Penn College News

WNEP-TV spotlights diesel drag truck

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Photos by Cindy D. Meixel, writer/editor-Penn College News

WNEP-TV journalist Mackenzie Aucker (left) meets with Pennsylvania College of Technology students and faculty, including (from left) TJ Buck, Mark E. Sones and Giovanni A. Barbarossa, to learn more about the college's record-breaking, trophy-winning diesel drag truck. (Buck is the current driver of the truck; Sones is the instructor who initiated the drag truck project 26 years ago; and Barbarossa is president of the Diesel Performance Club.)

WNEP-TV reporter Mackenzie Aucker and photojournalist Tom Durant visited Pennsylvania College of Technology Wednesday to conduct interviews and capture footage for a feature on the college's diesel drag truck. The report aired on the local ABC affiliate's 5 p.m. newscast.

The WNEP journalists met with students and faculty at the college's Schneebeli Earth Science Center to learn more about "Accelerated Learning," the 1959 B-61 Mack truck operated by the Diesel Performance Club. 

Among those interviewed was Brad R. Conklin, instructor of diesel equipment technology, who was also interviewed by WNEP 24 years ago when he was a student working on the rig in its earliest days.

That 2000 report stated that the students were “turning this Mack truck into a flying machine, a diesel drag racer that will someday go 100 miles an hour and cover a quarter mile in 13 seconds.” That prediction came true. At the recent Keystone Truckin’ Nationals, "Accelerated Learning" achieved a new record pass of 13.30 seconds at 106 mph in the quarter mile.

The next event for the Diesel Performance Club and its truck will be on Sunday, Oct. 20 at the October Truck Fest at Island Dragway in Great Meadows, New Jersey.

Capturing all the angles, WNEP photojournalist Tom Durant gets the lowdown on "Accelerated Learning" at Penn College's Earth Science Center.
Brad R. Conklin, instructor of diesel equipment technology, shares his pride in the truck that he worked on as a student.
Conklin (a student at the time) was first interviewed by WNEP for a 2000 report on the development of the diesel drag truck. (This is a screen capture from that report.)
A picturesque scene unfolds at the Earth Science Center as students, faculty and staff gather to watch the TV interviews and action.
TJ Buck, vice president of the Diesel Performance Club, says it's an honor to drive the truck, but he's "a small part of the puzzle," giving credit to the pit crew.
For the benefit of the television camera, the truck takes a few laps around the front of the Earth Science Center.
Aucker joins Buck for a spin and motions her approval.
Barbarossa (at right) takes his turn at the mic, as diesel classmates and faculty look on.
On a picture-perfect autumn day, Sones (at left), the mastermind behind the Mack truck venture, enjoys the moment in the spotlight with his crew.
In the lobby of the Earth Science Center, the team's trophy for capturing first place in the Diesel Big Rig Bracket 1 division at Maple Grove Raceway is displayed along with footage of "Accelerated Learning" racing at the recent competition.

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