Diesel Performance Icon Ryan Milliken Returns in 2026

Diesel Performance Icon Ryan Milliken Returns in 2026

It’s been about a year since we have seen Ryan’s diesel powered 1969 Nova in competition, but the time has come to announce that it will be back out competing in full effect come 2026.

For years Ryan has been at the forefront of everything diesel performance related. Whether it be at his shop in Destin, Florida or at tracks throughout the country. Building a name and building the Hardway brand year after year. During 2025 though, Ryan made the decision to sell his commercial building along with his home residence and move the family an hour away. That made even the idea of competing in 2025 a nonstarter. With change comes new opportunities though, and 2026 is bringing just that.

Over the last handful of years prior to his break, Ryan was setting the standard when it comes to competing with diesel power in heads-up drag racing. That mission will now continue with the Nova in 2026. Ryan’s longtime friends will be assuming the roles of driver and crew chief on the car and taking their shot at the 2026 X275 World Championship. Jonathan “Johnny” Montesino will once again be tasked with harnessing all the power and steering it down the track, while Andrew Tovornik will serve as the primary on headset behind the car as the car’s crew chief. Ryan will do what Ryan does best, and that is controlling the keystrokes and tuning all that power.

The Nova isn’t the only diesel-powered hotrod in the Hardway camp that Ryan will be handling tuning duties on. There will also be another X275 car, an RvW car, and multiple N/T trucks in the camp that will rely on Ryan’s knowledge of diesel performance. There may come a time that Ryan jumps in the seat and does some driving here or there as well.

While drag racing stops for no one, Ryan is the first to admit that a two-year hiatus has been a difficult pill to swallow. Those that have been involved in the sport understand the drive to compete at the highest level, but sometimes life just gets in the way. Thankfully all the partners involved with this mission have been more than understanding and are just as excited as we are to get the car back out on the track where it belongs. The Nova will come out with fresh chassis updates and a new floater rear end thanks to Tin Soldiers. Return fab and assembly to function race car will be handled by Andrew, Jonathan Montesino, and the team at Midgets Diesel Performance. A brand-new billet 6.8L Cummins via Freedom Racing Engines // Fleece Performance engineering, along with a complete fuel system update thanks to S&S Diesel Motorsports is being installed to complement an updated version of the lethal Motec electronics package. This is requiring custom firmware, as well as a complete rewire of the Nova, which is being performed inhouse by Hardway.

Fresh paint, fresh vinyl, fresh hands on the car, new driver in the car, all new almost everything but the same team and bones that took the car to runner-up finish in 2023 and a class MPH stand for nearly two years before the White Rice team could finally set the bar higher.