A bird's-eye view from the...
A bird's-eye view from the catwalk gave an interesting perspective of the track in action.
As the black smoke cleared and the stench of burning rubber hung in the air, it was no doubt an unmistakable mark of drag racing. Looking at the lineup of competitors-Chevys, Dodges, Fords, GMCs, and a few engine transplants-one thing was very clear: This was a day for eight-lug diesels! No toy trucks allowed.
The occasion was the much-anticipated annual Weekend On the Edge. Each fall, Edge Products, a designer and manufacturer of quality fuel-management computer upgrades (chips, to some), invites owners of diesel-powered trucks to test their power and driving skills on the track at Salt Lake City's Rocky Mountain Raceway.
This year, in an effort to give those with lower budgets a chance and still offer a classic all-out drag race, there were three divisions.
As turbos spooled up, all...
As turbos spooled up, all eyes were on the Christmas Tree starting lights.
The first is called the E.T. Bracket Class. For those who aren't familiar with bracket racing, here's the skinny: During initial warm-up and qualifying runs, drivers decide the fastest elapsed time they think they can duplicate. For example, if you know you can turn a 10.83, but given the conditions of the track and the day, your best time was 11.42, you would be smart to enter a dial-in time of 11.00 seconds. That time is written on your windshield. During competition, you must try to duplicate that time but not go any faster. The closer you come to that 11-second time without going under it (faster), the better your chances are to win. If you go faster than 11.00, like maybe a 10.9, that would be "breaking out," which results in an automatic loss.
Wayne Yates drove his very...
Wayne Yates drove his very custom '72 Ford four-door longbed, pushed by a 6.0L Power Stroke, to an impressive 13.04 seconds at 104.5 mph.
To further complicate things, the timing lights are programmed to give each entry a handicap based on their chosen dial-in time. This means a really fast truck might have a green light on the Christmas Tree of a second or two later than the guy next to him at the line. As drivers speed down the track, you can sometimes see brake lights come on before the end of the quarter-mile. Your reaction time-the lapse in hundredths of a second between the instant the Christmas Tree light turns green and the moment you trip the timing light-can be used to determine a winner if there is a dead tie. So in bracket racing, it's not just money, power, and speed, but driver skill-and anyone with a bone-stock diesel has a chance to bring home the purse.
The second category was the Quick Diesel Class. This is open to all competitors who can do at least a 12-second quarter-mile. The catch is, they can't go any faster. They start head to head with no handicap on the lights. First truck across the finish line-without going faster than 12 seconds-wins.
The third class this year was the Pro Street Diesel Class. This is all-out drag racing. Anything goes that makes you quicker. It's head to head, and the fastest truck wins.
There were some nice incentives in all this fun. First Place in the Bracket Class won $500. First and Second in both the Quick Diesel and the Pro Street Diesel Classes got $1,000 and $500 respectively.
Black smoke and the stench...
Black smoke and the stench of burning rubber are the unmistakable mark of drag racing.
The Wide Open Performance...
The Wide Open Performance Power Stroke diesel dragster was not exactly an eight-lug, but the engine came from one. Four turbos make nearly 1,000 hp.
Between truck classes, fans...
Between truck classes, fans were treated to a different kind of drag racing as the juniors gave it a try.