Yesterday was the final day of the 2012 Diesel Power Challenge, which wrapped up yet another successful year. Wednesday saw competitors hitting the track to see which one was capable of the most speed. Afterwards, each truck was hooked up to a 10,000-pound trailer to haul down the eighth-mile before it was time for the Trailer Maneuvering test. The third and final day began at dawn on Thursday as the trucks fueled up and embarked on the final event of the challenge: a 150-mile road trip through the Colorado mountains to gauge durability and fuel economy.
Full results will be posted soon, but here are the competitor standings from Thursday morning:
1.Clausen
2. Pierce
3. Rudolf
4. Fleece
5. Kennedy
Only five or six points separated the top five, so it will come down to the Sled Pull. Check back soon for a full recap of the event highs and lows, and see who rose to the top of the ranks in the 2012 Diesel Power Challenge.
Chase Fleet, sitting in the staging area before heading out to pull the 5-ton Bobcat down the track.
Trucks await the opportunity to maneuver their way through the obstacle course. Justin Bibby's 2007 Ram is on the left here.
Rocky Horn, last year's winner, gets hooked up to the trailer with Bobcat. Last year's overall winner, he came in first in this event as well last year. This year it wasn't to be.
John Garner, of Mound, Minn, is a sentimental favorite amongst some because he is in the oldest truck of this field, a 1978 F-350.