Diesel Performance Podcast

He's back! The back-to-back two-time AMSOiL UCC champion is returning to reclaim the title he last won four years ago. Justin has been racing Pro Street and racking up wins in the race circuit since his last time competing at the AMSOIL UCC. Has the competition changed drascitaclly since 2022? Will he be able to get the truck ready for the sled pull portion? Justin talked to us about a ton of things and how he sees his experience going at the 2026 event. Get ready, we are stoked to see what Justin Zeigler accomkplishes this go round!

We are stoked to kick off our UCC 2026 Competitors gauntlet starting with a 5-time veteran, Robby Garcia! Robby is the true definition of unrelenting and enthusiast. Robby has steadily climbed the standings ladder in every competition his truck has finished, but this year he is changing it up. He is bringing a new Cummins for his 5th run at the AMSOIL Ultimate Callout Challenge. With that new truck he has his sights on a top 5 finish! Robby and Chris breakdown the new truck, what Robby expects, and how he thinks the Cummins will fair in this year's competition!

The podcast has the man that brings the whole diesel industry together for an amazing weekend of chaotic fun, Chris Searle! The AMSOIL Ultimate Callout Challenge is back for it's TENTH year. Wow. That means get ready because the event is going MASSIVE for it's year 10. Chris Ehmke talks with Chris Searle to discuss how the AMSOIL UCC went from it's inception of an event to squash talk talking and put their money where their mouth is.... in the most fun and friendly way possible, to one of the biggest diesel events in the industry. We discuss all that is going down at the event in 2026! Fan dynos, a massive Show N Shine, a joint points event with the ODSS & NHRDA, a 1st Gen Homecoming with 200 1st Gen Cummins driving to the event for spectators of drool over, and don't forget Lavon Miller of Firepunks Fast72 event is happening too! This is just the tip of the iceberg, so sit back and relax while Chris Searle dishes everything happening at the AMSOIL Ultimate Callout Challenge 2026! Looking for tickets to the event? Click the link below! https://ultimatecalloutchallenge.com/Tickets

"I will never own a diesel!" That's what shop tech Jake Maher said forever. Now he is rushing against the clock to get his LB7 build ready for two events, one that is less than two weeks away. The boys talk to Jake about his turn from anti-diesel to going absolutely HAM on restoring his regular cab. From a rusted out plow truck to a fresh, clean looking beast. Jake has a slew of modifications that keep changing as he hunts down lower time slips at the track, still having a blast sled pulling, and now getting the motor assembled and installed before the Cleetus event in a couple weeks and making his ultimate event goal, Sick Michigan Miles. If you love diesel enthusiasm and passion, you're going to love this episode!

Kory Willis is back! He joins the show to discuss everything emissions and diesel. You've seen all the news surrounding DEF and charges for deletes. Kory called in to discuss his experience fightiong his battle to keep his company PPEI alive despite the massive blows it faced with charges. Kory also discusses what we can expect to see from here, emergency vehicles dealing with reduced power mode in times of crisis, and much more! Thanks for carving out some time for the show, Kory. Listeners, this one is a good one. Enjoy!

Anthony Bruneni and Chris Ehmke are here with an episode on upgrades! You have $5k to spend on your truck, how are you going about picking upgrades? Truck mod paths they discuss are the 01-10 Duramax, the 3rd Gen 5.9L Cummins, the LML/L5P 6.6L, 6.7L Cummins, and 2017+ Powerstroke 6.7L.  If you had $5k to spend on your diesel truck, how are you spending it? Let us know in the comments or on our Diesel Performance Podcast Facebook page!

Anthony Bruneni and Chris Ehmke are joined by CPS transmission builder, Jared Ewert. He is here to discuss the 10-Speed "Allison." How does the GM 10L1000 stack up to its fraternal twin, the 10-Speed Powerstroke transmission? What are the common issues with the 10-speed equipped Duramax? How are we looking at beefing up the 10L1000 transmission? The boys cover it all and more right here!

Anthony Bruneni and Chris Ehmke are joined by Julian Filipovic of PTL to discuss what hes heard after his recent experience at an emissions conference in San Diego. With the amount of talk we see on forums, Facebook, and other online platforms, we figured it'd be a good time to touch on the future of emissions with medium duty diesel trucks. Julian discusses what he learned from the conference, how Performance Test Labs (PTL) offers aftermarket diesel products and opportunity to get pre-certification testing (CARB EO Pipeline) for their parts, and discusses much more with the guys in regards to the inductry. Thanks for stopping by Julian!

