When you start talking about trucks and racing in the same breath, most people figure you're talking about NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series.
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Yeah, Mike still likes to play with trucks! Here, he raises some dust at Muroc Dry Lake. (Courtesy Mike Ryan Motorsports)

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Easy does it! Well, as it crests the top of the Pike's Peak racecourse, Mike Ryan's Super Truck looks poised. On the way up the hill, he has his hands full. (Courtesy Mike Ryan Motorsports)

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When Mike gets serious, this is where he straps himself in, with a big shifter to his right to maximize the Super Truck's 1,250 horsepower. (Courtesy Mike Ryan Motorsports)
But, noooooo! This time around we're talking about huffing and puffing diesel power and a very big truck storming up Pike's Peak. And the man at the helm of the 7,824-pound Freightliner that's been modified with a huge wing and lots of go-fast accessories-including product decals as diverse as Freightliner, Michelin, Mercedes-Benz, Shell and Wyotech-is Mike Ryan.

The 49-year-old Ryan is a Hollywood stunt driver. And, chances are pretty good you've seen him crash a truck or two in spectacular fashion in one of the over 500 feature films, TV shows or commercials that he's made.

Crashing, though, is not in the script when Ryan gets to the base of Pike's Peak and fires up the 1,250-horsepower racing version of the Mercedes-Benz 501 V-6 twin-turbo motor that gives this Century Class S/T Super Truck a top speed of 113 miles per hour. The goal is to whip the truck upward 4,708 feet to the top of the 14,110-foot mountain, charging along a 12.46-mile course that includes 156 turns with 1,000-foot drop-offs.  Mike, over the past 10 years, has won nine times and set six records. In 1997 he broke Sid Compton's record of 15 minutes and 48 seconds. Mike's record now is 12 minutes, 46.81 seconds.

You won't find this truck out on the Interstate, but you might find it at Muroc Dry Lake or Bonneville shooting for records or testing.

If you're one of the lucky ones who can go to the Specialty Equipment Market Association's big trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center in November, check the big speed demon out yourself. It'll be sitting right in front of the main building.