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August 24^th, 2024 – Lyons, IN – Drag racing, truck and tractor pulling, dyno competition, show and shine, and rowdy burnouts; the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza (SDX) continues to be the annual festival of all things diesel. With a drag strip right beside a pulling track, and a burnout pad in the back, Wagler Motorsports Park is the ideal property for all of that to go down!

The Outlaw Diesel Super Series (ODSS), home of the world’s quickest and fastest diesels on the drag strip, pulled in the best of diesel drag racing from all over the USA and what better way to get things started than Friday Night Grudge Racing sponsored by S&S! Both Brett Marcum and Mitchell Wickland are known for their impressive mustaches and their driving skills in the Outlaw 5.90 class that puts a cap on how quick the trucks can be. So what happens when the 5.90 index is removed? While the best mustache is still up for debate, there’s no debating who is quicker after Marcum beat Wickland to the stripe in an all-out heads-up grudge race.

As luck would have it, there was an extra S&S Grudge Belt on the property and the Jr. Mafia was on-site too. Why not let the young bucks run their Junior Dragsters for a belt? It was Layton Lively vs Jaxon Zeigler, spark plug and methanol vs nitrous and diesel. When the tree dropped, it was Layton that drove to victory after Jaxon stalled on the line as a result of ALL THE NITROUS. Congratulations to Layton Lively for earning Don of the Jr. Mafia!

There has been one diesel-powered race car, in particular, that has been on quite the streak. Coming off of a win and a World Record at the last race, Michael Cordova kept the momentum moving forward by bumping his own 1/8^th mile anything diesel world record down to 3.779 seconds, but with less speed (182 MPH), showing that his front half game in on-point. Seeing how the car has already been 209 MPH, fans are excited to see what happens when “Mr. MoTeC”, Andre Dusek, turns up the wick for Cordova to run it out the back. Records are great, yet racers love winning the most, and Cordova managed to squeeze by Jared Jones in the final for Pro Dragster win.

The Outlaw 5.90 class of the ODSS has become one of the most competitive classes in the series, with experienced drivers than can lay down 5.900 ETs and .000 reaction times. Such competition can be intimidating for rookie drivers, yet Jayle Wagler was not about losing on the track she grew up on. With the hopes of the entire track staff on her shoulders, Jayle outran former 5.90 Champion, Brett Marcum, in the finals, securing victory for the home team in her Outlaw Diesel Super Series debut!

The beauty of the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza is that there’s something for all diesel fans, especially the ones who appreciate the grunt of a loaded-up diesel engine dragging a heavy load across the bare dirt. Lucas Oil Pro Pulling draws in the best of the best in truck and tractor pulling, and SDX has always been an extra special pull for the trucks. Due to that popularity, only the top twelve Pro Street Diesel Trucks and the top twenty Limited Pro Stock Diesel Trucks from the daytime qualifying session get the honor of pulling in the main show. The competition is so tough that series front-runners are not guaranteed a spot in the evening show, which makes earning one of those spots an accomplishment within itself.

Four S&S customers earned the right to pull in Pro Street on Friday night: Evan Rusk in Double or Nothin, Lee Stiltz in Privileged, Josh Graver in Holler Hooker and Tristan Ellington representing Ellington Diesel & Fab. Three of the four used S&S MoTeC-controlled Cummins power plants, yet Josh Graver is holding it down for the Ford fans by taking a different approach. The Holler Hooker is powered by an #SSfueled and #DCRequipped 6.7 Power Stroke.

Lee Stiltz put his twin S&S 14mm High Speed CP3 pumps to good use on Saturday night by getting Runner Up in Pro Street and Josh Graver managed to qualify again, proving that a Ford engine can hang with the big dogs.

Veteran puller, Adam Hallien, put on a “How to Pull at Scheid” clinic in Limited Pro Stock Diesel Trucks. The Cummins-powered square body Chevy known as Wrecker utilized the complete S&S fuel system and MoTeC control package to earn Runner Up honors on Friday night and claim the Win on Saturday night. Also making the show on Friday night was Evan Davis in Grey Area, Paul Ritchardson in Fancy Hooker, and Ronnie Hall in Hall Pass, all of which use the complete S&S fuel and control system.