We love diesel. Not just medium duty trucks, that's why we brought in Ben Evers of Farm Focused and Calibrated Power to discuss Spring planting and custom tuning for ag equipment!  Ben breaks down how tight planting windows, long days, and heavy workloads push tractors and equipment to their limits, and where factory calibrations often leave performance on the table. We get into how custom tuning can improve throttle response, usable power, and fuel efficiency, helping farmers cover more ground without adding unnecessary stress to their machines. We also touch on some of the misconceptions around tuning in the agriculture space, how it differs from the diesel truck world, and why more farmers are starting to look at performance solutions as a tool, not a risk. If you've ever wondered how diesel performance translates outside of pickups and into the field, this episode gives you a real-world look at how tuning is helping keep farms running efficiently when it matters most.

Anthony Bruneni and Chris Ehmke sit down to talk about weighing out what you look for when purchasing a new diesel truck. The thing we notice is despite the amount of sh*t talking each brand loyalist does, each the Cummins, Duramax, and Powerstroke are all well made trucks. It really comes down to what you plan to do with the truck. Is it your daily driver? Is it your tow pig? Are you looking to wrench on it? Drag strip? It comes down to quite a few factors and the boys discuss their opinions on the newer models especially when shopping around. 

Chris Ehmke and Anthony Bruneni are back to touch on a subject we got quite a few listeners asking us for, 2017+ L5P Duramax horsepower recipes! The boys break down what the ultimate towing recipe is for this Duramax. Then they tackle what they think is the best daily driver recipe. Followed by going big on a build for this RPO and what you should look out for when pushing your newer Duramax truck.  Got any interviews or suggestions for the podcast? Hit us up on our Facebook page, Diesel Performance Podcast!

Chris Ehmke is joined by Nick Priegnitz, of Duramaxtuner, to discuss in detail the evolution of engine control modules and how tuning has progressed over the years! Nick breaks down the history of GM's Duramax ECM platforms, walking through key model year ranges,from early LB7 and LLY trucks to LBZ, LMM, LML, and the latest L5P platforms, and explains how hardware changes, operating systems, emissions systems, and security updates shaped the tuning landscape.  They also discuss the major ECM milestones that changed the diesel performance industry, how emissions regulations impacted tuning development, differences in tuning strategy, and where ECM technology and diesel calibration are headed next Professor Nick utilizes his almost 20 years of diesel tuning knowledge to give us an episode with immense amounts of knowledge. Enjoy!  

We got a bonus episode! Anthony Bruneni and Chris Ehmke are joined by Charlie Fish of KC Turbos. He called in to discuss a new diesel class he created for this weekend February 26-28th, The Average Joe Blue Collar 2WD No Prep Diesel Truck Class. Why did he create this race? The spirit of racing isn't how much money you throw at a truck, it's about the passion. Charlie breaks down the rules, what drivers and spectators can expect, and what this class means to the diesel industry. Oh, we forgot to mention that $20k goes to the winner! Want to go to the race? Buy tickets by Clicking here  Want to learn more about the race? Click Here

Anthony Bruneni and Chris Ehmke are joined by Lavon Miller to discuss what he's been up to, but really they had to get the scoop on what's up with the Seventy2fast race going on this year down in Indy during UCC weekend. The amount of interesting aspects and the amount of money that is on the table for the competitors is mind boggling. The Seventy2fast has $500 callouts, where racers can target a specific driver to beat after putting down their money and the target matching, winner of a head-to-head race takes the money. Contigencies for Powerstroke and Duramax, Powerstrokes can win an extra $11k if they take home 1st place and Duramax drivers can earn an extra grand per round if they beat a Cummins or Powerstroke and an extra $3,000 to a winner racing a Duramax. $70k goes to the winner! Lavon walks us through everything about this race and we have to be honest, we haven't been this excited for an event in a while. Check out the event by visiting www.seventy2fast.com or following Lavon Miller's social media channels. Take a listen!

Anthony Bruneni and Chris Ehmke have on our resident engineer / engine dyno / data man / destroyer of turbos guy Dan Timmer! Dan sits down to discuss what it actually takes to get the engine dynos running, the tyoes of testing he conducts, the occasional fire and explosion and more. We've now utilized 6.7L Cummins engine; LBZ, L5P, and 3.0L Duramax engines, and soon a Powerstroke 6.7L engine. If you like data or carnage, you will love this episode! If you have any ideas for episodes for the future or would like a certain guest on, please let us know on our Facebook page or message us or drop a comment!

