“EPA stuff” means government rules about pollution and vehicle emissions. For diesel shops, those rules can make it harder to do certain upgrades or require extra steps so the truck still meets emissions laws.
He’s talking about the hard part of running a shop: sometimes you can’t finish a job when the customer wants. So you have to be honest about timing and manage expectations.
“Flash” here means updating the truck’s computer software. People do it to change how the engine runs, but it’s not always the best choice for every situation.
A “dead cylinder” is a cylinder that isn’t firing or making power. If you have more than one, it usually means something bigger is wrong inside the engine.
“Pull the motor” means taking the engine out so the shop can fix the real problem. It’s usually done when the issue is too serious to fix without removing the engine.
“Rebuild it” means taking the engine apart and fixing the internal parts that are worn or broken. It’s done when the problem is inside the engine, not just something external.
Overdrive is a higher gear that usually makes the engine run at lower RPM for a given speed. In a race, whether you’re in overdrive or not can affect how hard the truck feels when you’re trying to win.
“Quarter” means the quarter-mile distance used in drag racing. It’s a standard way to compare how fast a truck accelerates.
Term
four length bars
“Four length bars” are adjustable suspension links that help control how the truck sits and moves. In a pull/drag-style setup, adjusting them can change traction and stability.
Term
spray it
“Spray it” usually means adding an extra power-boost system for the run. People do it to make more power when they’re trying something new or when conditions aren’t fully known.
A dyno is a machine that tests the truck’s power in a controlled way. It helps you measure how much torque and horsepower the engine is making so you can tune it more safely.
A “learning curve” here means they had to adjust the tune step-by-step and see what happened. You only find the right settings by testing and refining.
“Timing” is when the engine lights the fuel during each cycle. If you change it too aggressively, the engine can run too hard internally and get damaged.
Engines have multiple cylinders, and “number six” is one specific cylinder. If that piston fails badly, it can cause major engine damage and even send broken parts outward.
Term
swapping axles out
That means replacing the axle parts that send power to the wheels. In a hard competition, they can get damaged and need to be changed quickly.
Term
swapping motors out
That’s when the team replaces the engine fast so the truck can make the next run. It’s a way to save time during competition.
Water jackets are the internal channels where coolant flows to keep the engine from overheating. If oil and coolant are mixing or leaking near that area, it’s a sign of a serious problem.
That sounds like the engine started leaking oil badly from the top (the cylinder head area). It usually means something serious failed, like a seal or gasket not holding anymore.
The radiator cap controls pressure in the cooling system. Taking it off can help you add coolant, but it can also be dangerous if the system is still pressurized/hot.
Term
test fired
They started the engine briefly to make sure it was working after the repairs. It’s like a quick check before the real run.
The Dodge Ram is a pickup truck used for hauling and towing. The podcast context sounds like someone is working on a hitch setup and making parts fit properly. That’s the kind of practical truck modification people do to get the right towing setup.
The Dodge Charger is a car built for strong acceleration and performance. People often modify them with upgrades to make them faster and better at pulling power. It may be mentioned in a podcast when someone is talking about how the car feels when it’s working hard.
The firewall is the wall between the engine area and the inside of the truck. He’s saying he had to rebuild and patch it after cutting holes for the build.
DHD is the company he says provided stronger axle parts. Those parts help the drivetrain survive higher power.
Term
test firing truck
A “test firing” is an initial run/verification after major work to confirm the engine starts, systems function, and there are no immediate faults. In competition builds, it’s a checkpoint before more tuning or track-specific preparation.
Term
stepping trans
He’s talking about changing the transmission gearing. The goal is to make the truck accelerate in the best RPM range for the engine.
Cylinder sleeves are like replaceable inner walls for the engine’s cylinders. If the cylinders get worn out or damaged, new sleeves can bring the engine back to a good, round surface for proper sealing.
A “CGI block” is the engine’s main metal housing where the cylinders are. CGI is a special type of iron that helps the engine handle a lot more stress, which matters for high-power diesel builds.
Term
D and J head solid stage three
This is a performance upgrade to the top end of the engine (the valve train). A “solid” setup usually means the valves are controlled more directly for higher-speed use, which is common in racing builds.
Term
80 over a 122
That phrase is about turbo sizing—basically how big the turbo setup is. The turbo size changes how fast it builds boost and how much air the engine can move, which is crucial for pulling hard.
