THE 2018 ULTIMATE CALLOUT CHALLENGE
TESTING THE LIMITS OF DIESEL PERFORMANCE
It’s the most exciting spectacle in the diesel industry: Ultimate Callout Challenge. For the third year in a row, this no-holds-barred event pitted North America’s top shops and diesel enthusiasts against each other to see whose truck could be the king of the dyno, dragstrip and pulling track. The big prize, though, would go to the combined winner, the truck that could place well enough in each event to take the overall victory. Here there could be no weak links. If you’re a betting type of person, you probably don’t want to bet against Lavon Miller and Firepunk Diesel, whose truck and team took the win the past two years. Last year Miller won by taking first place at the dragstrip, second on the dyno and sixth at the sled pull, which made the overall standings relatively close. Derek Rose placed a close second in his innovative DNR Customs race truck, and Wade Minter was right on Rose’s tail.
Friday: Drag Day
As 2018 was shaping up, the action promised to be no less fierce, as several trucks were being built specifically for UCC 2018. With GM, Ford and Dodge all taking spots in the top five in 2017, we couldn’t wait to see the Big Three battle it out as the action started. The first event would be the drag race, where diesels would fly down the 1,320 feet at Lucas Oil Raceway. Scoring would be a weighted system, which meant it was in the competitor’s best interest to beat everyone else by as much as possible.
The early favorite was supposed to be Lavon Miller, but Jared Delekta surprised everyone by throwing down the gauntlet with an 8.26-second pass at 177 mph in his Industrial Injectionbacked, Cummins-powered Chevy. Miller quickly answered in his Cummins-powered Dodge with an 8.12 at 180 mph. Many other