As we kick off the month of June, that means we just closed out another chapter of the Outlaw Diesel Super Series. Once again, we’ve invaded the legendary drag racing complex that is Lucas Oil Raceway. Drag racing legends have won championships here in the NHRA and it is our turn to take over this facility and do what we do; Drag race high-performance diesel trucks (and cars).

After the season opener at Wagler Motorsports Park just a month or so ago, teams were ready to hit the road again and race here to earn money, points, and bragging rights. As no surprise to anyone, the Outlaw Diesel Super Series offered their normal classes, E.T, 7.70-index, 6.70-index, Outlaw 5.90-Index, Pro Street Pro Mod, and Pro Dragster. Let’s dig in.

D&J Precision Machine E.T 

This year was a record in attendance for racers, from what I’ve heard. It sure looked like it when the E.T class was called to the lanes. There was a sea of vehicles of all shapes, sizes, and conditions. After multiple rounds of racing, we were left with only two. Pre-event points leader, Ken Phillips, faced off against Dustin Canter.

Ken is no stranger to final rounds so Dustin had his hands full. Although he managed to put up a fight all day, at the stripe, it was Phillips who got it done under the lights in Indy. Phillips earned the prize money and the extra points to propel him into the second place position in points overall in the series. Congratulations to both drivers for going the distance. This season is starting to shape up to be a fun one with tight racing.

1. Dustin Canter
2. Ken Phillips
3. Justin Brumfield
4. Jacob Sullivan
5. Brad Helton

ATS Diesel / Motor Trend 7.70 Index

Maverick Diesel’s Everette Martin debuted his Ram in the 7.70 index class this weekend. A passionate enthusiast finally getting out there and getting involved. We’re growing.

Moving into our 7.70 index class, some of the E.T guys crossed over to chance some winnings in two classes. Again, the staging lanes were full and the track crew had their work cut out for them keeping the track-prepped with all of these street tires going down. After qualifying, the ladder was set and the racing began.

Once nightfall approached, the lights kicked on where the final two drivers would face off. This included Tommy Zinkhen and Brad Helton. Zinkhen managed to take the victory which was a night and day performance when compared to the Wagler Spring Nationals. This performance earned him 105 points which put him in the lead for the 7.70 index points.

In the 7.70 index class or E.T, you can find Dante Delaney’s beautiful GMC Sierra in the lanes.

1. Tommy Zinkhen
2. Brad Helton
3. Ryan Riddle
4. Emanual Yoder
5. Nick Morris

Thoroughbred Diesel 6.70 Index

Speeding things up a bit, we moved into the Thoroughbred Diesel 6.70 index class. There were nearly 30 entries in the class which is huge compared to when this class started years ago. After five rounds of eliminations, the final round included Zach Tucan and me (Art Maupin). We both managed to get through the field and get under the lights which is a win already, but there can only be one.

We both left the line, we were side-by-side up until the transmission in my truck didn’t want to make a shift which allowed Zach to drive around me to take the win. Congratulations to Zach on the victory and good luck for the rest of the season! The 6.70-index points are tightening up as well. The points are as follows below.

PSE Houston’s Dorian Reyna takes his nasty Power Stroke-powered Ford down the track as much as he can.

1. Caleb Brown
2. Landon Miller
3. Artie Maupin
4. Avery Micek
5. Zach Tucan

Firepunk Diesel Outlaw 5.90 Index

After conversating with Mr. Zelton, I’ve found out that he has massive plans for the future. This truck will be even more of a threat in years to come.

The event sponsor, Firepunk Diesel, decided to put together a class for trucks that weren’t fast enough for Pro Street but were too slow for the 6.70 index class. A few years later, the Firepunk Diesel Outlaw 5.90 Index is one of the most popular throughout the entire series. It started with only a handful of trucks and now a lot of old 6.70 trucks are making the jump.

That being said, the staging lanes were packed full of veteran and rookie 5.90 trucks where, as always, qualifying was separated by very little. David Large is heading into this event with a win at the season opener and he is a favorite to some. However, because of a broken intermediate shaft in his little red express, he was out.

So, that meant everyone else eager for points and an event win had a chance to make up some ground. In the final round, it was Dan Zelton taking on Brett Marcum. Both drivers are in trucks that can go clean passed the index, but they’ve dialed them back just enough to go the distance. Running through the competition, they both eventually faced off in the final round.

On the light all day, Marcum had a hot rod that could win. However, so did Zelton. These races are typically won at the Christmas tree. Unfortunately, Marcum left early earning a -.001 reaction time which automatically handed the win over to Zelton. Both drivers are good and they both put on a great performance this weekend.

As seen on drag-and-drive events, “Burnie” was making some crazy-fast passes this weekend.

Congratulations to both of them for making it to the final and now they both are at the top of the leaderboard in points. The points are as follows.

1. Dan Zelton
2. Brett Marcum
3. David Large
4. Rick Fletes
5. Rod MacMaster

Hot Shot’s Secret Pro Street

The Burkhard’s had this truck dialed in at Indy. Check out the traction on the rear tires.

