Q&A With 2018 Champ, Ken Phillips: Hot Shot’s Secret Driver Profile

In drag racing, there are a ton of factors that play into being competitive. Your truck has to be at tip-top shape, the track needs to work with your truck to make a good clean pass, and not only that, you, the driver, have to be on your game. The latest from our friends over at Hot Shot’s Secret is their Q & A session with the 2018 Outlaw Diesel Super Series E.T Champion, Ken Phillips. Phillips has been racing for quite some time, and last year he sealed the deal with event wins, and an overall points championship title.

Kyle Fischer, Hot Shot’s Secret Director Of Marketing, sat down with Phillips to discuss his performance last year and what it takes to win a championship in diesel drag racing. “The truck I primarily race is a 2006 Ram 2500 Crew Cab Long Bed,” Phillips said. “All of my trucks, including this one, are do all trucks. I can hook them to a trailer, drive them in the snow, take them to work, I can do anything with them.” When you think about drag racing, you don’t think about that particular vehicle heading to work in the mornings.

Phillips rig may look like your normal daily driven tow truck, but it’s actually a pretty hot street truck. Cranking out just over 600-horsepower, Phillips has prepped this truck for dominance on and off the track. The truck is custom tuned by Ryan at Hardway performance, air is forced into this 5.9-liter Cummins engine with a Fleece Performance Cheetah turbocharger, fueled by 45-percent over fuel injectors, and is all backed by a built SunCoast Diesel transmission.

The only exterior mod that may give away it’s caged animal demeanor is the oversized JAMO Performance exhaust. “I make every pass with a loaded tool box and a fifth wheel ball in the bed. This is literally a jump in the truck and head to California tomorrow build,” Phillips said. “I like the majority of my vehicles to be that way. I’m not a track only kind of guy. I want something that can be street driven and at any time, hop in and go have some fun.”

On the track, Phillips is a stone cold killer. Off the track, he’s a normal guy with a family that is as nice as can be.

Fischer explained that having a truck that can drive to the track and hurt some feelings, then turn around and head home means a lot to the team at Hot Shot’s Secret. This goes to show you that not only can you take your truck out and have some real fun, but you can also still take it to work the next day with the right products in the tank.

So, with a truck that you can daily drive, tow, and race with, what products can you trust? “Hot Shot’s Secret products aren’t just for racing vehicles. They are for literally everything. I trust it in all of my vehicles including the tow truck, the raced truck, and even the Volkswagon TDI car I daily drive, too,” said Phillips. “I run Everyday Diesel Treatment (EDT) in every fill up, Diesel Winter Anti-Gel in the winter months, Blue Diamond 5W-40 Engine Oil in the tow rig, and I run the entire Adrenaline Racing oils top to bottom on the race truck, too.”

If you’re wanting to get into drag racing, maybe reach out to someone that’s done it before for tips and tricks, Phillips is your man. Once you get the hang of things, be sure and watch out for him in the other lane.

Hot Shot’s Secret has an entire line of products that will fit your needs from engine oil, transmission fluid, differential oil, as well as performance enhancing additives. To find out more about their products and what it can do for you, be sure and check out their website. Stay tuned to Diesel Army for more on the latest in diesel performance.

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Artie Maupin

Artie Maupin is from Southeast Missouri and has an extreme passion for anything diesel. He loves drag racing of all kinds, as well as sled pulling competitions.
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