Wet and Wild

Rudy’s Diesel Performance Fall 2016 Truck Jam

- Chris Tobin

For most of the Midwest and Eastern diesel motorsports competitors, the annual Rudy’s Fall Truck Jam is the culmination of a long season of diesel racing and pulling. The 2016 event was set to be the big finale for the ODSS on the drag strip as well as a double-header two-night finale for the PPL on the pull track. In addition to thousands of spectators, hundreds of the top pullers and drag racers in the country and many of the best manufacturers and shops in the diesel world descended upon Julian, NC, to take in two days of planned diesel action on the weekend of October 7 and 8, 2016. Unfortunately, Hurricane Matthew reared its ugly head causing devastation as it tore up the Eastern Coast, hitting Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Even though Julian is about three hours inland, the area was still heavily impacted by the rain that steadily fell throughout the day Friday and Saturday. (We were told that more than 4 inches fell in one day at the track.) Of course, hurricane-driven storms are not conducive to drag racing or sled pulling and this one caused the activities to be rained out both Friday and Saturday at Piedmont Dragway.