The Diesel Performance Podcast is back! Chris Ehmke and Anthony Bruneni have resurrected the show and we have plans that will make our fellow diesel enthusiasts excited for what the future holds. Interviews, horsepower recipes, diesel events, competitions. Get ready! First off, we reintroduce ourselves with what has been happening around the industry with tuning (specifically the 2024+ L5P, 2023+ Powerstrokes, and the 3.0L Duramax). The boys also discuss what 2027 is looking like in regards to change for diesel truck makers. We are stoked to be back! If you have anything you want us to cover or discuss, leave a comment, message our podcast Facebook page, or reach out to any of us. We look forward to a new chapter of the Diesel Performance Podcast!

Chris Ehmke and Tim Mahoney are joined by someone you have heard a few times on this show, Josh McCormack! Josh fresh off his UCC win earlier this spring decided he was done with wowing the masses and put down a new record on the dyno. 4,157 HORSEPOWER. Insanity. He walks the boys through how he accomplished it and what you can expect to see out of him in the future. 

Chris Ehmke is joined by the lead tuner at Calibrated Power, Tim Mahoney, to discuss how the 2020+ Powerstroke 6.7 liter world is about to change. They discuss what this means for your 2020+ 6.7L, the ease at which tuning for the end user will be, and how adding 100+ HP is going to feel a lot different in these newer Powerstroke trucks. 

Show favorite, Chris Patterson, owner of Unrivaled Diesel, took second at the Ultimate Callout Challenge 2025! He sits to talk with host Chris Ehmke to discuss how grueling and how much it takes out of the competitors and their teams. The whole thing is about survival. Chris is a survivor, he put down a screaming 5.54 at the drags, 2,300 horsepower on the dyno, and 318 feet in the sled pull. He gives us all the details on this episode!

Josh McCormack has won the Ultimate Callout Challenge 2025! He joins Chris to discuss the weekend. Family man, YouTuber, and an overall great guy. Josh lef it all out there and came back with first place. He breaks down the weekend, his big 3,100+ horsepower dyno run, racing, and his Sunday at the pull. Congrats on the win, Josh!    Follow him on Instagram & TikTok: @justacommonrail24v YouTube: Horsetorques Diesel 

You have to see Patrick Brown's Cummins he is bringing to his first run at the UCC event. Chris sat down and talked with him about what he expects to see it do. Patrick is no stranger to competitions with having his eyes one time set on the Diesel Power Challenge nd having competed at King Of The Streets, he's ready to throw down at the UCC. Humble, determined, and doing wild things with such a cool Cummins, we are stoked to see what Patrick accomplishes this weekend!

One of the show's favorites is back, Robby Garcia joins Chris to discuss what he expects of his truck at this years UCC! This will be his 4th time competiting, a seasoned vet, and continually improving his results; these factors position Robby to finish quite high this year. One thing we know will happen, Robby will have a blast and bring that vibe to the whole field. Good luck, Robby!

Cody Hawk sits down with Chris on this episode! We get the scoop on the new competitor, from his roots with 7.3s to his preferred Duramax platform. He breaks down what he wants to see out of his truck at his first event. The man is in hustle mode and it's hard not to admire the drive and work ethic. Last year two spots on the podium were grabbed by rookies, will Cody continue the trend? We hope so, good luck Cody!

Chris has Mike Brown on this episode! Mike has ditched the mega cab in favor of a leaner regular cab, will it push him to the top? Mike left last year's UCC finishing third in his inaugural run at the competition. New Cummins, big win? We are excited to find out. Thanks for joining the show, Mike! 

Chris is joined by Colt Carter to discuss how the hell he went from rookie at the start of UCC 2024 to grabbing a 2nd-place finish. Colt is a gamer, and it's going to be fun to watch what his Cummins will do at the event this year. Another podium finish? One spot higher and grab the win? He's got what it takes. Be sure to check out Colt's shop as well, Black Magic Performance. 

Chris Patterson is back! The green Cummins from Texas that has thrown down 3,000 horsepower multiple times is ready for his final run at the UCC. Chris is a true competitor. He's taken first in the dyno portion of UCC, first in sled pulling, and as high as 2nd in the drag races. Will this be his year to finish atop the pack? He's got a damn good chance. Thanks for chatting with us Chris, we appreciate you. 

