As we go to more and more events, some of these trucks and drivers have started to become familiar. One of the drivers that has really stood out is White Bluff, Tennessee native Adrian Forkum.

Forkum has been persistent in attending to as many races as humanly possible, but it wasn’t always like that for him. He has a team of supporters that’s gotten him to this point.

“I’ve been into diesel trucks since I was 11 or 12 years old,” said Forkum. “I bought my first diesel, a 2000 Ford Power Stroke when I was 19 years old.” Comparing what he had back then to what he has now, it’s clear his passion has changed; it’s gotten a lot cleaner, and definitely faster. Although he was happy with the pickup, he’s glad he found his new found love, his 2005 Dodge Ram.

“The truck I have now was owned by my girlfriend’s grandfather,” Forkum said. “Unfortunately, he passed away before I could meet him, but I ended up purchasing the truck from her grandmother in December of 2014.” In the last three to four years, the truck has picked up almost 35,000 miles. That is because he uses this truck daily to get to work at the TriStar Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Forkum works now as a Certified Surgical Technologist, but he’s currently doing online classes to work full-time as a Surgeon’s Assistant. With a full work schedule topped with classes for future careers, Forkum doesn’t have much free time. But like all of us, he’s passionate about diesel performance and will make time to do what he loves.

In this free time and with extra money coming in, Forkum started to slowly modify this truck like he wanted. “I started putting a few things on the truck to increase the performance,” said Forkum. “I started with an air intake, full exhaust, lift pump, and a basic tuner.” However, the transmission started to slip with the added abuse Forkum was delivering.

Usually, drivers mark their vehicles with a number for the track officials to recognize which driver is which. “I used the number 713,” said Forkum. “Seven being a lucky number and thirteen being unlucky.”

“I love racing and I knew I was going start doing it more,” said Forkum. “So, with racing in mind, I went ahead and prepared for the racing by installing a Goerend Transmission triple disc converter, SunCoast Diesel Omega rebuild kit, TransGo shift kit, and some hardened shafts.” While upgrading the drivetrain, it only made sense to ante up a few more dollars for other improved parts.

Once he felt the power increase, it was almost like he was bitten by a bug – a bug that made him want more every time he drove the truck. For starters, the basic tuner he used wasn’t clean enough for his liking. “I wanted some custom tuning on my truck to get the most out of my truck,” said Forkum. “I turned to the guys at Hardway Performance Solutions for some HP Tuners tuning.”

Holding down the cylinder head is a set of ARP 625 head studs. Inside the cylinder head are Hamilton 103-pound valve springs and extreme duty pushrods. Keeping the front and rear cylinders fed with plenty of coolant is a Fleece Performance coolant bypass. the bypass recirculates the coolant from the heavily coolant-fed cylinders, and disperses it to the other starving cylinders to keep them from getting too hot.

Keeping this truck planted on the track is a CalTrac traction bar system.

The air is forced into this engine by a Forced Inductions S472 that is mounted on a Steed Speed manifold. Once the boost pressure is made, it’s fed into an On3 Performance intercooler, and then into the engine’s intake using a BD Diesel Performance intake elbow. Forkum uses the Fleece Performance 2nd Generation kit that relocates the turbo from the factory position.

All of the steam in this engine is made possible with an S & S Diesel Motorsports CP3 and 200-percent injectors. Combined with the 12mm CP3 is a stock LBZ Duramax CP3, and both run together with an Industrial Injection dual CP3 kit. Keeping all these items fed with super-clean fuel is an AirDog 4G 165gph lift pump.

Equipped with 24×12 American Force wheels, this truck stands out in the crowd. “I knew I wanted some big wheels to set it off,” Forkum said. “22s just weren’t enough.”

Backing this 5.9-liter Cummins is an Omega SunCoast transmission that’s filled with all the goodies necessary to contain Forkum’s Send It driving style. That includes billet input, intermediate, and output shafts, as well as a SunCoast valve body and flex plate.

Forkum has adjusted his suspension to set the ride height like he wants. “I cut 3/4 of an inch off of the coil springs in the front and installed Bilstein shocks,” said Forkum. “On the back, I removed the block and overload springs to set the back like I wanted as well.” As is, the truck makes 900 horsepower and 1,624 lb-ft of torque on Hardway Performance Solution’s dyno.

With a best elapsed time of a 6.86 at 101.85-mph, Forkum’s truck is already on its way to being a competitive truck, but with the rules and regulations, he’s required to have a fully approved roll cage, which he doesn’t possess. “As soon as I complete school, I plan to make this truck a force to be reckoned with,” Forkum said.

The Future

“I want to make this truck a competitive 6.70 index truck,” Forkum said. “To that end, I plan on doing a 6.4-liter displacement engine to handle the additional horsepower and torque.” Adding to this engine and reaching his desired power level someday will take upgrades, such as an S480 turbocharger hung on a T6 manifold. Of course, he will utilize nitrous oxide to spool the charger.

Forkum recently painted the front end of the truck from the factory chrome. The paint matched look is becoming more and more popular.

With big horsepower comes with other extra modifications including safety. “I want to have a full roll cage in the truck,” said Forkum. “I’m going to have racing seats throughout and all the safety requirements to run the 6.70-index class.”

All the spread of Forkum’s name and his truck has been done so by himself. “I don’t have any sponsors for the truck or anything,” said Forkum. “I work a ton of overtime to get the funds needed for parts I put on the truck.” Luckily for Forkum, he has been blessed with an amazing girlfriend and son. They are his biggest supporters and don’t mind the long hours in the shop to get this truck ready for race day.

“I hope my son will share the same passion as me when gets older,” said Forkum.

Getting the truck where it is today has taken some serious time. Although the parts and labor haven’t come sponsored, he has had endless help. People have come into his life with answered questions or testimonials on parts, whether over the phone or in emails from a ton of industry’s greatest people. “Ryan and Montana at Hardway Performance Solutions have always treated me like family,” said Forkum. “They always return my calls or reply to my text, no matter how stupid of a question it is.”

After purchasing parts from Firepunk Diesel and SunCoast Diesel Transmissions, Forkum has been very appreciative of all the help they have given him. “Lavon, Larson, Tristan, Dibbles, and Rick at the track always answer my questions and offer advice,” said Forkum. “Brandon at SunCoast always helps me out getting me the best price possible, and he gets the parts out quick.”

At the end of the day, the biggest thank you goes out to Forkum’s right-hand man in the shop, Daniel Hargrove. “Daniel has and always will be there to help on the truck,” said Forkum. “Daniel helps me turn every wrench on this truck. I am very appreciative to have such a good friend.”

“Ever since I’ve been involved with the diesel industry, everyone has treated me respect, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to be around,” said Forkum. “I plan on being a part of this for a very long time.” Stay tuned for more exciting news coming from the Nashville area; Forkum plans on building something far more extreme in the near future.

To keep up with Adrian and his ride, check out his Instagram.

Keep an eye out for Forkum, as he’s en route to an eventful 2018-2019 season.