Team XDP’s work in the off-season yielded big results three weeks ago in Tulsa.  Anthony Ream’s first pass in Tulsa saw him eclipse the current Super Street ET and MPH record with a 9.14 second pass at 153.89 MPH.  Only hurtle was backing it up to make things official, and with track officials making clear a parachute was needed on the truck, along with some other challenges in later rounds, the team didn’t make the record official.  They made it to finals, however, coming up just short of the win in Tulsa.

But Team XDP knew they were closing in on a possible win and potential new World Record heading into the next NHRDA race at Bandimere Speedway.  Before heading to Colorado the team equipped the XDP drag truck with the required parachute to slow the 1995 Dodge down after their passes, loaded up, and headed west to Denver with hopes of a victory in the mountains.

Before the race in Denver we asked Team XDP driver Anthony Reams if he was surprised by the Tulsa pass and the fast progress after the big off season changes.

“Well we knew the truck had the power in it. But with so many changes you just don’t know how long it may take to dial it in to prove that we had it. So to come out first pass and do what we did was very exciting for all of us.”

Anthony, Tulsa Raceway is situated at 619 feet, but Bandimere sits at an elevation of 5,800 feet.  The Denver track is notoriously challenging on engine setups for racers given its elevation.  With the truck’s new engine setup still being very new to you, what setup challenges did you and Team XDP face going into Bandimere?

“The altitude was the big question leading up to things. Ben Shadday and I went back and forth numerous times trying to put our heads together on a set up. We came to the conclusion to change nothing at all. We felt we had a set up that was proven to be fast and we knew we had more in it. So we decided to leave everything alone. Which was a good decision. We didn’t find the altitude to give us any spooling issues at all at the line. We didn’t add any nitrous to assist or anything. Stuck with a plan that had worked a couple weeks before and continued our focus on the suspension set up.”

Team XDP seemed to relish the challenge of the mountains.  Their first pass Saturday was a tire spinning mess off the line, the truck’s front tires fighting to find traction as the Dodge violently darted left and right leaving the line.  But the pass was good enough to move them onto the next round where Anthony found enough traction to flash their record beating speed again with a pass of 9.22 and 153 MPH.  After that pass the team knew the mile high thin air might not present much of a challenge to them, and while a record would be nice, the team had come to Denver focused on securing an NHRDA win along with the $5,000 check that would go to the winner.

Anthony walk us through how the team managed the race Saturday and ultimately made it into the finals.

“It wasn’t easy.  We worked like crazy from start to finish. We had a lot of little nagging issues throughout the day. We stayed focus in between qualifiers and rounds to get what we needed done to get to the lanes for our next call. Then when it came time to race. We stuck to keeping things simple and going A to B each time. We know we have power, we know we can go fast. But the key is to be able to do it consistently. And many times that calls for staying calm and not trying to set the world on fire. We had a national record in our hands and we wanted it BAD! But we also had a big goal to come to Denver and leave Kings of the Mountain. And that’s what we did. We settled in and just ran our race. No big boost launches, no eye popping et or mph numbers. Just nice and smooth but fast enough to win the race.”

The finals saw Anthony line up against Phillip Franklin and while both trucks again struggled with traction off the line, Anthony was able to stay in the throttle and power the Team XDP drag truck to victory with a pass of 9.39 at 149.98 MPH.  Congratulations to Anthony Reams and the XDP Race Team on the victory, securing the big check in Denver, and keeping race fans on the edge of their seat as they continue to flirt with setting a new super street World Record.

The teams win elevates them in points as they prepare for what could be called a home coming for Anthony in Madison IL near St. Louis.  Be sure to follow all the news about Team XDP and our progress this season at www.XDP.com and we invite everyone to the next round of NHRDA to see Anthony and The XDP Race Team in action July 9th for the NHRDA Midwest Truckin Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, IL.

