Coming back for the second year in a row, the Texas Truck Jam event didn’t disappoint. Before I begin, I fully anticipate this event to really take off and this is one you’ll definitely have marked on your calendar from here on. Once again, some of the hottest diesel-powered machines invaded the historic Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas for a day of fun.
Since the NHRDA is no more, it was up to someone to bring these fire-breathing machines back to this awesome facility. Event promoters Joshua Cole and Cory Sorrells of the Texas Truck Jam series lined up classes, sponsors, $8,000 in payouts, and staff to make this all happen. After months of planning, everything went to plan and the race was on.
A HUGE thank you to Crystal Sterling for supplying us with these killer photos. With travel being the way it is, I wasn’t able to make it but she came through with some great stuff.
Despite the pandemic going on in the country, both Cole and Sorrells were determined to make this happen. Like most of the diesel-powered action in the country, they offered E.T, 7.70 Index, 6.70 Index, 5.90 Index, Pro Street, and a growing Pro Limited. Other classes included a 2WD Shootout and 8.00 Index. On top of the racing action, there was an on-site dyno competition and Show-N-Shine for even more earnings possible.
Show-N-Shine
PPE Classic Stock– Unfortunately, whoever owns the S-10 decided not to fill in their name on the tech card. It’s up to you what you call him but know he has a pretty cool truck.
Point Blank Performance Street Modified- Trey Rhodes
Limitless Diesel Unlimited- Jorge Monte
Dyno Competition
Ungrounded Diesel Modified Fuel- Chris Patterson
Unrivaled Diesel Stock Fuel- Kyle Daniels
The staging lanes were packed in Texas and that resulted in nothing but big smiles.
Drag Racing
Kicking off the drag racing was the Fleece Performance 2WD Shootout. At the end of the day, it was Jason Blackwood taking the victory. Moving into the always competitive Wamsley Performance E.T class, Robby Bowmaster took home the hardware. Based on what I’ve seen on social, racers are good in Texas so these guys had to have been on their a-game.
Moving on to the Sterling Diesel Performance 8.00 Index class, Chris Blair topped the competition and finished on top to end the day. After that, Larry Knapp finished on the podium in the Texas Gulf Coast Diesel 7.70 Index. Getting a little bit faster now, the Revmax Converters 6.70 class crowned Joshua Grahmann.
Regardless of the outcome, any day at the racetrack isn’t a bad day. The staging lanes were full of eager drivers ready to put the power down.
The quickly-growing “Outlaw” 5.90 Index class, sponsored by Team Trippplemax, was won by Dustin Sterling. This was actually Sterling’s first career win with this truck. After probably a ton of hours and dollars going into this rig, it’s good to see him get a victory. He will take the momentum and head into the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza coming up in a few weeks.
BD Diesel Performance stepped up and sponsored the Pro Street class where Wade Minter took the W in his Duramax-powered machine. Shortly after this, the 2019 Outlaw Diesel Super Series 5.90 Index champion Mindy Jackson piloted her Cummins-powered Ford Lightning straight to the winner’s circle in the Truck Source Diesel Pro Limited class.
After talking results, I had a chat with Joshua Cole about how the event went and what his expectations for next year’s event were. “Honestly, considering everything going on, I think the event went great. This whole COVID thing has been something else and I’m glad we got it done,” Cole said. “As of right now, we’re looking at August 13th and 14th in 2021.”
“It wouldn’t be possible to make all of this happen without our great sponsors. Huge thank you to BD Diesel Performance, Team Trippplemax, Texas Gulf Coast Diesel, T & E Promotions for the track prep, Truck Source Diesel for the Pro Limited class, and Hot Shot’s Secret, and Point Blank Performance for getting us video coverage which should release very soon.”
Cole also went on to say that maybe next year they’ll go another route and call it a “Diesel VS The World” event and allowing gasoline-powered trucks into the action. If history repeats itself, that calls for a weekend of super close racing. What do you think?
I am proud of those two making this happen with everything going on and I can’t wait to make the trip to Texas next year for the next one. For more information about upcoming Texas Truck Jam events, head over to their Facebook page here. For more event coverage, stay tuned right here on Diesel Army.
