DW  SMOKE LEAD

Smoky Mountain Black Out: Inaugural Smoky Mountain Diesel Association Event

the pulling track
This has got to be one of the best-looking trucks we’ve seen on the pulling track. Zach Eaton finished third in the 2.6 class with by pulling the sled more than 370 feet in his 1992 Dodge W250.

The events we typically attend have been established for years and are hosted by shops and/or manufacturers. We do get to see new events from time to time and the 2014 Smoky Mountain Black Out was one such event. Not only was this a new event, it was also hosted by a diesel club (the Smoky Mountain Diesel Association) with sponsorship from various shops in the region rather than a single shop or manufacturer.

The Smoky Mountain Black Out featured a dyno competition as well as a Show-N-Shine and multiple classes of sled pulling to wrap up the full day of diesel activities. The large Greene County Fairgrounds had plenty of space available to host the events as well as the crowd of about 1,200 diesel enthusiasts.

On The Dyno

A total of 31 pulls were made on the Dynocom chassis dyno with a few guys making more than one power pull with their trucks. The highest horsepower number of the day came from James Cameron with his 2005 Ford F-350. He had a dyno run of just less than 700 horsepower early in the day, falling about 20 horsepower less than Carlyn Yoder who laid down a 720-horsepower run as the first truck on the dyno. Cameron attacked the dyno once more at the end of the day and pulled out the win with a run of more than 750 horsepower.

Much to the horsepower-crazed spectator’s delight more than half of the trucks run across the dyno put down more than 500 horsepower to the rear wheels, providing excitement throughout the day. Even on the lower end of the horsepower scale only two trucks finished in the 300s with the lowest a respectable 346 horsepower from Jason Rial and his Show-N-Shine-winning 2005 Chevrolet.

Show-N-Shine

Between dyno runs, spectators could peruse demonstration booths set up with sponsors’ products or wander through the trucks on display for the Show-N-Shine competition. Nearly 30 trucks entered the Show-N-Shine hosted in the gravel lot not far from the dyno. Judging took place after the rain fell with plenty of time given to the competitors to get their trucks dried off and polished once again.

Trophies, plaques and prize money were on the line for the show trucks, including People’s Choice, Best Dodge, Best Ford, Best GM and Best of Show awards. The coveted Best of Show plaque went to Shane Ryans, making his 1993 Dodge a double winner for the event.

Sled Pulling

The sled pull got under way just after 6 in the evening and finished under the lights, making for a great end to the day of diesel activities. A total of six different classes hooked to the Predator sled, including a combined 2WD Diesel and Gas Truck class, Pure Street class, Workstock class, 2.5 class, 2.6 class and an Outlaw class to entertain the crowd and keep the action going.

Pulling started with the 2.5 class, where the top six trucks pulled for more than 300 feet. The battle between third, fourth and fifth places were very close with nearly 3 feet of difference between them. A pair of Chevys finished on top of the class with Bryan Hamby taking home the trophy along with a cash prize for the nearly 352-foot pull with his 2008 Chevy.

The next class to attack the track was the 2.6 class where the top 10 drivers pulled the sled beyond the 300-foot mark. 2.5 class winner Hamby had a great hook pulling the sled nearly 340 feet but that was only good enough for fifth place in this very stout class. The longest pull of the event came from Jonathan Brooklyn and his mean 2008 Ford F-350 that drug the sled along for a 379-foot ride. Unfortunately, there was only about 376 feet of track available and Brooklyn ran through the fence at the end of the track much to the surprise of the fans sitting on the grass mound on the other side of the fence. Always a great sport, Brooklyn immediately offered to pay for necessary repairs on the chain link fence.

With the anything goes Outlaw class on deck to pull next, sled operator Jack Reed set the sled to be more challenging and keep the big trucks from running out the back of the track again. Reed’s effort kept the class in check with only one truck pulling out beyond 300 feet. Brandon Harrington took the Outlaw class win with a 305-foot pull in his 1995 Dodge.

The Workstock class pulled next with two pullers getting past the 300-foot mark. The battle for the win was a father and son affair with Dino Swafford putting 35 feet on his father Danny to take the Workstock class win.

The combined 2WD Diesel/Gas class pulled next with Robert Raynes dominating Rick Shelton pulling more than 300 feet. The night was brought to a close with the Pure Street class where a pair of Fords out-pulled the rest of the field of Dodges with the only 300-foot pulls of the class. Will Riner took home the last win of the night with his 2005 F-350 when he dragged the sled along for a 325-foot ride.

