After attending the 2017 Ultimate Callout Challenge and entering his race truck in the show-n-shine competition Brett Marcum set the goal of competing in the 2018 event. As the youngest UCC competitor and a rookie to UCC competition the 23-year old from Missouri Valley, IA could easily be intimidated by the veterans and powerhouses that have dominated the competition in the past. But this young man is not one to back down from a challenge. His 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 was totally stock just two years ago, yet has been a good truck for him in the two years of diesel competition he has enjoyed so far taking the I29 No Prep AWD class win two years in a row in 2016 and 2017. He has run a best 1/4-mile of 9.6-seconds at 144 MPH then improved to a best 1/8-mile pass of 6.01-second at 118 MPH throughout the last season.

While those passes are quick, Marcum knew he would have to step up his game to compete with the best of the best. With that in mind he turned to the experts at Freedom Racing Engines to build a new competition engine for the truck. Starting with a Hamilton Cams solid Cummins-based engine block punched out for a larger bore that combines with the Wagler Competition Products and Diamond Pistons to yield a 6.8L engine. It is capped with a Freedom prepped cylinder head that includes porting, polishing and milling off the intake shelf to flow much better than a stock common rail head. Timing is handled by a Hamilton Cams camshaft that actuates the valves through Hamilton push rods. The valves are kept under control with Hamilton valve springs.

Marcum is also upgrading the induction system on his Cummins with a set of Forced Inductions turbo chargers. He will be configuring the compound turbo plumbing himself with the S488/GT55 combination to provide plenty of air for the engine. Custom tuning from Fleece Performance Engineering and a ton of fuel from Dynomite Diesel Performance will work well with the turbos to deliver plenty of power for the UCC competition. Marcum and the Freedom Racing team expect the engine to be able to deliver 2,000+ horsepower to the rear wheels putting it into the sweet-spot for the Ultimate Callout Challenge competition.

The stout engine will be backed by a 48RE Dodge transmission built by Banghart Diesel and Performance to put the power to the ground. Despite his young age Marcum handles the fabrication and chassis work on his truck himself. In fact the only elements he has farmed out on his build are the engine, tuning, fuel system and transmission. While Marcum is a talented young man, pitting the truck at UCC and converting the chassis for each discipline of the event would be too much for one person to handle; so the crew at Banghart Diesel will be providing pit support for the rookie at the 2018 UCC. With help from his family and friends as well as sponsorship from AirDog, Banghart Diesel and Performance, Dynomite Diesel, Fleece Performance Engineering, Freedom Racing Engines and Yukon Gear and Axle this young gun hopes to make a big impression on the UCC veterans and has the skills and determination to do it. We look forward to seeing his new engine on May 4th-6th 2018 when the truck hits the track, rollers and dirt for the third annual Ultimate Callout Challenge. Can he hang with the old-timers? We don’t know, but it sure will be fun to watch!