For most businesses, they invest their marketing dollars into websites, radio, or even television. For the crew at The Diesel Shop LLC in New York, they went a much more fun route. We are covering Mike Wysowski, Co-Owner of The Diesel Shop LLC, and his 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 that has been rejuvenated into something that some only dream about.

This Avon, New York native has been into diesel trucks for quite some time, but it was a ride in a friends truck that triggered a huge passion that has led to some serious clout. Wysowski’s first diesel was a low-miles, 2002 Ram 2500. “It all started with a second gen and now, here we are,” said Wysowski. “After riding in my friends 2002, I was immediately hooked.”

Wysowski’s latest catch, his 2006, has gone from a high-mileage work truck into an unbelievably fast billboard. In fact, this publicity stunt has turned into one of the fastest trucks in the country and even won the Ultimate Callout Challenge qualifier event punching his ticket into the big show next year in Indianapolis. So, what does it take to get to this point?

History Of The Build-Up

When looking for this truck, it wasn’t easy. Every day, Wysowski dedicated a certain amount of time scrolling through different sites just hoping he would find the perfect truck. “I found this one in Michigan. In Michigan, they don’t use nearly as much salt on the roads as they do here in New York, so that was a win,” Wysowski said. “It had nearly 300,000 miles on it, but I really didn’t care. I had intentions of building an engine for it someday.”

Wysowski continued, “The truck was altered a bit from the beginning which was a plus. It had 100-horsepower nozzles, a dual disc South Bend clutch, FASS fuel system, and an aFe Power intake system. On the exterior, it showcased a nice level stance with 35-inch tires.” This was exactly what he was looking for in a truck.

“My friend, Rob, and I took the trip to Michigan in a white-out blizzard where we just missed a 200 car pileup on the highway just five miles south of us. After driving through the night, catching a quick nap until the bank opened, we met the truck owner and paid off his loan and I headed home with it,” said Wysowski. “As soon as we got home, I immediately ordered a BDS Suspension lift kit, 37-inch tires, and a set of wheels.”

Upgraded trucks and styling it to your liking can get expensive. Once you start upgrading, it’s worse than a drug and you can’t stop. In fact, a short time later, Wysowski already dipped into the performance side of things by installing a compound turbo setup from Industrial Injection. As you can see, things have already spiraled out of control.

Now, with the truck he wanted the way he wanted it, it made a healthy 760 horsepower. “This truck, at the time, was very fun to drive. It was a daily driver and at that power level, that was great,” said Wysowski. “We even upgraded to a 200-percent fuel injector and dual CP3’s and it was rowdy. 80 MPH rolling burnouts were easy at this point. But, the itch kept itching and I wanted more.”

Now, sometime later, The Diesel Shop decided that it needed a shop truck that represented their passion for diesel performance and a race truck was born. Nothing is the same. Different engine, transmission, fuel system, different turbos, top to bottom, this truck is fresh. In fact, out of all of the items that have been changed over this period, Wysowski’s favorite part of the build is the engine.

“The engine is something I’m very proud of. I have built every inch of this engine with my own hands at my uncle Tom’s machine shop,” said Wysowski. “It’s my favorite because I did myself, but it’s even more special because it’s held up great and is still running as good as it did when we first fired it up.” Anyone can buy an engine or pay someone to do it, but the satisfaction of building it yourself and hearing it idle perfectly is a feeling like no other.

“The motivation to build this truck was to put New York on the map. We wanted something that was a representation of what our shop and team are capable of and wanted the diesel industry to know who we were,” said Wysowski. “We have met a ton of people because of this truck and have gotten to work with a lot of great companies along the way.”

Under The Hood

Wysowski and his team built this truck up extra for the Ultimate Callout Challenge event. They wanted to buy their way into the qualifier which allowed them to compete for their spot in the big show the following year. Let’s just say their hard work paid off. Blistering fast track times, a long distance at the sled pull, and one of the highest horsepower and torque numbers out of all of the competitors including the ones in the big show.

Wysowski managed to pull off a win in the qualifier with a best elapsed time of 5.869 seconds in the eighth-mile, 298.86-foot sled pull distance, and a staggering 2,132 horsepower and 3,124.6 lb-ft of torque. These are all done with a truck that still has a factory dash and carpet.

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After much anticipation, Wysowski and his team patiently waited in line for the dyno. The dyno day is either a great day or a rough day. Fortunately for him, it was an outstanding day.

So, what does it take to compete at this level, get times and power levels like this? Well, there is a pile of companies involved in making this kind of powerplant. The engine is a 6.4-liter Cummins that has been filled with nothing but the best. All of the machine work was completed by T.W Automotive & Machine Inc. and assembled by Wysowski.