The Pro Street class is on another level right now. Most of the field can get into the low five-second range and a few are deep into the 4’s. Qualifying was awesome and everyone got some great passes in. In fact, Tyler Burkhard and the Dirty Hooker Diesel team ran a personal best which was their first ever four-second pass.

This truck was also involved in the side-by-side UCC event where they made over 2,500-horsepower earlier in the day. Drivers like Nathan Wheeler, Michael Dalton, and class newcomer, Austin Denny, all made great licks over the weekend. Denny landed himself a personal best elapsed time as well. I think more than a few people did.

Winning this class is downright tough. You better get lucky because someone broke or you better have a truck that hauls the mail. For Tyler Burkard, it was the latter. This now four-second capable truck ended up in the final round where he would face off against Texas native, Nathan Wheeler. Wheeler is typically found in no prep events, but every once in a while, he’ll join us on the sticky icky.

In a super-tight race, Burkard managed to hold off Wheeler and take a victory in the Pro Street class. Talk about a stellar weekend out. Second place in the UCC drag racing portion, fifth place in the dyno competition, got third overall in the UCC event AND won the Pro Street class. The Dirty Hooker Diesel team had to have felt pretty good going to bed that night.

Congratulations to each of the drivers on their performance. The points are as follows.

1. Tyler Burkhard
2. Michael Dalton
3. Austin Denny
4. Nathan Wheeler
5. Brian Allen

Suncoast Performance Pro Modified 

If you love race cars and diesel engines, you’re going to love this new pro mod. Johnny Gilbert’s new ride is nice on the eyes.

This class is home to the first ever three-second diesel-powered machine. The Firepunk Diesel S-10, when on the property, is almost always a threat. If you’re in the Pro Mod class, you’re facing some heat. No doubt. This weekend, however, they faced some issues. They were struggling with getting the power to the ground as they ran into tire shake/spin.

Johnny Gilbert, however, brought out their ’63 Corvette for the first time in competition. After plenty of qualifying passes, they started to get the car dialed in. Pass after pass, the E.T’s slowly lowered. To a point where they really started to get excited. Every pass seemed like a personal best and that is good news for a team that started with a new rig from scratch.

We will forever remember “The S-10”.

What better way to top off some personal best passes in competition? How about a win? Gilbert’s beautiful ‘Vette ended up in the final round against that lethal S-10 where they managed to squeeze out a victory. If i had to guess, they are on their way to some victorious years in diesel drag racing. They have the platform, now they just need more seat time and data. Congrats to the Stainless Diesel team.

On the flipside, Lavon Miller made a statement following the event that this was the last event for the S-10. I don’t know where it is going or who will have it next, but I do know that I am excited for what is to come. These guys had a taste of glory when they eclipsed the three-second zone last year and they want more. This means a platform that is better suited for it. In Lavon’s statement, he made it clear that what they’ve done with the S-10 is great, but for what they want to do in the future, it was going to have to be something else.

It looks like they’re having an old Duster being built and prepared for some deep three-second passes. If you like fast diesel power, stay tuned. If what they’ve done with the S-10 means anything for their upcoming build, I’m sure it is going to be nasty. Hats off to them for doing what they have in the last few years with that unforgettable truck.

1. Larson Miller
2. Johnny Gilbert
3. Ben Shadday
4. Steve Royalty
5. Derek Rose

Fleece Performance Pro Dragster

Miliseconds before the parachute blossoms.

For the longest time, all I could write about was the Scheid Diesel dragster and Jared Jones. Jared has been dominant in this class for years but up until now, it has just been him for the most part. No offense to him, he and Dan (Scheid) have put together one of the most bad-to-the-bone diesel dragsters on the planet.

But, there is new blood in the class which is great for the sport. Mattie Graves and Paul Vasko are new on the block and if they have anything to say about it, Jared won’t be handed a win anymore. In his first ever ODSS appearance in this car, Paul’s pretty red rail managed to get into the four-second zone after a few passes at the strip.

Hollyrock Customs’ Mattie Graves also managed to get some licks in at Indy with their new setup but didn’t get the results they wanted. Regardless, we know that the entire crew will get things lined out and they will be in contention soon. In the final round, Jared Jones and Paul Vasko faced off side-by-side where Paul was outgunned.

His best bet was to kill the tree and get out front and pray. We know that Jared’s dragster is capable of 180mph+ and Vasko’s testing passes before this event wasn’t quite that fast. He did what he had to. He was .031 on the tree, 1.19 to the 60-foot cone, and managed to print out a slip with a 4.972 at 143.32 on it. Unfortunately for him, Jared’s big Cummins-powered machine came around him at 187.11-mph. His 4.483 pass was enough to get around the quicker-reacting Vasko where he earned his second win of the year.

Congratulations to Paul on his successful weekend out with his LBZ-powered dragster and congratulations to Jared and Co. for yet another win in the Pro Dragster class. For more information about the Outlaw Diesel Super Series, head over to their website right here. Stay tuned for more event coverage right here on Diesel Army.