Throughout the year, the XDP Crew travels far and wide to attend diesel events all over country, but the most exciting event for us is right at home at our Headquarters in Wall Township, NJ. The XDP Open House kicks off on Sunday morning, the day after the U.S. Diesel Truckin’ Nationals. After a long day at the track the day before, the XDP Open House gives everyone a more relaxed environment, perfectly fitting for a Sunday afternoon, with live entertainment, the dyno competition, and of course a free bbq and pig roast!

The 6th annual XDP Open House followed the same format as we have in the past, 2 dynos total – one in the front and one around back, a dj, live band, tons of food, games, prizes, and of course, deep discounts, show specials and over 20+ manufacturers on-site to answer any questions and give advice on selecting the right parts for your truck.

At around 11am all of our Fans were lined up and waiting for the gates to open. Once we let the crowd in, the XDP headquarters quickly filled with diesel fanatics from all over the tri-state area. With deep discounts and incredible show specials, many of our fans started off the morning looking for the best deals on some new parts, along with enjoying the scenery and getting some free lunch!

With most of the dyno spots already sold out we wasted no time getting trucks on the dyno to spin the rollers. We saw some impressive numbers with several trucks cranking out over 1000HP, at the wheels! At that level of competition, it’s always likely to see some carnage, and that we did! A 6.4L Powerstroke hit the dyno and quickly tested the limits of intercooler boots, causing the intercooler to actually jump over after it separated from the intercooler tubes (see our Instagram for video). The owners knew the truck was hurt after that but continued to run anyway putting on another show with a little bit of fire. We’ve got no complaints though; it’s all in the name of the game with high horsepower trucks!

With all the action outside, we still had a ton going on inside as our showroom was jam packed. Vendors like aFe Power, BD-Power, and Edge Products were on-site and our Performance Specialists were busy taking orders just as fast as our warehouse could bring them out! In the center of our showroom, we had all the raffle prizes on display and tickets were being entered for some awesome prizes such as a free AirDog Fuel System or Titan Fuel Tank, just to name a few of the 20 raffle prizes supplied by our event sponsors.

Headed back outside, we had some additional space for the huge camper from FASS Fuel Systems, along with the Magnaflow big rig and trailer. Out to the right of our building we had the crew cookin’ up lunch with some hot dogs, burgers and of course, pulled pork sandwiches. Across the way from them was the live entertainment from the band and D.J.

All in all, we had a great time just like we do every year! From all of us at XDP, we’d like to thank all of the manufacturers that come out to help us make this event possible, and of course, all of our fans that come out and support us! We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2016 XDP Open House!

This past weekend the XDP Crew headed down to Maryland International Raceway, in Mechanicsville, Maryland for the 22nd Annual XDP Truck Mania. The day was action packed with drag racing, a show n shine contest, dyno shootout, school bus races for the kids, jet dragster, burnout contest, and of course the daisy dukes contest to close out the day. With sunny skies and a growing crowd we knew it would be a good day! The track was packed with pickups and big rigs from all over the country who came to Maryland just for Truck Mania.

The racing was intense, from semi’s running 13’s in the quarter mile, to Mike Graves of Hollyrock Customs setting a track record in his triple turbo LB7 Duramax which ran a 9.82! Very impressive for a full body truck that’s still driven on the street. Alongside the track there were vendors set up and at the XDP tent the Monster Truck was on display which was a favorite to both children and adults. The burnout contest had the crowd going wild as everyone watched a 7.3L van literally blow the tires right off it, and of course everyone loved the Queen Of Diamonds II Jet Dragster making a few passes at 295 MPH.

Overall it was a great day at Maryland International Raceway for the 22nd Annual Truck Mania. The weather, the racing, the show trucks, the burnout contest, and the school bus races for the kids really made it a great event to attend. We look forward to seeing everyone next year down at Maryland International Raceway. To learn about more events coming up that XDP will be attending across the country, visit our website and go to the events section to find an event near you.