The Environment, the Crowd, the Horsepower Make Great Event

By the time the sun came up on Friday, I was out of bed and on my way to kick-starting my day. As we rolled into the event, our first order of business was getting the LBZ cleaned up and ready to show off. After a quick stop at a mobile detailer and a wheel polish by the one and only Tobin of Shine Money Detailing, we were ready to get the truck parked up and in the Dirty Hooker Diesel Booth. By this point in the day it’s midmorning, the track is live, and the sound of diesel trucks screaming down the track behind me is intoxicating.

As I checked in with the Dirty Hooker Diesel team, there were already some long faces. The track was hot, and the DHD team was struggling to hook the truck up given the power it had. While traction may not always be an issue, when your diesel truck makes 2,550+ horsepower it can be a bit difficult to keep all 4 wheels planted. The team battled the truck and the track all day, tuning nitrous timing, making suspension adjustments, and otherwise fighting their way to shave off a few tenths of a second in an attempt to lay down the fastest pass of the day.

For those that are unaware, the Ultimate Callout Challenge is a strenuous competition of 3 disciplines. Competitor teams must compete in drag racing, put down a highly competitive number on the dyno, and also wrap up their weekend with a dirt sled pull. It’s an extremely intricate event, with each team having their own strengths and weaknesses.

Additionally, when you look at the field of competitors it’s clear that Dirty Hooker Diesel is outside of the norm when it comes to truck choices. The primary choice for most teams in the Ultimate Callout Challenge event is a Cummins, meaning that DHD having a Duramax under the hood makes them a bit of an outsider.

Being on the outside doesn’t bother the team though, and especially doesn’t bother team owner and sled pull pilot Tony Burkhart. Tony has a rich history in sled pulling, having won dozens of local and regional sled pulling championships over the last two decades. A quick trip to the DHD shop in Harbor Beach, Michigan will leave you speechless, and a quick conversation with Tony will have you understanding that without question, this man knows Duramax trucks.

As the sun set, the drag strip at Lucas Oil Raceway began to cool down. As the golden rays of a June sunset cast long shadows over the event, the racing was still far from over. As the lights came on the track, competitors were still tearing it up, laying down passes, tweaking and adjusting trucks, and otherwise chasing the coveted words “FAST PASS”over the PA system.

By the time the Dirty Hooker Diesel team made it back to the starting line, it was getting late. The sun had set, air temperatures had cooled, and the world around the racetrack had all but slowed to a crawl. This would be the last run for the night, and Team DHD was anxiously awaiting their final run of the day, chasing another 2 tenths of a second that they were off from the leader. As driver Tyler Burkhart pulled the truck into the staging lane, I felt a sense of optimism. The team had battled all day long and like any good story, you always want the good guys to win. As Tyler spooled the truck up and staged it on the tree, I held my breath, crossed my fingers, and said a short prayer for a clean pass. As the tree lit  green, Tyler launched the truck and it was off to the races. The first few feet looked great, the truck launched incredibly well, but at about the 50-foot mark it all went wrong.

I was on the right side of the track, the truck in the left lane of the strip, and it had a slight shimmy. Hardly noticeable at first, it became clear very quickly that something was wrong. The truck pitched right, crossing into the right lane of the drag trip. Tyler pulled the emergency chute, but it was too late. The truck crashed into the right wall, making contact just in front of the right front tire. It skidded along the wall for a few feet before ultimately coming to a rest nosed against the wall about halfway down the track.

For as big as Lucas Oil Raceway is, you could have cut the silence with a knife. For a few brief seconds the only noise that was heard was the sound of Tony and Team Crew Chief Chad Thorley’s shoes running down the strip. If you’ve never been at a racetrack after a crash it’s a harrowing experience no matter how extreme. As motorsports fans, I think we can all agree that no matter what, safety is the top priority for all competitors. You can replace a truck, you can’t replace a driver.

Thankfully, after what seemed to be a hundred lifetimes in that cool Indiana summer air, Tyler exited the truck on his own feet. As they rushed him off to the ambulance as a safety precaution, the stands began to come alive with chatter. Would this be the end for Team DHD? Surely the truck was hurt, but was it enough to end their weekend? The questions began to circulate, the chatter got louder, and before the flatbed had even loaded the truck up to take it back to the pit box there were several who dismissed the 2023 Ultimate Callout Challenge event for team Dirty Hooker Diesel. Surely the event was over for them…or was it?

Tune in to next month’s article where we join the team as they assess the damages, create a game plan, and pull off one of the wildest all-nighters I have ever experienced.

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