The Toyota Supra is a sports car designed to be fast and fun to drive. In this podcast, it sounds like the engine has been heavily modified with upgrades for more airflow and fuel. Those changes are usually done to make the car produce much more power than stock.
Fuel injectors control how much diesel gets sprayed into the engine. Higher-output injectors help the engine get enough fuel to make power when the turbo and other parts are upgraded.
Term
transmission is a 48
That’s the transmission model he’s using. In a high-power diesel, the transmission has to survive big torque and keep power going to the wheels without slipping or breaking.
They’re talking about a new competition class for this year. That changes who’s available to help and how the team focuses on the truck.
Term
tune in here a to b
A “tune” is the calibration of engine control parameters (fueling, boost targets, timing, etc.) that determines how the diesel runs. “A to B” suggests making a controlled change and verifying behavior from one state to another without disturbing other work.
Term
wheel set up
This is the tire-and-wheel choice. The right setup helps the truck grip better so it can accelerate more consistently.
Term
forward length
They’re talking about a measurement in the suspension setup that changes how the front of the truck sits and moves. Changing it can change how the truck launches and handles.
Suspension is the system that controls how the truck’s wheels move and how the chassis stays stable under acceleration, braking, and cornering. For drag or short-track competition, suspension setup directly affects launch behavior, weight transfer, and how consistently the truck can put power down.
Qualifiers are the preliminary runs where you prove your setup. Your results can decide whether you move on and how you line up for the main competition.
Term
A to B tune
It’s basically a “setup” for how the truck should run from one part of the course to another. Instead of trying to be perfect everywhere, you tune it to be predictable and fast for the actual run you’ll do in competition.
Term
shift left to right
They’re talking about how the truck changes gears during the run. “Left to right” means the gear changes happen at different engine speeds, which can make the truck feel faster or smoother.
The “sweet spot” is the best setup for getting the truck to launch and accelerate well. It’s basically the point where everything lines up for traction.
A “roller” is part of a dyno setup where the truck’s wheels sit on rollers. The dyno measures power while the engine is under load.
Concept
breaking and the repairs
They’re talking about how racing hard can cause parts to fail, which means you have to fix things often. That constant cycle of racing and repairing is stressful and expensive.
“Blow a motor” means the engine fails catastrophically—often from overheating, lubrication failure, or mechanical damage under high stress. In performance diesel racing, it’s commonly tied to pushing power beyond what the engine’s internal components can reliably handle.
“Send it” basically means to go for it. It’s the mindset of pushing the car/truck as hard as you can instead of holding back.
LIVE
Thank you for joining you're listening to the diesel performance podcast guys today
we have another special guest ultimate call out challenge Amsoil UCC 2026 competitor Colt
Colt Carter.
How you doing man?
Doing good.
How are y'all?
Man, we're we're hanging in there.
We're you know I feel like with with UCC right around the corner different companies and end
users and you know competitors everybody is kind of like in crunch time I feel like the
enthusiast is making sure everything's done around the house to be able to go to the event.
You have all the competitors which we're going to get into into your saga but you know it's
crunch time getting a truck ready as a business for us it's you know hey we got to get everything
ready get all the employees in order you know there's a three or four day show that's
going to take place then we have the podcast right and I get to interview everyone
pre and post the show so it's it's crunch time all all around.
Yeah, no I totally agree on that one.
So just a little bit of background your rookie year was two years ago you did a second place
finish last year you finished fifth place is that correct?
That is great yes.
All right million dollar question before we get into your background why again?
Oh everybody's asked me that same question everybody keeps takes me saying hey I thought
you wasn't doing it this year you know I wasn't planning on doing it at all I mean I had some
real bad health issues around Thanksgiving and I kind of kept me in the hospital for a few months
and I kind of kept them back in my mind to I want to go out with a bang but at the same time it's
I still think I have something to give so I think that's the reason why I'm trying to do
one more year I mean who knows I may wind up doing it again for next year I mean we never know
when we're gonna be you know from day to day so I think that's the reason why I'm actually doing it.