Evan Davis flexed the Duramax power of Grey Area to win his qualifying heat on Saturday. The two-truck Pushlar team of Jennifer in Hellfire and Travis in Matrix also made the Saturday night show.

Over on the Super Flow Dyno, Nic Keck won the big single class both days with 1,122 wheel horsepower on Friday and 1,117 wheel horsepower on Saturday.

S&S employee and customer, Brandon Banning, won the Best Chevrolet Award in the Show N Shine with his very clean triple turbo LML Duramax.

August 14^th, 2024 – Seymour, IN – Dating back to the first land speed record of 1914, the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah has been the place of hotrodders hunting records in the name of automotive glory for over a century. Arguably the best event for record hunting is SCTA’s (Southern California Timing Association) Speed Week, which took place just last week. Three diesel land speed records were claimed by three different cars, all with one thing in common: S&S Diesel Motorsport fuel systems and electronic controls!

Earning the title of Speed Week’s Fastest Diesel for 2024 was Tim Boyle in his Cummins-powered streamliner called Thunder in the Morning. Boyle flogged his compound turbo 6.7L Cummins to secure the new C/DS Land Speed Record of 315.570 MPH. Team Salty Box Racing found success by using S&S injectors, twin 12mm CP3s, and an S&S MoTeC control system, tuned and wired by Ryan Milliken of Hardway Racing.

Heading into Speed Week with a brand-new car, David Pilgrim pushed his Maxwell Industries-built Lakester/Streamliner to an impressive 272.434 MPH on the very first shakedown pass. After reviewing the MoTeC-supplied data, S&S support engineers: Luke Langellier, Andre Dusek, and Ryan Reiser, made a few changes and the Pilgrim and Stubbs team gave it another shot later in the week. On it’s second pass out, the ASRE-built Duramax, featuring S&S 250% LBZ injectors and twin 12mm CP3 pumps, pushed the average speed up to 273.313 MPH for the A/DS Land Speed Record.

The final record was secured by one of Andrew Stauffer’s first projects under the newly-founded S&S Diesel Motorsport back in 2014. The 1.5L Renault diesel that powers Bill Wendt’s Mighty Mouse is also the smallest fueling and control project that S&S has undertaken, featuring a legacy Bosch MS15 Sport ECU. Small, yet mighty, the diesel-powered Crosley pickup flexed its 1.5L muscle to claim the new H/DT Land Speed Record of 144.432 MPH.

Congratulations to all three teams! Thank you for trusting S&S to help achieve your goals.

August 4^nd, 2024 – Wendover, UT – A new diesel-powered missile has just hit the Bonneville Salt Flats and it’s a modern take on a dry lake classic. While the aerodynamic body of the Pilgrim and Stubbs Streamliner is more akin to a modern jet fighter, the outboard wheels pay tribute to the WWII aircraft belly tank cars that pioneered the Lakester category.

The term “modern take” is an understatement considering the technology behind the carbon fiber shell. This new Duramax-powered Streamliner is the latest creation by Steve Watt of Maxwell Industries, the renowned streamliner builder and creator of the legendary Speed Demon. Inside of the 4130 chrome moly tube chassis is a collection of custom-fabricated light-weight parts, a modern turbocharged EFI diesel engine, and an obscene number of sensors and solenoids to keep the car flying straight and fast. The four Diamond Racing wheels sitting on Goodyear tires are connected to the body via a custom Maxwell Industries coil-over suspension system. Meziere water pumps keep fluid moving via Brown & Miller braided lines throughout the robust cooling system needed for 5 miles of all-out engine performance. When hunting for speed on the salt, more is better, yet stopping is important too. That’s why owner/driver, David Pilgrim, trusts his life with Wildwood disc brakes, Simpson parachutes and safety equipment, and a DJ Safety fire suppression system. A car of this caliber is the closest to aerospace grade that one will find firmly planted on the earth and it’s no surprise that Watt used ARP fasteners to hold it all together.

