CHRISSY OHLINGER / Special to the PVT Justin Schlosser listens intently to the sound of the engine in his classic 1964 F250 pick up while Todd Iund runs the dynomometer. The machine checks engine torque and horsepower. The two were at the "May Madness" truck rally held May 6-10 in the parking lot at the Pahrump Nugget. Advertisement

Close to 400 Dodge truck owners and fans flocked to Pahrump from all over the country for the fourteenth annual Turbo Diesel Register's Western Regional "May Madness" Rally.

Early Registration started May 6 and a variety of activities were scheduled throughout the week, with closing ceremonies held on Saturday night, May 10.

The event has always been held in Pahrump.

May 8 was easily the most fun in the Pahrump Nugget parking lot. "Ram Rodeo" and "Dyno Day" were definitely highlights of the week.

The Ram Rodeo focused on driving skills such as backing safely and parallel parking. Technicians performed an overview check on the vehicles' blinkers and signals, making sure those safety features worked properly.

Later, folks lined up to measure how effective their turbo engine upgrades were by spinning their wheels on the Dynomometer, or Dyno for short.

The machine measures torque and horsepower on the trucks.

This number was ranked for a competition or just used for informational purposes to measure changes and upgrades on the truck engines.

The parking lot of the Pahrump Nugget Hotel and Casino was sporadically enveloped in thick clouds of black smoke, jargon and testosterone all afternoon.

Brad Ekstam brought his white, 2006 Dodge all the way from Missouri to have it tested. His truck reaches more than 200 mph on the street and was measured at 163 horsepower on the machine.

Not a badly powered truck, but not nearly a competitive number. Some measured over 600 horsepower.

A lot of spectators came to check out the souped-up rides. Most of the trucks were relatively new models, but some were classics. Justin Schlosser, from Central Oregon, brought his 1960 Ford F250 4x4 shell with a 5.9 Cummins Turbo Diesel engine.

"I drive it to work every day," he said, "That's the fun of it."

Participants enjoy having a one-of-a-kind vehicle and also going to shows like this, meeting and visiting others with similar interests.

The Saturday night banquet at the Nugget was exciting for participants, too.

More than $5,000 worth of prizes were given away from participating vendors, in engine parts like fuel systems and "B.D." (Big Daddy) systems, and most of it was awarded to random drawing winners.

While in Pahrump, the Dodge truck fans visited local attractions: Death Valley, Pahrump Valley Winery and the now closed Pahrump Valley Speedway.