you see here more than 35 times-and he just got his driver's license!
Learning Curve
Most of us remember what it was like learning to drive. Some of our younger readers may even be going through the process right now. It can be a nerve-wracking event-learning to maneuver a car for the first time, park, back up, and drive on the highway. But it's nothing compared to running your first quarter-mile drag race before you can legally drive on the street.
When your driving instructors are some of the biggest names in the diesel industry, learning to race doesn't necessarily come easy, but for Tyler Upton, it did come naturally. If you're into diesel motorsports at all, you know the name TS Performance.
Dennis and Sheila Perry have built a mecca of diesel performance under the TS banner, and their son Tyler Upton is a testament to their success.
The TS Performance race team campaigns a host of race trucks and drivers, and Tyler is joining their ranks by beginning his racing career in the E.T. Bracket Class.
When we spoke to Tyler about his racing experience, we noticed he's already developed the cool confidence that race car drivers and fighter pilots share.
 Danny Taylor, of Taylor Automotive...  Danny Taylor, of Taylor Automotive Art, sprayed the lemon yellow, tangerine, Porsche Red, and Sonic Blue DuPont paint on the truck. Then he went back over the GMC with silver, white, black, and blue airbrushed highlights to create the beveled-edge chrome effect and rivets behind the flames. |  Larger than life and more...  Larger than life and more permanent than a tattoo, the TS Performance team colors are a badge of honor. Tyler is the newest teammate and youngest member of the TS race program, which includes Kevin Meredith (driver of Caged Fury), Joel Greathouse (driver of She Devil), Barry Phillippi (driver of The Patriot), Greg Hunt (driver of Double Overtime), and crew chief Craig Colburn. |  Tyler's LLY Duramax has been...  Tyler's LLY Duramax has been prepped for bracket racing with a Fleece Performance Engineering 71mm Cheetah turbo, a TS Performance MP-8 module, TTS tuning and dual lift pumps, 40hp Dynomite Diesel injectors, an AFE Stage II air intake, and a 4-inch MBRP exhaust system. This bulletproof combination is backed by a Sun Coast Stage IV transmission with billet shafts and put down 505 hp on TS Performance's SuperFlow load-cell dyno. |