All right well I mean there's some motive there and I respect the hell out of that
I would say before we dive any further on that and things this year for any of our new listeners
who don't know who Colt Carter is can you give us a little bit of background on you and how you
in the diesel? Yes sir I started my diesel shop 2000 I got was probably 2006 before I started
tinkering with Dodgers Ford Chevrolet's a lot of around the farm stuff like that because I was always
interested what diesels could actually do and I started you know messing with tractors and stuff
from my dad's stuff and back then as a farmer you had to figure it out yourself you couldn't make a
phone call to get some eggs you just had to work and you know progress off of what you could learn
off your family your friends stuff like that because back then we didn't have YouTube and stuff
2007 I started my own business worked my way all the way up it was rocky
it was doing real real good real great you know and then EPA stuff came around and it just got
real rocky and now I'm still still have my shop still busy still swamped as ever always shorthanded
but you know that's a that's a hand in hand but I mean so far so good just I mean what I've learned
probably as of right now is how to actually try to enjoy a little bit of life of what you
enjoy doing let me ask you this as a business owner goes what's what's one of the strong or
what's one of the pain points that you have like what's what's like one of the most difficult things
about operating the business since 07 to current the biggest deal is is telling the customer no
that I can't get it done in time that is my biggest or I try to work on my stuff next thing you know
I'm stressed out with customer stuff or stress with my stuff and and I don't have enough time to
get everything done what I want to get done accomplished yeah that's probably like my biggest
downfall is I've learned in the past and listen to everybody else business owners
about hey it's okay to tell the customer I can't do it right now you just have to give me a couple
weeks and I can get it done for you I mean you gotta pick and choose your battles but you gotta
pick and choose the right customers at the same place that that comment resonates really well
with myself and just my experiences with being in the industry just because someone wants to flash
a couple bucks in your face doesn't mean that that's your customer you know and correct I always
try to tell guys yeah I've had that in the past and it's just wants to get in get rushed and he
wants to be in front of everybody else and that's just that's not how that works for me it's just
if I could fit you in I can get you in if not you know it's gonna be a few days you know it takes
days for parts to get in shipping and out and I mean that's just one of the biggest deals kind of
telling the customer hey you know this is a major issue of just being 100 complete comply with that
customer to be honest with you I've never had somebody complain about another shop when when
it's hey they couldn't get my truck done in time they told me I had to come back in a week you know
but they were able to get it done you never really hear that complaint usually it's yeah
they told me it would take a week and I haven't heard from them in a month communication's been
total dog shit and there's just I don't know what's going on with my truck like you know even though
you don't want to deliver that bad information or bad news or you know have something that's not
positive you know having the communication in general I think is going to separate any shop
from another shop if they're willing to just make the call oh yeah totally agree I mean I've had
customers the same thing is you know they'd be I'd call and say you know you got two dead
cylinder holes you know best thing to do we can't sit there and patch it I'm not going to patch it
best thing to do is hey we need to go ahead pull the motor let's rebuild it and I've had some customers
hey let's patch it and I just usually I kind of tell that customer hey just pay for diagnostic
and you can come get your vehicle it's easier that way than having bad blood or anything like that
now what you have the diesel business you're doing your thing in the in the shop that's black
magic performance correct that is great all right yeah it's uh I appreciate it yeah the
2007 I had actually had eight takes at 2007 all the way up to 2011 and then the other stuff
EPA started coming involved and then next thing you know I mean I'm running like a two-man bandit
show so I mean with two guys that's me included I mean we say pretty well busy and swamped
and sometimes it does feel like it's just me one-man bandit show so now I mean that's just
part of the game of you know being a business owner no I would agree with that now let's switch
gears you you have you have that business operation now what motivated you into throwing
your hat in the ring for the 2024 UCC for your first year for the first year I mean to be honest
with you I got a phone call from everybody saying hey you know you've been accepted and I kind of
thought it was kind of bullshit and I just hung up the phone I was actually eating lunch I've been
everybody started calling me saying hey no this is serious and I'm like yeah whatever I just hung up
and like 34th person I finally like holy shit who the hell signed me up for this I mean it was
it was definitely a hell of a journey I mean in 2024 I mean and end of 23 I mean
it definitely wasn't just me doing it it was at that point time it was me and Matthew Parker over
