Diesels of New York: The Rise of a Truck Enthusiast Empire

A New Breed of Truck Enthusiasts 

Photos by Shane Bechold

From parking lot hangouts to dirt track speedway events, from nothing to something, Diesels of New York (DSLNY) was started by just a few friends with a passion for trucks organizing local meetups based out of New York. Currently hosting events at the Orange County Fair Speedway located in Middletown, New York, this team has created one of the truck world’s largest truck groups dedicated to their home state and yearly meetups! Starting their local page in 2018, DSLNY founder Casey Hunt and his team originated from a few friends and family members thinking they could create an event as big as Daytona Beach Truck Meet.

After attending Daytona shows in June during summer for vacation, the DSLNY crew wanted to recreate the same atmosphere up north. Through supporting local photographers and videographers on Instagram, they were able to grow a strong influence on social media, starting off with a Burnout Box similar to Daytona Truck Meets. Hosting four events a year including a season opener and season closer, Diesels of New York has brought upward of 6,000 attendees in a single day to one of their events, which featured local vendors from all over the state of New York. Rain or shine, DSLNY never fails to put on a rowdy show with up to 100 competitors and thousands of trucks attending their events.

Starting from a few friends in an abandoned mall, I never expected our crowd to grow to as many as thousands and require us to seek out larger venues to hold our big family.” —Casey Hunt

Instead of just hosting a single event a year, they give local truck enthusiasts a place to show the world their passion more often using their large following on social media. Growing throughout the years, their several Instagram pages have accumulated over 100,000 followers, and their numerous TikTok pages have grown past 190,000 followers. Utilizing social media allows this truck group to expand by using trending videos to grab attention of locals and entice truck scene enthusiasts to join in on their events.

“From starting this page at 18 years old to now being 24, everyday through dedication and consistency, we’ve kept up with all social media, all messages and questions, even down to talking one-on-one with most attendees and giving them a voice in the truck community.” —Casey Hunt

Starting from only a few hundred followers, the team has persisted through years of growing their event by encouraging those with a love for trucks and admired influencers to come out to enjoy their show at well known venues.

“Everyday we aspire to give our audience/family a better event, increased social media coverage, and a flourishing atmosphere to enjoy their passion!” —Casey Hunt