The 2021 Ultimate Callout Challenge in Indianapolis, Ind., did not disappoint as the diesel truck industry came together once again at the Lucas Oil Raceway. The one-of-a-kind event brings out the best-of-the-best in the diesel industry as trucks compete on the biggest stage in a drag race competition, dyno run, as well as a sled pull – all with the same truck – to determine a champion and ultimate bragging rights.

Day One Drag Race

The three-day weekend kicked off with the UCC Competitors Drag Race, where the trucks earned points for their fastest timed runs. Of the 19 in the competition, 17 of the trucks finished with quarter-mile times of less than 7 seconds with 11 of them recording times at the 5-second mark, which is truly impressive.

As the owner of a shop called Dirty Hooker Diesel, you can safely assume Tony Burkhard is an experienced sled puller, but on this day he took home top honors on the drag strip with a 5.115-second pass. Burkhard’s truck, a 2006 Chevy 2500HD with a 6.6L Duramax engine, is best known for its 2019 UCC dyno run that ended in a ball of fire, so it would be good to see the truck bounce back in 2021.

Close behind was Justin Zeigler from Zeigler Diesel Performance with a 5.3-second timed run in his 2006 Dodge RAM 6.7L with third place going to “Turba” Tom Borrell with a 5.336-second time in his 2010 RAM 2500. You know the competition is stiff when someone like Justin Andres posts a run under 6 seconds (5.968) and it’s only good for 11th place on this day!

Full Schedule

The action was non-stop this year with the addition of the Outlaw Diesel Super Series being part of the UCC weekend. The owners of Scheid Diesel, RLC Motorsports, TS Performance, and Rudy’s Diesel Performance operate some of the best diesel drag racing and diesel pulling events in the nation. Each business owner/promoter is committed to delivering a high-quality, action-packed event that attracts thousands of diesel fans. So on Friday and Saturday between the UCC trucks competing, the ODSS races kept the action moving.

The fourth annual Diesel Performance Industry Expo (DPI Expo) was also part of the fun as vendors came together with a goal to make this event the premier diesel performance, aftermarket and specialty products expo in the world. UCC attendees were also encouraged to dyno their own trucks as well as compete in the AMSOIL Show N Shine.

To finish off day one in style, the addition of the Dan’s Diesel Performance Burnout Pit kept the crowd on their feet as UCC spectators became competitors and pushed the tires on their cars, trucks and even a van to their limits.

Day Two Dyno

Remember when the thought of a diesel truck breaking 2,000 hp on the dyno seemed out of reach? At the UCC there were eight trucks that reached this mark, which means someone like Wade Minter who recorded 2,065.9 hp and 2,756.4 torque came in eighth place in the dyno competition. That says a lot about the trucks that compete each year at the UCC.

After finishing second in the drags the day before, Zeigler followed up with a first place finish on the dyno by recording 2,443.6 hp and 3,282.7 torque. Andres from JA Diesel Performance in North Dakota earned second by reaching 2,220.6 hp and 3,404.6 torque on the dyno with his 6.4L Cummins powered RAM.

Third place on the dyno went to Trevor Peterson, better known as T-Pain, when he posted 2,264 hp and 3,203.1 torque with his 2006 Dodge RAM 2500 with a 5.9L Cummins.

Explosion

The truck that received the most attention on the dyno, at least based on the number of social media views, was the 1998 Dodge RAM driven by Todd Welch, co-owner of Power Driven Diesel with Will Terry. Welch has never been afraid to push his truck to its breaking point and as the last competitor to run on the dyno that day he gave attendees plenty to cheer about. His 2,369.2 hp and 3,039.8 torque earned him a top five finish on the dyno, but it’s the explosion at the end when the engine reached its limit that people will be talking about for years to come.

Despite his best efforts to work through the night to swap out the blown engine, the Power Driven Diesel team wasn’t able to get the truck ready to pull on Sunday afternoon, leaving Welch in 13th place overall after being able to compete in only two of the three events.