at Parker Diesel Performance I mean he actually put a lot of time and a lot of leg hours on this
damn truck at that you know at that point it was just I didn't think I had it in me but I
wanted to try to pick the best guys that we could try to put our heads together and say hey let's
let's give it a shot if anything hey that's shit it's gonna be a statement at least but yeah I'm
yeah I mean Matthew Parker over Parker Diesel Performance I mean we kind of got our game plan
and he kind of being him talks about it and goes dude he goes you know it's the best of the best
and I'm like well hell why ain't we the best and I mean he owns his own business just as well as I
do and I'm like well let's at least let me get started getting parts ordered and let's see where
we can go from there you know it made me learn a lot about the truck it made me progress a little
bit more about it just as well as you know Matthew it it pushed him to his limits at you know at
that point in time just like mine I mean we progressed a lot off of that truck trying to learn
to squeeze more power where we could squeeze more power out I mean I I feel like your first your
your first run at UCC you you finished second place like you you play second
in your first year that's got to be a like you know yeah oh yeah yeah it was you know what the
you know the team you have the truck you have you you have what needs to take place to to be
successful like you know how did I totally I totally agree I mean to be honest with you I mean I
couldn't I didn't accept it and I really didn't feel like I actually want until you know about
34 days later thinking holy hell we actually did second place you know and I mean I know we was
maybe two or three feet I think behind Kenny Burr I mean if I probably wouldn't have done the
overdrive and left it in third I we could probably take first at that point you know I mean but Kenny
Burr he's got a hell of a truck I mean and the setup he's got going on right now is just insane
and it's like man I mean I know uh when we did the second you know I finally got a little bit
excited after we left we got in the parking lot and I still had to sled pull stuff on the truck and
it was still running and I you know got a little bit excited and I did a damn burnout and parked a
lot and I threw rocks on Kenny's uh truck I think and you know I felt like a dick and I had to go
over and tell Kenny hey I'm sorry man I didn't mean to and he's like no dude he goes you're totally
good he goes I'm not worried about it right at this point in time because I know he was excited
about first you know so he's a great dude just as well as everybody else in the same event I mean
it was and Kenny he is just like on that truck this year it's just amazing so let me let me ask
you this so 24 second place finish 2025 fifth place finish but you went faster in the quarter
you dined a shit ton more power the the sled pull is probably what hurt you a little bit
do you think that the level of competition leveled up in the year 2025 over 24 what what do you think
the growth I would say from the 2025 was a lot to do with time and time management
and in my book I made because at 2025 we didn't actually test the truck we never even took a
first hit we took a first hit there we didn't know about the four length bars I've never
adjusted four length bars so it was something totally new it's like I'm gonna go ahead and
spray it and I'm gonna drive the living hell out of it and let's see what happens I like that
and yeah yeah it it it was pretty good I mean I didn't expect an actress kick on the way it did
but holy hell it was a rocket man it was stupid and next thing you know we go out and I try to
turn it up a little bit more with a little bit I think uh 50 50 rpms or her rpms a little bit
harder offline and next thing you know you're looking at the stands left and right and it's
yeah I better go ahead and get out of it you know but uh I mean like I said we didn't need to test
it we didn't do nothing we just kind of we was at that time crunched it's like hey let's just
send this damn thing let's see what happens no so I mean and then uh you know we got on dyno we did
the uh 27 28 I do believe yeah and that one 30 34 97 torque is what I have written down
yes yeah and uh that was kind of one of the deals the same thing we didn't ever get to dyno
of the truck so it was kind of like well we're gonna probably play we're trying to not play it safe
but at the same time it's like I really don't want to you know send it to the moon and next thing
you know we put you know a little bit more timing than we should have but you know that's a learning
curve you don't never know until you actually get on a dyno and you start you know dialing in a truck
so I mean when number six piston it came through the cab I mean oh at that point yeah it knocked a
big old hole inside the cab it actually when it came in it actually hit my foot so it fractured my
foot and I didn't actually know it I loaded everything up that next following day and my
foot started hurting more and more and next thing you know I get like halfway home and I take my
shoes off while I'm driving I looked down my foot looks like the black foot from Mr. Deeds
yeah yeah it was a very bad deal I mean help believe it or not it took me three
days to get home reason is is because I wasn't so much pain I didn't have nothing with me
and when you're in that kind of pain it's kind of like man I just really just want to pass out
and go to sleep yeah so it took me three full days to get home thinking holy hell this sucks
you know and I was by myself at that point that the whole thing is exhausting the whole
