1,500-HP Dodge Ram: Diesel Drag Racing Dominance

Jarid Vollmer’s 1,500-hp, 8-second Dodge Diesel

One of the most dominant trucks in diesel drag racing has been Jarid Vollmer’s ’07 Dodge Ram 2500, which was designed to compete in the 4,500-pound Pro Street class. In addition to back-to-back NHRDA World Championships in 2014 and 2015, Jarid also holds the current E.T. record of 8.51 at 160.52 mph. Jarid’s Dodge has dipped into the 5.40s in the eighth-mile, and also has timed the quickest 60-foot we’ve ever heard of, at 1.30 seconds. With so many accomplishments, we were eager to get a look under the hood of Jarid’s Ram, and see what makes it so fast.

“JARID HOLDS THE CURRENT E.T. RECORD OF 8.51 AT 160.52 MPH”

Launching with a diesel engine that produces 2,500 lb-ft. is no easy task, so Jarid went with a super strong Mark Williams 9-inch rearend. The Mark Williams unit shares almost no parts with a traditional Ford 9-inch, and has been fitted with a spool, 40-spline axles, and 3.50 gears.

The interior in Jarid’s Ram is as simple as it gets. A small gauge cluster is integrated into the dash for the basics. Interestingly enough, Jarid doesn’t run an EGT gauge. “It’s not like I’m going to let off if I see a number I don’t like,” he explained.

SUCCESS

A big part of why Jarid has been so suc- cessful is that he’s stuck with the same combination since he built the truck back in 2011. The Dodge has always been a light- weight two-wheel drive shortbed, with a rear tube chassis and 4-link suspension. The engine has also remained a single- turbo common-rail Cummins with nitrous over the years, although it’s been reﬁned and upgraded during that time.

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“JARID PERFORMS THE CUSTOM TUNING OF THE ENGINE HIMSELF”

Since Jarid shifts the common-rail at 4,200 rpm, over pressuring the coolant system is a definite possibility. To solve this, an electric water pump from Stewart Components circulates water through the Cummins engine and keeps pressure consistent.

The rest of the Cummins’ fuel system is just as beefy as the lift pump setup. Twin 10mm Motorsport Diesel stroker CP3 pumps are mounted with a PPE kit, and feed a set of enormous Dynomite Diesel Performance injectors.

5.9L CUMMINS

The ’07 Dodge’s current setup consists of a 5.9L Cummins block, that has been filled with a stock crank, Carrillo rods, and factory pistons. A Diesel Pros camshaft bumps the valves on a Mountain High Per- formance 24-valve cylinder head, which has had the intake shelf milled off, and has been fitted with a Hellmann Performance side-draft intake. ARP 425 head studs keep the head secured and the coolant and oil separate.

Nitrous oxide injection is an important part of the drag-only combination. A small stage is used to help spool the truck at the line, while a big 0.125-inch jet on a second stage is whacked as soon as the truck leaves the line.

Part of the reason the Cummins can make the power it does at only 45 psi is that the airflow throughout the engine has been vastly improved. A big piece of the puzzle is an intercooler from BD Diesel Performance.

Perhaps the most overbuilt part of the truck is the fuel system, which has been designed to allow the Cummins to reach its maximum potential. From the tank, twin AirDog 200gph lift pumps feed two Motorsport Diesel CP3 pumps, which in turn send fuel to Dynomite Diesel Performance injectors. The injectors are one thing that’s been upgraded over the years, as Jarid credits DDP with the truck’s latest jump from 1,368 rear-wheel horsepower, to more than 1,500 hp. Since Jarid works as an engineer at Bully Dog, he performs the custom tuning of the engine himself.

Up front, the suspension has been converted to a five-lug setup, with light- weight Sander Engineering wheels and 28×4.5×15 Mickey Thompson E.T. Front tires.

A Fleece Performance Engineering 75mm S400 turbocharger is wastegated to 45psi, thanks to a Turbosmart wastegate ﬁtted to a Steed Speed exhaust manifold.

If the engine seems a bit further away from the radiator than normal, that’s be- cause it is. To get the two-wheel drive truck to hook up, the Cummins was moved back a whopping 7-inches from its factory location.

In contrast to the fuel setup, the turbo and supporting hardware is fairly simple. A 75mm S400 from Fleece Performance Engineering is mounted on a wastegated Steed Speed manifold, which regulates boost to 45 psi. From the turbo, pressure is then sent into the engine via a BD Diesel Per- formance intercooler. The turbo is fed through a ram-air system, which draws air from the headlight bucket.

Since its inception, Jarid’s Dodge has used the same engine combination: a 5.9L Cummins with a single turbo and nitrous. Over the years, it’s been refined where it made 1,000 hp, then 1,300 hp, and finally (as of 2016) an impressive 1,560 rear- wheel horsepower on the dyno.

Perhaps the most shocking part of the truck lies below the floorboards. After breaking an estimated 30 Dodge transmissions over the years, Jarid finally switched to standard Pro Modified fare—a four-speed B&J planetary gear transmission, a Quick Drive converter drive, and Neal Chance racing converter.

RACE ONLY TRANS

After mowing through dozens of Dodge transmissions, Jarid recently stepped up to a race-only unit. Manufactured by B&J, the manual transmission uses a planetary gear system allowing no down- time between shifts. Instead of a clutch, a torque converter drive from Quick Drive LLC was incorporated, along with a lock- up converter from Neal Chance Racing. The new transmission is not only reliable, but it also dropped the truck’s elapsed times from high 8s to mid 8s in the quar- ter mile.

Traction is provided by Mammoth rear tires. The 33.5×16.5×16 Mickey Thompson slicks are some of the largest available and tuck under the rear fenders nicely thanks to an owner-built full back-half chassis and four-link suspension.

A Stroud parachute has been worked into the tail- gate and is used to slow the truck from its 160-plus mph speeds.

BACK-HALFED

The rear frame of the truck is built out of square tubing and was welded up by Jarid himself. The suspension is a 4-link design that uses Afco shocks and springs, while the rearend is an impressively strong Mark Williams 9-inch. The front suspen- sion also received the full race treatment, with double adjustable QA1 shocks and custom Afco springs.

After a ﬁve-year effort, Jarid has been able to drop his truck’s elapsed time from mid 11s to mid 8s and become one of the top Pro Street trucks in the country. With its upgraded transmission and improved suspension, the Dodge has run right to the limits of the NHRA’s current speed and weight requirements, prompting a new sub-8.50 rule. With the 2016 race season just starting, we can’t wait to see what Jarid and his Dodge will accomplish this year. DW