End of a Great Day

Shortly after the last pull truck, the Smoky Mountain Diesel Association crew handed out the trophies to class winners as well as prize money totaling more than $4,000. Even after paying out all that prize money and covering expenses like the facility, sled and dyno fees, the Smoky Mountain Diesel Association still managed to raise an additional $2,115 with the event. The proceeds went directly to the Niswonger Children’s Hospital, a good cause for sure. The club hopes to raise even more money for the hospital with next year’s event.

With a good turnout and a lot of positive feedback from participants and spectators, the Smoky Mountain Diesel Association has decided not only to make the event an annual happening, they are also going to expand it to a two-day event. This year’s event is scheduled for September 11 and 12, 2015 and will be run under the new name of Smoky Mountain Diesel Days. If you’re in the northeast Tennessee area and want to catch some great diesel action, you owe it to yourself to come out to the event as a spectator or competitor—either way we’re sure you’ll have fun. Just be sure to tell them that your friends at Diesel World magazine sent you. We’ll be looking for ya there. DW

DYNO RESULTS:

Name Vehicle Horsepower Torque (lb-ft)
James Cameron 2005 Ford 757.2 1,308.8
Carlyn Yoder 2007 Dodge 720.0 1,132.1
Matt Campbell 2009 Dodge 697.9 1,434.3
James Cameron 2005 Ford 697.6 1,131.5
David Patrick 2007 Dodge 645.4 986.9
Daniel Ventley 2007 Chevrolet 639.2 995.5
Cody Moore 2003 Dodge 635.9 1,070.2
Brian Yoder 2004 Dodge 632.2 1,036.4
Colt Minton 2010 Ford 574.8 1,133.2
Travis Ford 2005 Chevrolet 549.2 863.6
Eric Helton 2006 Dodge 547.3 1,020.1
Stephen Greene 2001 Chevrolet 536.3 979.8
Israel Jennings 2007 Chevrolet 528.7 980.0
Josh Roberts 2004 Chevrolet 526.6 874.1
Austin Wade 2004 Dodge 525.4 983.1
T.W. Harrison 2013 Ford 513.5 1,065.1
Gene Mullett 2003 Dodge 483.2 810.9
Nick Stokes 2007 Dodge 471.0 931.4
James Rinkel 2007 Dodge 467.6 781.3
Timothy Yoder 2005 Ford 459.7 636.8
Nathan Hensley 2006 Dodge 457.3 881.6
James Rinkel 2007 Dodge 455.5 847.3
Charles Hylton 2008 Dodge 440.2 877.7
Will Riner 2005 Ford 427.3 820.2
Jimmy Waddell 2007.5 Dodge 425.4 944.6
Evan Meadows 2005 Chevrolet 420.3 700.8
Chuck Rose 1998 Dodge 410.3 861.0
Wayne Smith 1989 GMC 409.9 732.0
Ethan Smith 2002 Dodge 400.1 872.3
Perry Southerland 2012 Dodge 391.7 903.1
Jason Rial 2005 Chevrolet 346.7 583.7

 

SLED PULL RESULTS (Top 5):