people always talk about the camaraderie and everything but no one really talks about how
mentally and physically draining this thing is on you guys yeah yes yes yeah it was it was bad
I mean believe it or not as soon as we got off that dino and we blew it all the hell we took it all
back to the tents and I've had I had people that I mean good friends that what even actually
on the team but they was you know I pretty much kind of said hey they are on my team because they
were damn good hands we're swapping the motor out we're you know swapping motors out swapping
axles out I mean it sounded like a NASCAR pit crew inside the tent
it was really getting done pretty quick and then it got nightfalled and you know everybody started
running out of gas and I mean next thing you know I'm in the truck and I'm trying to I think I was
trying to work on the shift or stuff like that about 567 o'clock in the morning
and next thing you know I just like go to sleep right there for about a good
10 20 minute nap inside the truck so and then they called us in so we had to pick our our draw
and lucky I don't know how but you know the chips were drawn just right I think we could
have had a little bit more time but we got the last pull for that day in which we was nowhere
fashion know how to be ready and we got the truck running I think it was two pulls to the last
we finally got the truck running next thing you know it is puking oil out of the head
water jackets oh so it's kind of like holy hell what the hell we do now next thing you know
we kind of say hey the lease the motor's got oil let's let's fill the head full of oil at this
point yeah and I'll take the radiator cap off just go all in because that's what it's pushing
oil anyways so that motor was a liquid liquid uh oh yeah we all kind of scratch your heads and I
don't know if we probably would have found out what it was but we are so tired we was just yeah
next thing you know the last pull was getting almost uh ready to start and we were still trying
to put a weight box on the front to bolt it up so we we finally pushed the truck out so when we
pushed the truck out I actually put uh our bolts would line up for a hitch so we just ram some uh
socket extensions inside there we like to hell with it you know if it comes off that's fine
let it come off I'm going to jump right over it with the dam skid right and uh so anyways we got
up there we finally got test fired when we got test fired next thing you know I get up
time I start trying to come up on the charger just pulling me through
and I forgot all about the damn nitrous on the dino side of it next thing you know I finally
start getting in it and I pull throttle all of the nitrous comes on and it's all screaming to
hell cameras are flying because I'm getting I'm knocking them with the damn uh puller behind me
so I mean it was a real rough year to be honest so I mean it it to me you know you come into it
no testing you you have a good you know you have a better pass than you did the year prior you have
better dino than you did the year prior you're kind of learning as you go with the truck um
what what's changing what are you doing to prepare for 2026 like are you taking any of
those lessons and kind of restructuring accordingly or what's the game plan look like
definitely I'm definitely trying to change it up a little bit uh I mean by looking at now it looks
like I've made it like a 180 um we actually I didn't actually get the truck back to the shop
probably until I'm gonna say about four weeks ago maybe I actually went ahead and got the truck
it took me about two weeks to go ahead and get the firewall all fabricated back up
and I bet I probably had 30 or 40 holes all on the firewall so I had to patch all that get
all that straight and I went ahead and I just sent truck and got it painted so got the truck back
from paint now I've looked I've noticed off of uh how much power I can put down that you know the
open diff for the uh AEM axles just it doesn't take it anymore so I'm at that limit point where I
can't have an open diff so that was a lot of the issues last year kicking it left or right
so now I'm doing a spool on the back with the bigger shafts from DHD so they got me all set up
with that stuff and then I've got a lot more weight off of it this year uh it's just been like this
year by itself just this year alone I mean I'm the only one actually working on the truck so it's
just me doing it so I mean it's it's been a definitely a task this year for sure and I'm
probably about maybe I'm hoping by end of this weekend I should be test firing truck
by next week I should be stepping trans in I'm hoping and then right after that I'll be working on
the sled pull stuff because this this year it's going to be not going to have to swap the axles
so I'm going to try to run the same factory axles that uh I've been doing so I'm going to try to
save a little bit of time there and then I've got an extra motor that actually blew up last year on
the sled pull I'm still using that same old factory motor for a backup uh they're putting
new sleeves in it right now so that one should be good to go probably within the next two weeks
I hope what's what's the setup so is this a 59 deck plate a 67
what's the what's the power that is the uh the uh new power plant that truck now is the new CGI
block from Hamilton uh it's all solid and then I'm running the d and j head solid uh stage three
the air setup it's a 80 over a 122 on it and then it's got the flux 400 injectors in it
okay transmission wise what do you have on that 48 or transmission yeah transmission
