#25: Shawn Ellerton- DKG Racing

Affectionately known as the Canadian Redneck, Shawn Ellerton and his DKG Racing team are two-time competitors in the Ultimate Callout Challenge competing with their 2004 Ford F-250 that is powered by an infamous 6.0-liter Power Stroke diesel engine. Ellerton brought his truck and a great never say die attitude with him to the original UCC event in Salt Lake City, Utah all the way down from Canada.

He finished a respectable 16th place overall in 2016 with over 1,300 HP on the dyno and an 11.4-second 1/4-mile pass, but the drag truck had a hard time on the pull track dragging the sled just 163 feet. Ellerton had high hopes for the 2017 UCC competition and finished mid-pack on the drag strip on the first day before losing the engine to a catastrophic failure on the dyno on day two.

He did manage to put over 1,000 HP to the dyno rollers before it scattered pieces on the deck of the dyno which gave him enough points for a 20th place finish overall despite not competing in the sled pull.Not breaking with his never give up attitude, Ellerton and his team have rebuilt and are coming back to Indianapolis seeking redemption to show that a small team with big dreams and an old 6.0-liter Power Stroke can still compete with the big dogs of diesel competition.

The engine uses a set of Wagler Competition Products rods that swing Diamond pistons through the bores. A set of DFC heads cap the short block while 600cc Warren Diesel injectors deliver large volumes of fuel to the engine with a FASS system feeding the high-pressure system. To keep up with the fuel delivery a trio of BD Diesel turbos with twin S480s feeding a 76SXE provide tons of air volume.

Of course, Ellerton also relies on a bunch of nitrous oxide to help make even more power with the 6.0L Power Stroke engine.The engine is backed by an NADP/NAPC race built transmission to handle the power and put it to the ground at all four corners. To better attack the sled pull Ellerton has secured a Dana 80 rear end along with 4.56 gears and front and rear lockers. He also plans to run aggressive 35-inch tires more suited for pulling this time around to put up a good fight on the pull track.

The DKG Racing team is comprised of a group of Redneck Canadians with a great passion for diesel motorsports that thoroughly enjoy the fierce competition and camaraderie of high-level competition like they see at the UCC as well as other organizations they race with on a regular basis.

Ellerton and his DKG Racing team are also supported and sponsored by BD Diesel, Dirty Canadian Oil, Innovative Diesel, Komrad Diesel, NAPC and Warren Diesel Injection. The team is looking for much better performance in 2018 and we look forward to seeing what the Canadian Redneck and his 6.0-liter Power Stroke will deliver for us this year when the truck hits the track, rollers, and dirt on May 4th-6th 2018 at the third annual Ultimate Callout Challenge!

#26: Cody Hopkins- Destructive Diesel

After a 10th place overall finish in his rookie Ultimate Callout Challenge experience in 2017, Cody Hopkins and his Destructive Diesel team are looking forward to moving up in the overall rankings for the 2018 event. Hopkins and his small team ran into a few issues that kept the truck from reaching its full potential, but they persevered and completed each of the three grueling events.

On the drag strip, they managed a best ET of 11.565 seconds down the famous 1/4 mile track then delivered a peak of 1,105 horsepower to the rollers on the chassis dyno the next day for respectable finishes. They struggled a little more on the pull track on the third day of UCC competition finishing with a 255-foot pull in the second hook.

During the 2017 effort, the truck was fully dressed competing at the full weight like any other CCSB Dodge Ram you’d find on the street or in the parking lot with the additional weight of the roll cage, turbos and more. For the 2018 UCC competition Hopkins is focusing on weight reduction to be more competitive on the drag strip. The team will also focus on sled pulling preparation in an effort to drag the sled much further this time around.

Hopkins’ Dodge is powered by a 6.7L Cummins that he claims is closer to a performance street engine rather than a full-blown race engine but it still gets the job done quite nicely. Internally the Cummins sports a set of Carrillo rods to prevent the pistons from exiting the block. It is capped with a ported head to improve the airflow into and out of the engine and supports a trio of BD Diesel 74mm turbos set up in a compound configuration.

To keep up with the airflow a pair of FASS 220 pump and filter systems deliver fuel from the fuel cell to a pair of BD Diesel 12mm stroker CP3 high-pressure pumps. In 2017 Hopkins was using the highest flow BD Diesel injectors available and he is looking to run even larger injectors to make more power in 2018.

The engine is backed by a BD Diesel TrackMaster 48RE transmission to handle the Cummins power and UCC abuse. It is configured with a full manual valve body so Hopkins can select the best gear for every situation while he attacks the track and the competition whether he is on the track, dyno or the dirt.

In addition to his shop and the small crew from Destructive Diesel, Hopkins also receives sponsorship and support from BD Diesel and Calibrated Addiction to compete in the UCC. The little team from Colorado hopes that their issues are behind them and looks to perform well next time they come to Indianapolis.