Inside this perfectly balanced rotating assembly are a set of Wagler Competition Products billet steel connecting rods, ARP main studs, Industrial Injection 14-MM Gorilla Girdle, and a Hamilton Cams 208/220 camshaft. In between the block and the valve cover is home to a Stage 2 D & J Precision Machine cylinder head with a D&J shelf intake manifold.

This cylinder head has been reworked and filled with bronze valve guides, Manley Performance intake and exhaust valves, and also holds a set of Hamilton Cams valve springs. Hanging off the side of this custom head is a Steed Speed dual wastegated exhaust manifold where a Stainless Diesel 80-MM secondary turbocharger rests as its fed by a 98-MM Garrett GT-55 atmosphere turbo.

With that amount of air being forced into this little six cylinder that can, it takes a lot of fuel to make this system work. Wysowski relies on Dynomite Diesel for the fuel as he runs their high-pressure injection pumps as well as their enormous fuel injectors. If you’re wanting to make more than 2,000-horsepower, here is your answer.

But, like Wysowski, you’re going to need a drivetrain that can handle this kind of abuse. Although the Ram trucks take a lot of heat given their likely transmission issues, Wysowski stuck with it and went with a Randy’s Transmission 48RE with their full manual valve body backed by a Suncoast Transmissions torque converter. This truck was originally a G56 manual transmission-equipped truck, but with speed in mind, he turned to the experts to ensure his goals were met.

Wysowski has full control over his transmission with a Precision Air Shifter and makes sure the temperature of the fluid stays within reason with a BD Diesel Performance double-stacked transmission cooler.

On the interior of this hot rod is a fully-certified roll cage that is a must-have at the speeds this truck is capable of. The cage work was completed by Randy Jewell at RJ Pro Fab near Wysowski. Other interior mods include a lightweight Kirkey Racing seat and an “eBay junk” steering wheel.

This truck has already made fifty passes and it’s getting faster every single time out. “The fastest we have been is 9.10 seconds at 157 MPH in the quarter-mile and a 1.42-second 60-foot time all in a 6,400-pound pickup truck,” said Wysowski. “I have always been fascinated with diesel trucks and getting to beat up on sports cars at the track has become a hobby.”

Talk about a transformation. A truck that came from the factory with barely 300-horsepower went from that to 550 horsepower, to 702 horsepower, to 760 horsepower, then to 1,400 horsepower, and finally ended up at 2,100 horsepower and 3,000 lb-ft of torque.

It has been a roller coaster year for Wysowski and their shop as it’s gone from a $15,000 investment to an all-out race car. Wysowski tells us that the truck isn’t done and probably never will be. In fact, he even mentioned a Pro Mod may be in their future. Getting this truck to what it is today is done with the help of some of our industry’s best leaders.

“First thing is first. I want to thank my team at the shop. They spent a lot of their own time working on this and helping out when they could. Next, Randy Reyes at Randy’s Transmission for sure. No questions asked, it’s been the best experience and help I’ve had in this business,” said Wysowski. “Next is Lenny Reed at Dynomite Diesel. DDP has provided me with an incredible fuel system that helps us make some serious power.”

Wysowski continued, “Also, special thanks to Joe Kutchey at HSP Diesel. Kutchey built an awesome compound set up for the truck and it turned out fantastic. When we were struggling with tuning, we turned to Ben Shadday at Done Right Diesel Performance. Shadday has provided us with tuning and customer service that is out of this world. The crew at Industrial Injection, Tyler Kipp and Dustin Hembury, helped me with piston and turbocharger knowledge and without them, it couldn’t have been possible.”

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“Justin Zeigler at Zeigler Diesel Performance and his crew helped with sled pulling and their knowledge played a huge roll on Sunday at UCC. Xtreme Diesel Performance‘s Chris Wizzo put up with countless crap when selling parts to me, Mark Ricard and Scott Munroe at New England Performance Products helped along the way, Sean Conk with Opti-Lube provided the fuel additives we run, and John Gilbert at Stainless Diesel for hooking us up with a bad to the bone turbo.”

Wysowswki continued, “I’d also like to thank John Benschoof at Freedom Racing Engines, who still owes my shop pizza, Chase Fleece at Fleece Performance, Greg Robertson at GTS Fiberglass, Chad Thorley at Dirty Hooker Diesel, and Brian Allen Booher and the entire Yukon Gear and Axle team for helping me with a gear setup and axles to get the job done.

We are more than happy for Mike and his team as they have accomplished what they set out to do and there is no doubt that The Diesel Shop NY is on the map now. For more information about Mike and his crew, be sure and check out their website. Stay tuned to Diesel Army for the latest in diesel motorsports.