Mike Graves and his Hollyrock Customs team were rookies in the 2017 Ultimate Callout Challenge yet the rookies shocked the world and finished in 7th place overall with a heavy full bodied crew cab GMC! He could have finished even better if the rear suspension did not fail during the sled pull limiting him to a 10th place finish for the day. No doubt, Graves and his team has been refining and improving his truck to deliver an even better finish in the 2018 UCC.
The Maryland based team made the trek to Indy in 2017 as a little known competitor but showed the diesel world he was a contender on day 1 when Graves and his GMC delivered a stunning 9.555 second 1/4-mile pass down the famed Indy drag strip at 149.50 MPH. His blast down the track was good enough to put him in 4th place at the end of the day.
Graves and his team put the power to the rollers on the mobile chassis dyno with nearly 1,400 HP and over 1,800 lbs-ft of torque, which are impressive numbers without a doubt, but in the UCC that was only good enough for a 15th place finish for the day. The disappointing dyno finish hurt his chances for the overall win, but he could still place well with a strong run on the pull track.
After covering his beautiful white truck with paint protection film and slapping an aggressive set of dual tires on the rear of the truck he turned up the power to make a run for the win in the sled pull competition. Unfortunately the additional traction and power combined to break rear suspension parts stopping the truck dead in its tracks at 275 feet. While the pull was shorter than he hoped Graves still finished in 10th place in the pull and 7th overall which was quite an accomplishment for the rookie. Of course Graves is backed by his own shop Hollyrock Customs—the team is also supported by Limitless Diesel, SunCoast and HSP Diesel.
Now that Graves has a year of UCC competition under his belt and knows what to expect when he and his crew travel down to Indianapolis will they be able to improve upon their rookie season? How much power will the Hollyrock team get out of their Duramax engine this year, can they compete with the big boys of the sport on the dyno rollers? How quick will they get the Duramax to run down the track, can they dethrone the reigning Drag Race and Overall Champion Lavon Miller? Will the rear axle mounts hold together with more power and more stress? To get the answers to these questions and many more come out to the Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis on May 4th-6th 2018 and see it all unfold live.