is a 48 I can uh I mean there's a lot boy can't forward nowhere else for transmission right now
do you build your own transmissions in how I mean the one that uh marker uh mark uh
Matthew Parker he's built uh that 48 for me for a while um I've got the other spare that
I've got another guy he built in he's done a pretty damn good job on it as well but I do build
48s and 47s and all that stuff here at my shop as well awesome so going into this year for you
know this year's contest what's what's the goal like what what are you shooting for what's gonna be
a win in your book for for showing up and um I win for my book I mean this year like I say this year
I've been been fighting with health issues real bad you know and this year I mean if I could just
compete and get through the whole three days you know and that's a win that will be a hundred
percent win for me I mean especially you know we got the new 72 fast class so I mean
a lot of the guys that you know help me work on my truck from time to time you know they're they're
in her depth in their class so it's kind of like hard to pull them away to get them to
help me a little bit you know like I'm trying to build the truck where it's just one or two guys
working on the truck yeah and maybe hey if I gotta rob somebody hey throw me a tune in here
a to b let's try it without you know messing with their stuff you know it may happen but
I mean this year is definitely gonna should be a eye catcher I mean the truck looks pretty
damn good so far I'm ready the the photo that you send to Justin uh for the the clickbait
is that going to be with the new paint job are you saving that for you cc
uh you know to be honest with you I think uh and I would definitely love to send a new picture
of the truck with you know the whole wheel set up and hold truck together but it's kind of hard
until I get it all put together understood understood I'm looking forward to it that's all
yeah it's definitely it's definitely a lot lighter than what it was last year I think
I probably took off you know just me spitball and I'm gonna say probably around a good 300 pounds
maybe oh wow so I'm am I'm getting to that point where where else can I shave more off yeah but I
mean I think it's gonna do a lot better it's just uh now trying to set the forward length and
suspension up and it's kind of like hey I'm trying to figure it out on my own but at the same time
it's kind of like hey how do you got your set up but you know every truck's not gonna be the same so
it's every truck I think it's gonna be a try now do you plan on running the truck do you plan on
doing testing with the truck prior to you cc or is that gonna be where the test I think it's well
not to be honest with you I think it's you know everybody's game plan is to test test test before
we go and I mean that is my goal I would love to test even if it was a you know back down a
backstreet road for a weekend before we go but I mean to be honest with you wouldn't surprise me if
we get to test up there I really don't want to but I mean well I know we're only going to get
probably maybe two qualifiers so I mean the first one is by going to be you know a good A to B tune
and then see how it you know takes it if it don't you know shift left to right after that I think
I'm gonna go ahead turn that reset and try to see what it actually does but I think if I could
actually dial the truck in the suspension in for what it is right now there's no reason a truck would
not run a 55 ohs with no reason not to it's just the suspension I just don't know anything
about suspension work right now yeah fun I mean there's gonna be a lot of fast trucks but I mean
you know having you the truck goes A to B or it has gone A to B and you know even if like you said
if you could do some back road runs you know just to see how the truck launches see how it
handles I mean that'll at least get you some preparation once you get there yeah and that would
be a hell of a lot better I mean like I say we took I probably took off probably maybe
60 to probably about 120 pounds off the front and I shifted all to the back so I took everything
off I could in the front to shift to the back behind the caps so I mean it I think if I can get
the suspension dialed in I mean if it dead hooks it should be no reason not to hit you know five
ohs five 10s five 20s easy it's just trying to get the truck to dial it in you know at the right sweet
spot yeah well it's all about the progress at that point right you've improved year over year so
that's kind of the trajectory here now the the dyno portion of it you know for this year you know
to be honest with you I told everybody the same thing from last year scared to let them
shit out of me I'm not gonna lie to anybody yet that was bad it could have turned really worse
right you know to be honest with you there's gonna be some really big hitters this year
which is fine with me you know if I slap down you know two grand 2400 horsepower that's fine
give me the hell off this roller you know I mean am I a point now from what I did last year it's like
you know who up fronts that bill usually it's just me you know and it's just I don't see me
going out there just to go up to blow a damn motor for a you know 10 second fame it's it's not
worth it in my book no so if I could play it you know somewhat safe and kind of enjoy the event I
mean that's what I really wanted because like last year I was stressing out the whole entire event
it was just would I mean the cord was there we just didn't have enough time to you know sit back
and try to figure it all out was the stresses of the event you know because we could talk about money
