#21: Nick Priegnitz – DMax Tuner

Nick Priegnitz and his team from Calibrated Power Solutions was scheduled to compete in the 2017 Ultimate Callout Challenge with their Medium Duty 600ci Cummins-powered 2011 Ram 3500, but the during their last tuning session the engine scattered its internals across the floor of the dyno cell. There was huge anticipation among many diesel enthusiasts wanting to see what the “Big Block” Cummins would be able to do in diesel competition.

While 2017 did not work out well for the Calibrated Power Solutions team, they have rebuilt and plan to attack the 2018 Ultimate Callout Challenge with a vengeance. The Ram will be powered by the massive 9.8-liter Cummins ISL variant with a common rail setup that has a pair of 14mm Exergy CP3 pumps delivering high-pressure fuel to custom injectors.

Priegnitz and his team have more than 10 years of high-performance diesel experience under their belts and are among the top diesel tuners in the world that continue to push limits in high horsepower applications as well as clean diesel performance. The Calibrated Power Solutions team is supported and backed by many sponsors including Exergy Performance, Wehrli Customs, and the crew at their own shop, Calibrated Power Solutions.

To keep up with all that fuel they opted to go with a trio of S500 turbochargers which should provide enough air for a massive beast of an engine like this 9.8-liter mill. The engine is backed by a fully built Dodge 47RE transmission with a manual valve body to allow Priegnitz to select the desired gear himself as he blasts down the track.

They are hoping to impress the UCC crowds with their out of the box thinking and Medium Duty Cummins powerplant while attempting to prove the old racing adage that “there is no replacement for displacement!”

#22: Jess Hardessen – Husker Diesel Performance

Jess Hardessen founded Husker Diesel in 2007 and close to 11 years later, Husker Diesel boasts one of the most advanced diesel pickup repair, performance, and diagnostic facilities in the country. Jess is a two-time UCC competitor, with more than eight years of sled pulling and drag racing experience.

Jess has been in the drag racing scene since 2009 and had an LBZ-powered super street truck that he eventually sold so he could focus on sled pulling. Ever since 2009, he’s had a dedicated pulling truck, which started with a regular cab 2001 3500 Chevy. Another truck, a 2007 Chevy pulling truck, was finished up last year before SDX and went out and qualified for a 5th place both days and did great in the main event.

The first year of the UCC treated them well, but in last year’s contest, they were plagued by some major engine problems that torpedoed Husker’s chances to remain competitive. Husker has had great success with their Duramax program, but this year they’re ready to try something completely different in 2018.

Jess purchased the truck, a 2016 Chevy 2500HD, in October and plans to have it ready for the dyno before the end of December. It was a wrecked HVAC service truck from California that had 14,000 miles on it. They got rid of its factory 6.0-liter gas powertrain and dropped a Cummins engine and transmission into it.

The engine comes courtesy of Industrial Injection and Randy’s Transmission provided a 48RE that’s equipped to handle everything Husker could throw at it. Ben Shadday from Done Right Diesel is taking care of the chassis setup and tuning calibrations, while all of the fabrication, design, wiring, and chassis work was done in-house.

Other additions to the truck include nitrous and water injection, as well as Cobra Series fuel injectors fed from Industrial Injection XP injection pumps that will make the power they need to take the truck down the drag strip into the 8-second territory. The turbo setup is still up in the air, but they have high hopes.

In the 2016 UCC, Husker placed at 9th overall, with a horsepower number of 1867.6 and torque at 2706.8, a 9.468 on the drag strip, and a sled pull of 235.25 feet. Last year’s engine problems meant they only posted numbers for the drag, a solid 9.628 seconds, which was good enough for 5th place for the day. This year they’re hoping to beat those numbers and take home the top spot.

According to Jess, “This might be a new truck and a new powerplant platform for us, but make no mistake – we will do what it takes to win!” We don’t know whether they will come out on top or not, but we certainly look forward to finding out when the rubber hits the track, rollers, and dirt May 4th to 6th at the third annual Ultimate Callout Challenge!