The sleek body by Metalcrafters is an aerodynamic masterpiece of 100% carbon fiber by “Carbon Kenny” Koldsbaek which will give the Automotive Specialists Racing Engines-built LBZ Duramax a fighting chance against the wind. The 441 cubic inch V8 sports a factory GM block and ported GM heads with a SoCal Diesel billet crank, Carrillo rods, and Diamond pistons, all locked in by a SoCal main girdle and ARP fasteners. A Comp Cams camshaft opens the Manton pushrods and valves to accommodate the copious amount of air supplied by a pair of Precision Turbo mirror image Next Gen 6870 turbochargers. A Wagler Competition Products liquid-to-air intercooler and intake manifold combo ensures that there’s plenty of cold air waiting behind the intake valves ready to feed the flames created by a set of S&S Diesel Motorsport +250% LBZ Duramax fuel injectors. The injectors are supplied with up to 2400 bar (34,809 psi) of fuel pressure thanks to a pair of S&S Diesel Motorsport 12mm High Speed CP3 high-pressure pumps and a Waterman low-pressure supply pump, all driven off the front of a Wagler billet front cover.

The brain that controls the engine, and all other vehicle systems, is a MoTeC M142 standalone ECU with custom S&S firmware that is specific to common rail diesel direct injection. Supporting the MoTeC brain is a vast nervous system of 615 data channels all interconnected by a custom S&S-built wiring harness. S&S engineers Andre Dusek and Luke Langellier are tasked with managing the expansive vehicle control system, interpreting data, and making calibration changes to increase top speed on a somewhat loose surface, with the added help of traction control developed by S&S.

The Streamliner’s 1,333 wheel horsepower is transferred from the engine to the salt through an air-shifted 7-speed Liberty transmission, Mark Williams driveshaft, and then into a BJ Holt quick change rear end that sends torque to the axles. The team’s goal is to go as fast as possible, and as with all new cars it’s hard to predict just how fast that will be. One thing’s for certain: Crew Chief Carl Stubbs, Brent Bartlett, Craig Schkade, and Channing Hammond will be sweating all week to give it their best shot!

June 2^nd, 2024 – Brownsburg, IN – Just when the racing world was finally able to wrap their heads around a Cummins-powered dragster going 1/8^th mile in 3.877 seconds, Michael “Ninja” Cordova turned up the wick and broke his own record in the Outlaw Diesel Super Series Pro Dragster final of the Outlaw Diesel Revenge.

With Maddie Graves in her three-second Duramax-powered dragster in the other lane, Cordova bumped in with the SSfueled and MoTeC-controlled Freedom Racing Engines powerplant screaming like an unhinged Karen about to strike. As the fat tires started to wrinkle under the glow of the yellow bulbs, the green light hit. Then, the billet, nitrous-injected, Cummins turbo diesel launched the sleek dragster, like a speeding shuriken, to the stripe in 3.836 seconds and slicing right through the 200 MPH barrier with a 203.19 MPH top speed.

The only thing better than setting a record is doing it while winning the final round of an event. Congratulations to the entire Wrenchworkz, team on the new outright diesel record and the Pro Dragster win. Special thanks to Hammertech Race Cars, 1X Precision, and many others, including Michael’s wife, Lauren and Michael Jr., Crew Chief in training.

S&S Diesel Motorsport is honored to be a small part of their program by providing fueling, electronic control, and calibration support for the Cordova Clan.

October 15^th, 2023 – Cecil, GA – It’s been six-and-a-half years since Ryan Milliken rolled out a diesel-powered Nova for the X275 class of Lights Out 8. Leave it to the founder of Hardway Performance to put a torque-monster diesel on a 275 tire at the biggest drag radial race in the world. The green Cummins-powered Nova got attention by running a 5.14 while dragging the parachute like a field plow, yet the tractor was far from competitive and did not qualify for the 32-car show.

Thankfully, for fans of diesel racing, Milliken is an extremely stubborn man who likes to do it the HARDWAY, and did not give up on radial tire racing. With the help of Daniel Pierce and a Bosch Motorsport control package by S&S, the 1966 Nova got quicker and more consistent. The pair won a round of X275 at Lights Out 9 and Lights Out 10, then qualified 6^th out of 82 cars for the elite Sweet 16 2.0, thus earning a little respect for the diesel combo. Unfortunately, the iconic Diesel Nova kissed the wall a year later at Lights Out 11, which put it in the chassis shop for major rehab.