Josh McCormack joins Chris Ehmke to kick off our UCC 2025 driver interviews! As the official podcast of the Ultimate Callout Challenge, it's time to get to know the drivers. Josh discusses with Chris what he's looking forward to at this years competition. After taking a year off for family, Josh got the itch to compete again while watching the event last year on the live stream. Will he improve that 2nd place podium finish in 2023? He definitely looks like one of the strong contenders.

First things first, this is Paul Wilson's final episode on the Diesel Performance Podcast. Paul has been hosting this podcast and founded it since it's inception in 2015. Over 2 million downloads and millions of more listens. We can't thank Paul enough for all he's done. Thanks for the 10 years bro, we love you. Our episode today is with Kory Willis of PPEI. Paul and Chris discuss everything Kory knows about what is going on with the EPA and DOJ, how these things have effected his life in diesel tuning, and so much more. Kory is always one of our favorite guests and this episode is an absolute banger. Enjoy!

Paul Wilson and Chris Ehmke get behind the wheel of a 2025 Cummins and let you know how they feel about this 5thish? 6th Gen? Cummins.  New turbo ✓ Grid Heater... Out, Glow plugs In External injectors ✓ Side Draft Intake ✓ New 8-speed transmission✓ So how do the boys feel about it? Take a listen!

No more swapping ECMs, no more plugging in unlock cables. EZ Lynk has the goods where all you do is plug into the OBDII and flash your 2017-2023 L5P Duramax, and the custom tunes will flash without needing to do an unlock or ECM swap! Paul and Chris are joined by Tim Mahoney, the lead tuner at Duramaxtuner, to discuss the future of tuning now and what you can expect!

The little intricacies of what a diesel owner needs and utilizes his truck are something you always have to take into consideration when it comes to building mods and tuning.  How did that come into factor how the custom tuning of a the underpowered L5D come about? What about building the Stealth STR for these very specific 6500 Duramax trucks? Well, Nick gives you the minutia of detail right here!

Paul Wilson and Chris Ehmke take you on a ride with a truck that dwarfs our L5P. The boys get behind the wheel of a 6500HD L5D Duramax that is massive. These trucks leave the factory with a lot of power to be desired and that's where DuramaxTuner stepped in with custom tuning and a Stealth STR Turbo. The results? Well let the boys tell you in detail!

Paul sits down with Jeremy Garnett, technician at Duramax / Calibrated Power, to talk about big blocks, L5Ds, why the LML is the worst to wrench on, and what he tries to show online for others that don't get under the hood of as many trucks as he does. Paul closes out the show with a diesel insights regarding blowing up an engine dyno. Anything you want to hear talked about? Let us know!

The boys are back! First episode up.... 2024 L5P tuning?? Oh yes. Paul Wilson and Chris Ehmke are joined by Jacob White of Edge Products to discuss just that, 2024 L5P tuning. They have all the new info right here and discuss much more such as how custom tuning is expanding on the Edge CTS 3(+), they discuss the complexities of unlocking the new ECMS and TCMs, and discuss what other makes are on the horizon for Edge's plans(Powerstroke, Cummins guys pay attention). Enjoy this episode and get ready for many more!

Paul Wilson and Chris Ehmke are joined by Jake and Spencer of FASS EGR Solutions, which is its own entity of the FASS Fuel family. We are big fans of all their products and in this episode, they detail all the interesting products, developments, and the future of EGR solutions! This episode was recorded in late 2024 and we had some technical difficulties, but we are happy to share this with you now. Enjoy.

The title says it all! Jacob White of Edge Products joins Paul Wilson and Chris Ehmke to discuss the newest Edge feature, flashing custom L5P tuning with the Edge device. They discuss the process it took to get here, Duramaxtuner working with Edge to launch the custom L5P tuning, and what the future holds for other RPOs and Makes with Edge!

Paul Wilson is joined by Robert Rowley! You probably have seen at least one of his videos on (TheBuiltCmax.Creations) Instagram or TikTok and we got a chance to chat about all the amazing things he's doing within the diesel world. Robert chats about 10K budget build projects, the spirit of competitions that are made for modified trucks that are streetable, destroying driveshafts on street drives, and the Poor Diesel Challenge. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us, Robert!

Chris Ehmke is joined by Nick Priegnitz of Calibrated Power, home of Duramaxtuner and Jason Wherli of WCFab to discuss innovation in diesel aftermarket products. The boys discuss how much it's changed, what the future holds, and discuss the Performance Test Lab they created.

