Work gears are just the start of a engine overhaul for participant Zach Roberts.
James Potts | The Journal
Robert Parish of Gooseland, Virginia tests his Dodge Ram on a dyno.
James Potts | The Journal
Trucks take off from the starting line during the Outlaw Super Series drag race inside the Rockingham Dragway.
James Potts | The Journal
James Potts | The Journal
ROCKINGHAM — Whether a professional driver or simply an enthusiast, hundreds came to the Rockingham Dragway to see just what their trucks are capable of during last Friday and Saturday’s Rudy Spring Truck Jam.
With participants coming from throughout the southeast over the weekend, thousands converge for the two-day event, allowing them to test their car or truck’s horsepower via the dyno machine, see how their vehicle holds up against others in various show categories or get a look at some of the fastest trucks in the world during the Saturday’s Outlaw Super Series drag race. “I live in Gooseland, Virginia. We made about a 400-mile trike to come down here to this event. A lot of people I know are out here. That’s why I wanted to come down. I wanted to dyno my truck. It didn’t get the numbers I expected,” said Zack Parish, who brought his 2006 Dodge Ram to test. “It should be making way more than it did on the dyno. I don’t know what the reason is, but for the first time on the dyno I’ll take it … I came down here last year for the event, and after last year I thought – this is an event I can’t miss again.”
Despite rainfall significantly delaying the elimination round of the drag races and other planned activities, attendees continued dyno testing their trucks well into the early evening hours. Like Parish, taking his truck to its limits is not just a curiosity. It’s a passion.
“We put money in our trucks, and we love what we do. At the same time, you can break a lot of [expletive] doing it. All-in-all, it’s a passion I’ll never take away from my life and I recommend it to anybody that wants to get into it,” Parish said.
As for breaking a lot of expletives, one enthusiast was not so lucky Saturday. Zach Roberts took his 2012 Dodge Ram to its limit, and apparently beyond after blowing out his turbo on the dyno, and causing a small fire in the process.
“We were trying to see what the stock bottom-end would hold. The stock bottom-end held, but the turbo blew up, and spit the head gasket right out of it. It made 1,138, but she let go and caught on fire,” Roberts said. “We got another turbo, and a fully built motor to put in the truck until we get back to the shop. We will put it on a lift, put the built motor in it and see what happens … We came here to have fun, hang out and put a show on for everybody.”