The 2021 Scheid Diesel Extravaganza: 25 Years And Counting of the Wildest Diesel Show in America

• August 11, 2021
• Story By
  Mike McGlothlin

August 27-28, 2021 will mark the 25^th anniversary of the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza. Beginning first thing Friday and holding strong until the wee hours of Sunday morning, there will be nonstop action on tap at Wagler Motorsports Park. Dirt, pavement or dyno, there will be 4,000hp tractors, 3,500-plus hp pulling trucks, 3 and 4-second (eighth-mile) drag racers, countless dyno-melting street machines and some of the wildest diesel swaps you’ve ever seen in the show ‘n shine. You could say the Extravaganza has come a long way since its inaugural year in 1997, when a sizable yet Cummins-only crowd came out for a little truck pull behind the Cornerstone Christian Church in Effingham, Illinois.

Then came a 20-year stint (2000-2019) at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds in Terre Haute, Indiana—where the Extravaganza saw immeasurable growth. In search of greener pastures (namely room to expand and capitalize on future growth, along with relocating to a more welcoming community), the folks at Scheid moved everything to Wagler’s in 2020. The rural, southwestern Indiana spot proved successful immediately and the facility has already been updated to accommodate more parking, camping and competitors. For a quarter of a century, the small, dedicated team at Scheid Diesel Service has been pulling off one of the greatest spectacles in the diesel performance industry—and we guarantee this year will be no different.

It All Starts In The Dirt

Dual lanes of traffic, power levels ranging from 1,000 to 4,000 hp and aggressive tread patterns digging their way to a floating finish is all part of the controlled mayhem that takes place on the clay-infused pulling surface at the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza. The action is organized and executed by the Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League and crucial, end-of-summer season points are on the line in every class. One of those classes is the Limited Pro Stock Diesel Truck category, a field of trucks limited to running a single, 3.0-inch smooth bore turbocharger. Despite the turbo limitation, many of these trucks sport engines turning out in excess of 1,500 hp.

Earning Their Wings

Because of the large turnout the Limited Pro Stock and Pro Street truck classes see, drivers have to qualify each afternoon in order to make it into the main event that evening. The nighttime program includes 26 Limited Pro Stock trucks, while Pro Street gets capped off at 12. For a little perspective, 62 Limited Pro Stock competitors went for broke during qualifying in 2020, while 38 Pro Street trucks made the call. Other (even higher caliber) categories include Pro Stock diesel trucks, Super Stock diesel trucks, hot-rod semi’s, Super Farm tractors and the ground-pounding 10,000-pound Pro Stock tractors.

ODSS Drag Racing

The Outlaw Diesel Super Series offers the highest level of diesel drag racing competition in America at the present time, and the Extravaganza is the fifth stop on the ODSS season schedule. The eighth-mile racing categories include ET Bracket, 7.70 Index, 6.70 Index, 5.90 Index, Pro Street, Pro Mod and Pro Dragster and the latter two categories bring vehicles to Scheid’s that’ve gone low 4’s at speeds higher than 180 mph. With consistent high 4’s possible in Pro Street and electric side-by-side action always on display in 5.90 Index, the best the ODSS has to offer never ceases to impress. Tight racing in the 6.70 and 7.70 Index categories makes for a highly-anticipated final and ET Bracket brings seasoned drag racers, novices and even first-timers into the fold.

2 Classes And Nearly 200 Racers

While the blazing speeds achieved in the likes of Pro Dragster, Pro Street and Pro Mod are beyond entertaining, most of the driver turnout exists in ET Bracket and 7.70 Index. So far this season, 113 drivers have signed up to run the ET Bracket class. And it’s a similar scenario in the popular 7.70 category, with 67 racers logged into the ODSS system. Shortly after these drivers are called to the staging lanes, countless diesel Dodge, Chevy and Ford trucks begin to line up and populate them. Oftentimes you can even catch a BMW 335d or a Volkswagen TDI of some form waiting in line.

2-Day Show ‘N Shine Competition

Cummins conversions, classic diesel swaps, rat-rods, off-roaders and blinged-out late-model domestic trucks can all be found in the area designated for show ‘n shine entrants. Judged each day, a Ford, Chevy and Dodge winner is declared, along with the top vote earner in the custom category. Best in show recipients receive a plaque and a 50-percent payback. From stretched all seasons to mud tires, out-of-the-box ideas to professional craftsmanship and mega lifts to drop kits to air ride suspensions, all walks of diesel life are well-represented in the show ‘n shine competition.

All-Day Dyno Availability

To measure horsepower and torque, a mobile chassis dyno is always on site and dozens of diesel truck owners give it a go. Every year there are several trucks making north of 1,000rwhp, with torque levels approaching or exceeding 2,000 lb-ft. In 2020, Pearce’s Diesel Doctor dyno, a mobile Dynocom unit, was in operation all day both Friday and Saturday and ended up dynoing a total of 96 vehicles. We’re told this same, consistent truth-telling set of rollers will be on the grounds doing the exact same thing once again this year.

Exotic Engines & Parts On Display

At the Extravaganza, you can find the same competition-dominating parts you see out on the track while passing through the event’s extensive manufacturer midway. This includes track and dyno-proven components such as turbochargers, fuel injectors, injection pumps, torque converters, cylinder heads, pistons, connecting rods and even complete engines. Here, Scheid Diesel’s in-house machining, fuel injection and assembly capabilities are proudly displayed in the form of a Super Stock Cummins engine. The billet-aluminum block, head, individual runner intake manifold, P-pump and triple-feed injectors are all Scheid pieces, with a massive Holset-based turbo hanging from a T6 Steed Speed exhaust manifold.