Tony Burkhard Takes the Wheel at UCC 2023

The warm, early June afternoon air stood still as the Dirty Hooker Diesel truck fired to life. Over the last 48 hours, this truck and the team handling it had gone quite literally to hell and back. Facing a crash on Friday night at the drag strip, a broken crankshaft on Saturday on the dyno, and two sleepless nights to straighten a frame and replace an engine, even getting the truck to this point was a remarkable feat by itself, and most would have quit long before they got here.

“Despite all of their bad luck and sleepless nights over the weekend, the DHD team was still within striking distance of the podium.”

At the wheel of the truck was team owner and Duramax magician Tony Burkhard. Tony, a long-time competitor in the Ultimate Callout Challenge and experienced sled puller, had the entire weight of the world on his shoulders as he pulled his white and fire-charred Duramax on the dirt track. Despite all of their bad luck and sleepless nights over the weekend, the DHD team was still within striking distance of the podium. Placing second in drag racing and third in the dyno competition so far, Tony knew he had to compete here to stand a chance at taking home the hardware.

As they hooked the truck to the sled, I reflected on the crazy journey that the last 48 hours had been. The emotional rollercoaster that had taken place was enough to make even the most experienced of racing enthusiasts exhausted, and I was just a content creator. As the truck got prepared to make the final pass of sled pulling at Ultimate Callout Challenge 2023, the entire crew drew in a deep breath and waited. To be on the board, Tony had to pilot his rocket ship of a Duramax truck past the 300-foot mark, putting at least 20 feet on the truck in the next spot behind him on the standings.

“It was truly a Cinderella story. A story of grit and determination and perseverance and yes, even a little luck.”

While it was an unfortunate turn of events through the whole weekend, Burkhard was most well-versed in sled pulling. A bit of a fanatic, over the last two decades Tony has won several local and regional sled-pulling championships, and much of that success is why Dirty Hooker Diesel is as big as it is today. As the lights on the sled turned green and started to flash, Tony did what he does best: spooled the engine on his Last Minute Hooker and began making his way down the track.

As the truck made its way toward the grandstands, it started to sputter and spit. Unknown to the team at the time, there was an error in the computer programming that would limit the truck to 80% throttle while he had the converter locked up. You could hear a gasp from the crowd as the truck sputtered and puffed, but the Last Minute Hooker kept moving.

Finally, about three-quarters of the way down the sled-pulling track, Tony released the lockup. The truck surged back to life like someone had given it a breath of fresh air—and it was ready to work. Screaming, the Duramax just kept digging, moving the sled farther and farther down the line until it came to rest just over the 300-foot mark of the track, stopping at 308.3 feet.

The team erupted in a whirlwind of emotion. They laughed, they screamed, and they cried. Against all odds, despite fate throwing every wrench and curveball it could at the Dirty Hooker Diesel team, they had not only placed on the podium—Dirty Hooker Diesel had won the 2023 Ultimate Callout Challenge.

It was truly a Cinderella story. A story of grit and determination and perseverance and yes, even a little luck. To date, it’s one of the most incredible stories I’ve ever been a part of, and something I still struggle to explain to people when they ask. The feeling of overcoming everything, of the hard work paying off, and yes, even to see the good guys win after all.

It was truly a Cinderella story. A story of grit and determination and perseverance and yes, even a little luck. To date, it’s one of the most incredible stories I’ve ever been a part of, and something I still struggle to explain to people when they ask. The feeling of overcoming everything, of the hard work paying off, and yes, even to see the good guys win after all.

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