all day long right we know that this stuff is in cheap you know going into diesel motor sports
like this that it's going to be a costly endeavor but I've heard from multiple competitors over the
years that it's the stresses that really ruins it for them that you know because it's a go go go
the breaking and the repairs like that's what takes a lot out of the enjoyment out of this
it does it definitely does like last year I think to be honest with you I didn't actually
I don't I don't recall sleeping the whole event I mean I was working on truck because I mean I had
issues after issues and like I say I mean the first fire up was last year was firing it up
to drive it put it on trailer and let's go and I mean that was kind of like the whole deal
so I mean last year wasn't that enjoyment it was but it wasn't I mean it was just like I say we just
didn't have enough time to get everything the way we wanted it so I mean like I say this year it's
going to be I mean do I have a race throughout race team this year I at this point I really don't
know I mean that's the reason why I'm trying to build the truck to make it somewhat me and one person
maybe or if not you know on tuning side try to get somebody to help me on tuning side of it you
know it's just I don't want to be a you know bother to somebody else trying to let them do their
own racing and stuff like that you know I could understand that I mean it's you're being modest
and what you got going on but you know at the end of the day you know help is help and assistance
is assistance and you know you're showing up and you've invested a lot into this and you want to
make sure you have the best showing you possibly can for yourself yeah yeah and you know it might
be a totally different deal if I had you know you know I I committed true race team this year I
mean like I said you know last year I did year before I did it's just the the 72 fast class
there's a lot of money riding on that you know and I and I hope everybody for the best for that
class I really do but at the same time it's kind of like you know they have voted their money their
time and their stuff so I mean I want them to succeed you know just as well as I do so it's
kind of like it's I'm trying to see where the chips draw and where they fall out
I think if if I go out there and just have fun hey and I don't blow a motor hey I'm probably the
happiest person that I can't be because like I said last year I went through two motors so you
know after it's all said and done for two days it was 60 grand gone out the door yep so I mean
at that point you know it just it was kind of a pain in the butt you know and everybody saw me
and they're like man how the hell are you keeping it together and I'm like I'm gonna be talking to
myself all the way back home by myself I don't think I I think everybody you know that everybody
started messing with me and stuff like that right after and I just and I felt bad but at the same
time I didn't want to talk to nobody because I was just I think I was angry at more myself
of trying to say hey let's send it let's see what happens and it was just the cars was there
like I say everything has to line up just right but if you don't you know it's a big learning curve
yeah I mean I feel like too I mean and that was that was kind of like the deal that was I really
kind of back for this year you know and and like I say you know I did some health issues and stuff
like that in hospitals and stuff like that and it's kind of like you know how much more longer
am I here yeah do I want to enjoy what I do or do I want to sit here and mope and watch your
bails do it no and it's like you know I'm gonna give it a shot I'm gonna do the best I can have
fun with it because I mean last year like I say when I went through two of the motors you know that
truck stayed in that damn trailer I got to I didn't want to see the damn thing it stayed in that trailer
until January of this year yeah well I feel like too you you have the little
double birdie on your shoulder you know the adrenaline's up you're in the mix and it's just
like hey fucking send it here's a Hail Mary we're gonna see what happens and you know sometimes
you know the adrenaline in the moment isn't the most reasonable thought process so it's like
you know I respect where you're coming from with this it's you want to enjoy the competition
you're not trying to swing for the fences and hope that all the cards are in their favor
you want to be able to make it through all three events and just you know be a contender
right yeah I mean in my opinion if if I could go through the whole event to be honest with you
and I make it all through the whole weekend I made to be honest with you the truck should be you
know a good top contender should be you know and there's some big ones out there which is you know
fine with me to let them you know if they want to try to swing for the fence that's fine with me
you swing for a fence no big deal I may be on that other side of the fence passing you up
yeah cool I mean besides your truck your truck not getting you went to 112 if you would have had
that pull you had the year before you'd be we'd be talking a different story than fifth place yeah
oh yeah oh yeah hard percent hard percent yeah I was I mean I was right there up on uh Kenny I mean
hard percent and the same thing just like on you know Josh Josh's truck is amazing you know if
I would I think I forgot what it was I had to pull farther in him and then it would have been
it would have been a really good close deal but you know it was like I say I think I think I'm just
