There's a Huge Ozone Hole Above the Track Hosting This Diesel Power Challenge

But the 2016 Diesel Power Challenge isn't just about the speed. It's actually more of an endurance event spanning a whole week where the cars and the drivers have to take part in six different events that will test both human and machine in various ways.

For example, the three challenges so far have seen participants navigate through a challenging course while towing a trailer. They had to go through slaloms, tight sections, and reverse without knocking over any cones. Second, it was an eighth-mile drag race with the same 10,000-pound trailer in tow as in the previous trial.

But the third round has got to be the most spectacular of them all so far. These huge trucks are going to forget they are utility vehicles for a minute and behave like modified sports cars. They will line-up at the start two-by-two and, after a short qualifying session, the eight best times went into a pyramid-style eliminatory phase.

Unlike other drag races we've seen, here the drivers also have to think about the next three days. So if their trucks show signs of illness, they have to weigh in very carefully whether they should go for the win and risk blowing off the engine, or settle for fewer points but a working truck the next day.

And considering how heavily modified these trucks are, a lot of them did suffer from the strain this high-speed challenge presents. Bear in mind that these vehicles need to be able to tow that 10,000-pounds trailer at low speeds today, and sprint like there's a hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex on their tail the next. That's not something drag-tuned cars normally have to bother with.

That would explain why of the eight finalists, one did not start, two did not finish, and one had a run of 44 seconds as if driving behind a funeral procession. The winner, however, a guy called Charlie Keeter, registered a very decent time of 10.893 seconds with a speed of 110.41 mpg.

But arguably the best and also worst part about this whole event are the clouds of black smoke that are released into the atmosphere. Diesel fuel isn't going through the best period of its life right now, so people are more likely than ever to question the rational side of having six-liter diesel engines racing each other. On the other hand, all racing competitions generate more greenhouse gasses than a ride to the supermarket, does that mean we should ban them all? All except the  and the Electric GT World Series, of course.