Robby Woods – you know the name from short-course racing glory, but you may not know what he’s been up to these past couple of years. Aside from over twenty podium finishes and throngs of adoring fans, the man has been hard at work crafting something that may forever change the way trophy trucks are built – the Million Dollar Diesel concept.

The idea, as Robby described it, was to “build the McLaren of trophy trucks.” In essence, to do away with the usual m.o. when it comes to building trophy trucks, and pursue the highest-quality parts and pieces, no matter how far outside the pale they may seem.

“The truck was a concept that I had been working on for the last five years, as I thought, ‘What would I build if I had not an unlimited, but a very substantial budget to build one?” said Robby. “Without sounding too arrogant, I think I’m like a Chip Foose or Jesse James of trucks. I want to build something that’s better than what’s currently available. I wanted to build the world’s fastest off-road vehicle, period.”

Robby found out that on average, a trophy truck weighs about 6,000 to 7,000 pounds, and generates about 900 horsepower. “My humble opinion is that they don’t have enough horsepower for what they weigh, but they ruin the drivetrains anyway. I wanted something that had potential for greater horsepower and torque without compromising longevity.”

Robby can’t wait to debut the Million Dollar Diesel at this year’s SEMA Show. It will be revealed at the Aeromotive booth on Tuesday.

The solution to that, in Robby’s view, has been to switch to diesel. And with his longtime efforts to gain sponsorship with GM, as well as his own personal preference, that naturally led him to seek out the Duramax 6.6-liter V8 with automatic Allison transmission.

“Diesel is 24-percent better than gasoline when it comes to BTUs,” explained Robby. “That makes it a more viable fuel, and you can make loads of power when you start ramping up with forced induction.”

Robby told us a great deal about just how much this Million Dollar Diesel could change the game when it comes to desert racing, but we don’t want to give it all away before the grand unveiling at this year’s SEMA Show, taking place next week from November 1-4 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be a part of the Aeromotive booth press conference taking place at 10:30 am on Tuesday, and then as part of the Chevrolet SEMA Design Awards.

With the support of Chevrolet Performance, the Million Dollar Diesel should be nothing short of jaw-dropping once it’s finished.

Still, we wanted to know, after two solid years of working and toiling on this project, what Robby finds to be the most rewarding aspect of his concept. “I think it will be when people see it and get to see what we put into it,” he said. “It will leave people amazed.”

We’ll definitely be there to see this vehicle and many others, as well as some of the hottest tech and products to hit the truck market. Stay tuned!