gonna lay chips where they where they lay at let's just see how this plays out I'm gonna let all the
big dogs talk all that stuff and and like I say you know they mess up you know I'm not gonna swear
up and down that I'm not turning up a little bit just to get my voice it does happen it work you
know it has it has but you're coming into this I seem to me at least you're coming into this this
year a little older and a little wiser and it's you know hey you know you know what this stuff
costs like I said I don't want to talk about the financial burden that you know the what you're
facing building a truck like this because it it is it is not for the faintest of hearts to say
the least but yes yes it's not I think it's more stupid than anything
everybody keeps asking me the same thing and I just tell them the same thing hey I'm
I'm effing stupid I don't know what else to tell you I mean it is what it is I mean
I think I think this year's gonna be really good especially with all the good containers coming
out and stuff like that I'm kind of excited to see how that plays out and I want to see you know
how everybody's gonna be on a dyno me personally I mean I would be scared shitless because I know
how it happened to me last year so I mean it's kind of like I really really want to be in that
freaking truck you know yeah I mean I feel like for the 10-year anniversary though too like you
said there's a lot of competitors that are are coming out of retirement getting their truck set up
you know I also feel yeah like there's a lot of people coming to this event this year with
the motivation like you mentioned of the fast 72 class like there's there's a lot of cool things
happening this year that has motivated a lot of individuals to come out for the 10th year
and you know yes yeah we're excited to see it I'm of course excited to see you I'm a fan of the
truck you know I was a fan interviewing you the first year in 2024 I remember seeing you compete
you know so we're rooting for you on that is there any you know any special shoutouts or
thanks that you want to have uh as we close out yeah yeah for this year I mean all my sponsors
this year I mean and I know I'm probably forgetting a lot and I and I hope they really forgive me
about that but you know I've got the sponsors I've got you know Flux, Daciel, April and Don you know
they're the best people out there I help you out any way that they can and I got ready
transmission that always backs me up on all the hard parts on that one and then the axle shaft
stuff like that you know I got Maury over DHD he helped me out at Dillon you know in my shop Black
Magic Performance this year and then a hot shot secret and nitrous outlet so I know I've got a
couple more sponsors that I you know feel like that I've kind of missed you know and I got you
know tier one transmissions you know I had Brandon Wood he sent me uh the new knobs for the overdrive
and lock up stuff like that so I'm kind of excited to see how that goes and then I got
Black Tie Race Fab he's uh helped me a lot on uh doing a mid plate and stuff on my truck this year
and it's this truck's definitely gonna do a lot of head turns I really hope so especially when it's
you know one person just turning wrenches so far this year on that truck yeah well like I said
we're we're rooting for you we're excited to see you compete excited to see in person at UCC this
year and you know we appreciate you taking some time to you know talk to us and the listeners
just about the background and about you know the setup this year so like I said we're rooting for
you can't wait to watch you watch your run I definitely appreciate it I don't even know how
many more days we got left but I sure hope the hell it goes slow
I mean it really needs to slow down just a little bit for me to be honest with you because it's
it definitely would break my heart if I couldn't actually compete because I'm just I'm too competitive
too competitive too stupid not to say hey I'm I'm done with it at least a bit you know
so but yeah it's it's definitely gonna be a great year this year for sure well we're rooting for
you and we'll see you in a few weeks well I definitely appreciate y'all thank y'all very much
thank you good luck Colt all right take care yeah sir thank y'all
thank you for listening wow fuck me all right try this again
About this episode
Colt Carter of AMSOIL UCC 2026 talks through the pressure of “crunch time” and what it takes to prep a diesel truck and business for a multi-day show with interviews before and after. He explains how EPA changes made shop life harder, and why customer expectations often come down to diagnostics and knowing when to “pull the motor” and rebuild. Between 2024 and 2025, close finishes hinge on setup tweaks, traction, and avoiding repeat engine failures—costly ones that can wipe out tens of thousands.
From wrenching on everything to starting his own diesel shop, Black Magic Performance, to competing in his third AMSOIL UCC event, Colt Carter joins the podcast to talk his about his Cummins and what he expects from this year's event. From putting down a 2nd place finish his first AMSOIL UCC and then improving the next year in the drag race and dyno portion of the challenge, this man has left it all out there. Fracturing his foot from his piston blasting apart on the dyno and spending all night trying to mke sure the truck could make the sled pull portion, this man embodies a no quit attitude. Colt has what it takes to win it and when you hear his story and what he's dealt with this past year, you can't help but root for him. Good luck Colt!
