Throw in diesel drag racing, dynoing, and a little bumper-to-bumper action and we’re sold In the end, the golf cart on the left had the most juice, inching out a hard-fought win. Before the tug o’ war competition got underway, a “grudge tug” of sorts was held by track personnel. The crew-cab Bow Tie was good for low-smoke, mid-14-second passes. After a hard launch yielded a violent toe-in scenario, this big-tire Silverado backed down the boost on subsequent passes. As a bonus, most of the mega trucks we came across were diesel-powered. We always get a kick out of seeing the craftsmanship and ingenuity that’s built into these custom tractor-tired behemoths. Thanks to Florida’s mud-rich landscape, mega trucks and swamp buggies are common toys down in the citrus state. After making a 14.1-second warm-up pass, the driver turned in an impressive 12.8 at 112 mph effort. It’s always nice to see a dually getting after it in the quarter-mile and this 4-ton Dodge 3500 made high 12s look easy. His sub-14-second race file was written by Performance Calibrations Inc. After collecting a 13.99-second timeslip at the conclusion of his first pass, Skinner improved his launch and nabbed a 13.89 at 97 mph on the second. Dustin Skinner’s’15 Ford F-250 showed everyone what a regular-cab, 6.7L Power Stroke is capable of with just a tune. In the past, and on spray, the big-injector, twin-HPOP, single turbo’d 7.3L has gone high 10s, but unfortunate transmission gremlins kept the truck off its usual pace this time around. Event sponsor Jake White of White’s Diesel Performance sent his OBS Ford down the track in a hurry, storming the quarter in as little as 12.68 seconds. By the end of the afternoon the driver had progressed from a 13.66 to a 13.35-all at the same 98 mph. With 13.30 written on the rear window, this ¾-ton Ram spent the day chasing its dial-in. In the more advanced classes such as 12.0 Index and Quick Diesel a 4/10 pro tree was used. Driven here by fellow mega truck owner Steve Maus, the heavily fueled 6.0L Power Stroke has no problem lighting up each 66-inch tractor tire. One rig that’s well-known for putting on a good show is the JH Diesel and 4×4 Super Duty owned by Justin Hildebrand. For the second year in a row the crowd favorite was the tug o’ war competition between the Florida mega trucks. After kicking things off with a 12.8-second test pass, his Duramax would run no slower than a 12.1 the rest of the day. Ryan Watrous would be one of the most consistent racers to grace the track at Bradenton Motorsports Park. A few hours later he would claim First Place in Quick Diesel and take the runner-up spot in 12.0 Index. Veteran drag racer and local shop owner Jonathan Wayne Coblentz tried his hand in both the Quick Diesel and 12.0 Index classes, and after a few test hits in his full-weight, quad-cab Ram he ran a blazing 10.69 at 123 mph. Thanks to Hardway Performance tuning and a SunCoast transmission, the truck has cleared as much as 1,075 hp and 1,700 lb-ft on the chassis dyno. The 6.7L mill under the hood of Jonathan Wayne (Jon Wayne) Coblentz’s ¾-ton Ram sports a 146,000-mile factory bottom end, 250% over injectors, Motorsport Diesel dual CP3s and a single S476 from Forced Inductions. If you find yourself in the greater Bradenton/Sarasota region next February be sure to work this one into your schedule. And with more than a dozen loyal sponsors dedicated to its success, we look forward to seeing this event continue to grow. Judging by the spectator turnout-which continued to balloon as the day wore on-it’s obvious there is a strong truck culture down in the Sunshine State. Once the smoke had settled, the mud-intended monstrosities proved why they’re just as impressive on asphalt as they are buried in mire. This time around, the show ’n shine competition would meet its 100-truck limit in short order, the quarter-mile drag strip would heat up with Quick Diesel, 10.5 Index, 12.0 Index and Bracket classes, and a mobile chassis dyno would be kept busy throughout the day.įor the grand finale, fans were treated to a knock-down, drag-out tug o’ war competition between a group of mega trucks. After the success of the inaugural Florida Truck Fest in 2017, the folks at Bradenton Motorsports Park decided to pencil it in as an annual affair. As if 80-degree weather, ample sunshine and ocean views aren’t enough of a draw, throw in diesel drag racing, dynoing, a little bumper-to-bumper action and we’re sold. It doesn’t take much to lure us down to Florida in the middle of winter. The Sunshine State’s Premier Event Returns
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