If you’re looking for something original, it doesn’t get more unique than Harvey Grant’s Cummins-swapped Rat Rod. It’s a little bit Dodge, a little bit Chevy, and a lot of Holset turbo.

Drag-and-Drive events have become more and more popular in recent years, and it’s no surprise that diesels have infiltrated virtually every event. At a recent West Coast drag race called the Redwood Rally, we spotted a number of unique rides that fit the compression ignition criteria. Many of the vehicles were already heavy in weight, and a diesel powerplant fits the power and reliability bill that’s needed for a successful street and strip car (or truck).

There are also more inherent traits of diesel engines that help with both the street and the dragstrip. Under light loads, diesel engines run very cool, so they are very unlikely to overheat. They also get excellent fuel economy, so stops are lessened, and so is the fuel bill. Diesels are also known for being very reliable, and can be run on darn near anything (oil or transmission fluid) in a pinch.

It’s not often you see a Catalina wagon, much less one that’s powered by a Power Stroke Ford. Even though the engine is largely stock, it still gets the job done.

One vehicle that embodied this type of build is the highly original Poncho Powerstroke, a ’63 Pontiac Catalina Safari Wagon built by Jesse Moore. With a non-intercooled 7.3-liter Power Stroke engine, an E4OD transmission, and a DP Tuners Chip, the 5,000 pound wagon got 18 to 22 mpg during the trip. On street tires with a soft launch, the heavy Pontiac rumbled down the dragstrip to a best of 14.20 and made it through all the tracks in Oregon and California during the event.

Another way of tackling the drag and drive with a diesel was showcased by Harvey Grant, owner of Players Pizza in Anderson, California. Harv took a ’51 Chevy truck cab, a first-generation Dodge chassis, and three stock Holset turbos, and turned it into one heck of an eye-catching rat rod with a lot of welding and ingenuity. Harvey’s was another diesel that was in the Mind Over Matter bracket class, and he actually found himself in Third Place after the first two tracks, running 14.25 and 14.23. That’s another plus for diesels…consistency! Despite a failed lift pump when he left the first track, the engine kept ticking along the entire way through the Samoa, Coos Bay, and Medford tracks. Score another win for diesel reliability.

At first glance, the Nexus Diesel entry may look stock(ish) but it actually has a host of upgraded parts, including a front solid-axle swap. The heavy Chevy trucked to a best of 13.04 in the quarter mile.

Tony Arneson from Nexus Diesel probably had the heaviest and most original truck at this drag-and-drive event as he brought his modified 4×4 Duramax-powered GMC along for the trip. It did have quite a few modifications, such as a Stealth turbo, bigger injectors, a BD Diesel transmission, and the wildest part — a solid axle frontend swap. Tony was hoping for 12s in his lifted ride, but he just missed, and already has plans to compete next year.

Larry Strawn’s “Fodge 4” (he has three others) is another mix-and-match vehicle that happens to run low 12s. Larry and his co-pilot Austin loved the drive, and made it all the way to Medford before a broken axle took them out.

Moving on, we come to Larry Strawn’s “Fodge 4,” a 4×4 second-gen Ram that was converted to a shortbed, and then body-swapped with an older-than-dirt Ford body. Although we’d consider the truck’s main color to be “rust,” that doesn’t mean it was slow, as Larry piloted the single-turbo truck to a 12.4 elapsed time at 109 mph. Larry’s truck has 600rwhp and was having suspension issues as the truck was bouncing around. But he was able to keep it in one piece (sort of). Since the truck is four-wheel drive, he didn’t change tires, but just lowered the pressure for drag racing.

Rick Fletes is perhaps the most hardened diesel drag and driver around, and also one of the fastest. Even at more than 4,000lb, the Chevelle kept up with the gas entries and he finished fourth in his class.

One of the faster classes in the Redwood Rally drag-and-drive event was the Dual Power Adder class, where you could run turbos and nitrous. Rick Fletes is no stranger to drag-and-drive events, and his Duramax-powered Chevelle has really been put through the wringer the past few years, competing in Sick Week, and Rocky Mountain Race Week. He made the trek through California and Oregon as well, and was able to put down some of his fastest-ever passes, with a low 6-second average through the eighth mile. Rick ended up fourth in his class and was the highest-finishing diesel.

Finally, one of the most interesting diesel combinations that we unfortunately weren’t able to catch up with to get too many details was an odd combination. This entry had (of all things) a Mercedes diesel under the hood. The C10 pickup was competing in the stick shift class, where it ran an impressive 13.25 at 104 mph. The truck eschewed the “rusty” theme of a lot of the other rigs with an awesome paint job.

We’d like to thank everyone who made the trip to this awesome drag-and-drive event to showcase to the racing community what diesel horsepower (and torque) is all about. We look forward to seeing you all next year!