2WD DIESEL/GAS CLASS
Place Driver Truck Distance
1 Robert Raynes n/a 323 ft 0 in
2 Rick Shelton 1976 Ford F-150 92 ft 2 in
PURE STREET CLASS
Place Driver Truck Distance
1 Will Riner 2005 Ford F-350 325 ft 6 in
2 Jimbo McHaffie 2005 Ford Excursion 312 ft 11 in
3 Gene Mullett 2003 Dodge 3500 294 ft 0 in
4 David Patrick 2007 Dodge 2500 287 ft 8 in
5 Jake Weems 2004 Dodge 2500 284 ft 6 in
WORKSTOCK CLASS
Place Driver Truck Distance
1 Dino Swafford 2002 GMC 3500 349 ft 4 in
2 Danny Swafford 2006 Ford F-250 312 ft 2 in
3 Josh Shelton 2004 Ford F-250 290 ft 1 in
4 James Rinkel Jr. Dodge 2500 275 ft 9 in
5 Bryan Hamby 2008 Chevy 3500 239 ft 8 in
2.5 CLASS
Place Driver Truck Distance
1 Bryan Hamby 2008 Chevy 3500 351 ft 8 in
2 Justin Goode 2002 Chevy 2500 341 ft 6 in
3 Nick Hicks 1995 Dodge 2500 317 ft 0 in
4 Danny Swafford 2006 Ford F-250 314 ft 2 in
5 Dino Swafford 2002 GMC 3500 313 ft 11 in
2.6 CLASS
Place Driver Truck Distance
1 Jonathan Brooklyn 2008 Ford F-350 379 ft 0 in
2 Mike Davis 2001 Dodge 3500 372 ft 0 in
3 Zach Eaton 1992 Dodge W250 371 ft 8 in
4 Kevin Jarvis 2005 GMC 2500 350 ft 6 in
5 Bryan Hamby 2008 Chevy 3500 339 ft 8 in
OUTLAW CLASS
Place Driver Truck Distance
1 Brandon Harrington 1995 Dodge 3500 305 ft 2 in
2 Jonathan Brooklyn 2008 Ford F-350 296 ft 11 in
3 Ernie Hulling 2001 Dodge 3500 293 ft 11 in
4 Aaron Pauley 2003 Dodge 2500 291 ft 1 in
5 Steve Burton 2000 Dodge 3500 278 ft 2 in
Jonathan Brooklyn had the longest pull of the day at nearly 380 feet to take the win in the stout 2.6 Class.
Jonathan Brooklyn had the longest pull of the day at nearly 380 feet to take the win in the stout 2.6 Class.
Crowds of diesel enthusiasts gathered around the DP Tuner mobile dyno
Crowds of diesel enthusiasts gathered around the DP Tuner mobile dyno throughout the day to see the action as trucks were pushed to the limit.
David Patrick’s 2007 Dodge put down under 650 horsepower to the dyno rollers through the rear tires.
David Patrick’s 2007 Dodge put down under 650 horsepower to the dyno rollers through the rear tires. When you run a license plate like his “8UR DMAX” plate you got to have the power to back it up.
This massive Chevy barely fit on the dyno, but spun the rollers through those huge Toyo tires nonetheless.
This massive Chevy barely fit on the dyno, but spun the rollers through those huge Toyo tires nonetheless.
Jason Rial poses proudly with his Best GM truck trophy for his clean 2005 Chevy.
Jason Rial poses proudly with his Best GM truck trophy for his clean 2005 Chevy.
the Dodge or the Power Wheels
We’re not sure which ride is cooler, the Dodge or the Power Wheels. Fortunately for Eric Helton, his compound-turbo 2006 Dodge has room to bring the “Baby Dually” along in the bed so he doesn’t have to decide between the two.
The club set up a bounce house as well as an activity area for the kids complete with crayons, monster trucks, face paints and of course Goldfish crackers.
The club set up a bounce house as well as an activity area for the kids complete with crayons, monster trucks, face paints and of course Goldfish crackers.
Will Riner and his monster-sized 2002 Ford
Will Riner and his monster-sized 2002 Ford took the honors for Best Ford in the Show-N-Shine thanks to the fully custom suspension, paint and interior.
ultra-clean 1993 Dodge
Sometimes simple is better, the judges and spectators voted Shane Ryans’ ultra-clean 1993 Dodge as the Best of Show and People’s Choice award winner.
Dino Swafford was a busy man on the pull track, competing in three different classes.
Dino Swafford was a busy man on the pull track, competing in three different classes. He came home with the win in the Workstock class with his father finishing in second. Talk about some good father/son bonding!
Bryan Hamby also competed in three pulling classes with his beautiful 2008 Chevy taking the win in the 2.5 class.
Bryan Hamby also competed in three pulling classes with his beautiful 2008 Chevy taking the win in the 2.5 class.
Jonathan Brooklyn pulled for 379 feet on a 376-foot track and the fence paid the price.
Full pull! Jonathan Brooklyn pulled for 379 feet on a 376-foot track and the fence paid the price.
events hosted by the Smoky Mountain Diesel Association
There was a good-sized crowd on hand for the new event, showing great promise for future events hosted by the Smoky Mountain Diesel Association.
The pull winners got together for a group photo
The pull winners got together for a group photo. From left to right, Robert Raynes, Will Riner, Dino Swafford, Bryan Hamby, Jonathan Brooklyn and Brandon Harrington.

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