Milliken sold the first car, but his love for Novas, and disdain for spark plugs, would lead him down the HARDWAY path all over again. One year later, Milliken showed up to Lights Out 12 with a Glacier Blue 1969 Nova sporting a Cummins between the factory-ish frame rails. The new purpose-built X275 car had the equipment to go fast and the power to break stuff… which happened every pass of the event. The debut of the second Diesel Nova nicknamed “Blue” was not a success, yet shaking down a new car at an event rarely is.

The past two-and-a-half years, since the debut of Blue, has been an uphill climb for the Hardway Racing Team of Ryan Milliken, Rick Haynes, Rod MacMaster, and Jonathan Montesino. Over time, there would be less carnage and more win lights, yet an event win, or even runner up, had eluded the team. A few number one qualifiers, and the class speed record, was proof that the Blue had the diesel-fueled muscle to go fast, but doing it round after round was the challenge.

The back-to-back events of Battle of the Thrones and No Mercy 14 was the pinnacle week of nearly seven years of hard work, frustration, loss, and pure stubbornness. Milliken put the class on notice by locking in the X275 top qualifying spot of Battle of the Thrones with a 4.16-second rip at 177 MPH. He and the boys would go on to claim a career-first X275 Runner Up at Battle of the Thrones. This was a huge accomplishment for Hardway Racing, and the entire diesel industry; yet, there was still work to do at No Mercy 14. What would ensue could be considered total diesel domination. Milliken, once again, claimed the number one spot with an elapsed time of 4.16 at 179 MPH.  After a first-round bye, the S&S-badged Nova printed a series of tickets (4.21, 4.18, 4.18, 4.20) that lead straight to the X275 Winner’s Circle and into history as the first diesel ANYTHING to win a drag racing event at that level of competition!

Many may think that diesels are low-tech brutes, yet that couldn’t be further from the truth to compete at this level. The Freedom Racing Engines Cummins that powers Blue is not short on muscle; the level of technology and electronic control needed to regulate obscene torque going to a pair of 275-mm-wide tires is an engineering marvel. An S&S-spec MoTeC M142 standalone ECU which precisely controls an S&S ultra-high-pressure direct injection fuel system is crucial to making the required torque at the exact time needed, and doing it cleanly.

S&S Diesel Motorsport, along with many other high-tech manufacturers, have been a part of Ryan Milliken’s seven-year quest to win the HARDWAY since the very beginning. Now Milliken is 5 points off of the X275 lead in the Radial Outlaws Series, proving that a diesel can be a championship contender. Pride is an understatement for what it is being felt right now by all involved.

September 30^th, 2023 – Lyons, IN – Just a few short weeks ago, the nose of Michael Cordova’s rail was steam-rolled by a pickup truck in the staging lanes, causing major front end damage. The wheels, A-arms, tie rods, steering box, and carbon fiber nose were completely destroyed, with the final Outlaw Diesel Super Series race mere weeks away! Many would have thrown in the towel, but Cordova, aka The Ninja, used speed, stealth and indomitable spirit to push forward against all odds. Since creatures of the night do not sleep, Cordova was able to get the car patched up in time for the season finale at Wagler Motorsports Park.

It was a tough two rounds of qualifying for the team on Friday. An aborted pass in Q1 and a low-pressure fuel leak in Q2 left the Cordova Clan with one more shot at qualifying on Saturday. Fortunately, they hit the mark with a 3.95-second, 1/8^th-mile pass that put them right to the top and earning a buy for first round of eliminations. Being a solo run, the stars were aligned for a record pass, so S&S MoTeC specialist, Andre Dusek, loaded up the spicy tune for E1. Short on mercy and full of power, Michael “The Ninja” Cordova slayed the outright diesel 1/8^th mile ET record by running a 3.877 at 191.08 MPH! Wrecked to World Record in under a month is a huge accomplishment that would have not been possible without the support of Hammertech Race Cars, 1X Precision, Wrenchworkz, and many others, including Michael’s wife, Lauren Cordova. Records are great, but winning is better, and the team did just that by moving on to win the Pro Dragster class of the Wagler Fall Nationals.

S&S Diesel Motorsport is honored to be a small part of their program by providing fueling, electronic control, and calibration support for the Freedom Racing Engines Cummins power plant!