After making it to Florida for the 2018 Diesel Thunder Spring Break Drag Race, we had a few days to spare. With that in mind, we added a few different items to our itinerary that we ultimately knew we couldn’t pass up. One of the most important additions to our trip was our stop in Mary Esther, Florida, at Hardway Performance Solutions.
Being involved with the diesel industry, it’s inevitable that we have heard of Ryan Milliken and his crew at Hardway. Hardway Performance Solutions is a family owned and operated business, operated by Leslie and Ryan Milliken. Ryan entered the diesel performance full-time in August of 2012. Since then, business has done nothing but grow and reach thousands of truck owners.
Diesel Thunder’s first stop of the series was held at Milliken’s new addition to his empire, Emerald Coast Dragway. Milliken was on the property overlooking the day of racing to ensure everything was running safely.
We caught up with Milliken to get his thoughts on the Hardway operation. “I’m absolutely happy with how things are going,” said Milliken. “I wish there were more time in a day, or a way to divide myself up somehow. My brother, Sean, will be done with his time in the Navy soon, and will start full-time with us at that time. I’m very much looking forward to having some backup.”
From customer trucks to full-on drag builds to future projects, this shop can and will do it all.
During our visit to Hardway, we noticed all of the trucks waiting to go under the knife. “We cover competition tuning, wrenching in the shop, and playing with all projects,” said Milliken. “Whatever the future brings us, we’re ready for it. We have a lot of stuff in the works that if one, or even a few of them work out, it could be really good for us. In the meantime, I’m just plugging away trying to keep up with what’s in front of me. I have no interest in being a big distribution company in the future. I’d rather stay ‘Mom & Pop.’ I don’t ever want Hardway to lose its personal touch.”
Danick St. Pierre and Dustin Jackson's truck was also here, touching up on a few things.
Also, after noticing all of the customer trucks, we also noticed that there was a large array of vehicles in the lot. “I would consider Hardway the go-to place for going fast,” said Milliken. “These days, you never know what you’ll find hiding in our shop when you walk in. We take what we know, put our heads together, use the best possible parts on the market from the best vendors out there, and apply it to all to provide the best turn-key solution for whatever you bring us.”
Tons of big names of the industry make the trip to Florida, either for either general testing or in preparation for the 2018 Ultimate Callout Challenge. Also, we couldn't miss little Jack running around, wanting to be everyone's friend.
It was an honor to tour the facility and check out their day-to-day. We want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to the entire team at Hardway for making this possible. For more information on what they can do for you, check out their website. Stay tuned for more action from the boys at Hardway Performance.