Day Three Sled Pull

The third and final day once again brought sunshine and a lot of excitement as the last UCC competition event played out on the dirt with the sled pulls. Four of the 13 trucks that were still able to run completed a full pull of 300 feet with five others coming up less than 10 feet shy of the mark.

Burkhard followed his first place finish on day one with another top spot by reaching 319 feet in the pulls.

Brian Shew from Quality Diesel Performance came in second with his pull coming in at 314 feet with their previously stock RAM shop truck that has been severely modified to say the least. The truck was at home on the dirt, where Quality Diesel feels the most comfortable, helping them to an overall 12th place finish. Third place for the sled pull went to Peterson with a 308.710 pull, which placed him in fifth overall.

Overall Winners

When all the competitions were over, it was Zeigler who took top honors and was crowned the UCC champion with a 5.3-second run on the quarter-mile track on Friday, 2,443.6 hp with 3,282.7 torque on the dyno Saturday and a 290-foot pull on the sled on Sunday. Zeigler and his team celebrated with cigars after the ceremony as they debated on the best way to get the beefy trophy off the stage; it took at least two people to carry it.

2021 UCC Overall Results

3. Tony Burkhard
Points: 2,395.969
Drag: 5.115 Seconds
Dyno: 2,104.7 HP
Dyno: 2,360.6 Torque
Sled Pull: 319.000 Feet

6. “Turba” Tom Borrell
Points: 2,339.041
Drag: 5.336 Seconds
Dyno: 2,090.7 HP
Dyno: 2,789.7 Torque
Sled Pull: 293.470 Feet

9. Kenny Bruner
Points: 2,193.094
Drag: 5.563 Seconds
Dyno: 1,753.3 HP
Dyno: 2,724.9 Torque
Sled Pull: 280.580 Feet

12. Brian Shew
Points: 1,898.792
Drag: 6.759 Seconds
Dyno: 1,293.2 HP
Dyno: 2,169.3 Torque
Sled Pull: 314.300 Feet

Chris Searle (L) and James Brendle are the main organizers for the UCC and they work countless hours with their staff to pull off the diesel-specific event each year.

16. Eric Merchant
Points: 1,165.877
Drag: 6.203 Seconds
Dyno: 1,290.4 HP
Dyno: 2,001.7 Torque
Sled Pull: DNP

19. Jesse Warren
Points: 0
Drag: 22.157 Seconds
Dyno: DNP
Dyno: DNP
Sled Pull: DNP *DNP (Did Not Participate)

The 1998 Dodge RAM driven by Todd Welch, co-owner of Power Driven Diesel, was pushed to the limits and reached 2,369.2 hp and 3,039.8 torque before ending in an explosion.

“We’ve been working for months to win the whole war and not just the battle,” said Zeigler after being announced as the UCC 2021 champion. “It was a team effort and I couldn’t have done it without the help from the people with me on this stage.”

The second overall UCC winner was Chris Buhidar from Truck Source Diesel with a 5.5-second run on the drag strip, 2,463.7hp and 2,996.3 torque on the dyno and a 299-foot pull with the sled. Third place overall went to Burkhard who again took first place in the drag competition with a 5.1-second time in the quarter-mile as well as a top finish in the sled pull with an impressive 319-foot pull, but “only” hit 2,104.7 hp and 2,360.6 torque on the dyno, which put him in 11th place in Saturday’s dyno competition based on the UCC’s point system.

What’s Next?

After not being able to hold the UCC in 2020 because of the pandemic, the wait between events almost seemed unbearable as the buildup reached new heights heading into this year. As much fun as it was to see the top diesel trucks compete, the event sadly had to come to end. The good news is, UCC 2022 promises to be bigger and better than ever and is sure to produce some serious competition and of course those limit-pushing explosions that this event is becoming known for. For complete details visit www.ultimatecalloutchallenge.com.