Ben Hinz of Southern Diesel Supply joins Paul Wilson and Chris Ehmke in the studio this week. Ben has been building his company Southern Diesel Supply for some time now and the boys wanted to have him on to discuss what it's like owning a diesel business out in Florida. They discuss his diesel roots, the hardest aspects of owning a business in the diesel industry, and much more. Thanks for the great interview, Ben!

Kenny Bruner. You know the man, we literally had him as our competitor interview just a bit ago. Well, he showed up to the Ultimate Callout Challenge and took home 1st place. Ken talks the weekend win with Paul and Chris on this episode! Congrats Ken Bruner on winning the UCC 2024, buddy. 

The boys are joined by Kenny Bruner to discuss  his second attempt at the Ultimate Callout Challenge! Kenny brings his 2006 Cummins and hopes to put in a solid performance over the weekend. Kenny does it all; family man, an engineer, and a fabricator. The man does it all. Ken is a great guy and of course we had a blast interviewing him. Talk a listen....

Paul Wilson is joined by rookie UCC 2024 competitor Morey Logue! Finally the boys got ahold of someone that isn't using a Cummins in the Ultimate Callout Challenge 2024. Morey was gracious enough to take time away from wrenching on his Dmax to discuss all he's done to the truck, what he expects accomplish this year at the event, and what working with the Dirty Hooker Diesel boys is like. Yes you read that correctly, Morey is apart of the DHD crew which means you know this interview was a blast. 

Logan Epling joins the guys for this next driver interview featuring UCC 2024 competitors! Logan talks about juggling shop life, the UCC, and his last time competing. His 2006 Cummins hopefully has the electrical gremlins solved and with his experience in drag racing, the dyno, and sled pulling he's expecting a lot more this year. Check it out! 

Chris Patterson called in to talk with Paul and Chris about what he wants to see from his truck at the Ultimate Callout Challenge 2024. From settings records on dynos, competing in multiple events over quite a few years, and putting his Cummins through anything and everything; Chris is back for another go round at the UCC! With his 2007 Cummins, Chris' competition history is one of perseverance and he's looking to get to the top of the standing board from last year's top-five finish. We always enjoy having Chris on and this interview was no different. 

Paul Wilson and Chris Ehmke are joined by Michael Brown for our first UCC 2024 competitor interview of the season! Mike was such a fun interview. He enters his first UCC competition with his 2007 Cummins Megacab with a slew of mods. The boys and Mike sat down to discuss strategy, what he expects of the competition, and had quite a few laughs as Mike is quite a fun guy to chat with. Can't wait to see how you handle the Ultimate Callout Challenge in your rookie season, Mike!

Paul Wilson is joined by Chris Searle to discuss UCC 2024! Chris discusses all the amazing things you'll get to experience at this year's event. Outside of the competition that has a laundry list worth of amazing competitors, this year you can find a fan dyno, the show and shine is back, epic pull pits, ODSS races, and of course the DPI Expo showcasing the industry's best vendors. It's going to be a great event, be sure to get down to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park May 31- June 2 to experience this!

Chris Ehmke and Paul Wilson are joined by Katie Pajestka on this release. You know the name, you know the 2003 LB7 of hers. Katie calls in to give the boys an update on her LB7 being resurrected and she discusses what life is like wrenching and having fun with the Supra. Katie is always a great interview, we hope you enjoy this one as much as we did!

Chris Ehmke is joined by Nick Priegnitz, CEO of Duramaxtuner, to discuss something they both wanted to partake in. They put the 3.0L Duramax shop truck up against the 6.2L gas truck of one of our employees when it comes to towing. Well, let's just say this one was very interesting..... Have a listen. 

Paul Wilson brings you the most data-intensive episode when it comes to putting a turbo through quite the test. Nick Priegnitz, CEO of Calibrated Power/Duramaxtuner, put together a set of tests including towing, spool-up, and max horsepower smoke output limited and unlimited. Yes it's a ton of information. The turbos? 5.9L 3rd Gen Cummins stock turbo vs. a modified wastegate turbo vs. a Cummins Stealth STR turbo. If you like to hear real-world data, you'll want to listen to this episode!

Paul Wilson and Chris Ehmke are back with a hot button topic. We've all been around enough to have seen a ton of misinformation make its rounds when it comes to emissions equipment and tuning around the LML and now the L5P. Paul and Chris discuss in-depth about the what you should look out for, what the future is next, and much more on this episode of Diesel Performance Podcast.