Power of Pink: A Powerful Punch

Stephanee Wright is a 27-year-old woman on a diesel-powered mission. The Smithville, Tenn., native knows more about her truck than most and is a powerful influence within the Ladies of Diesel organization. She wants other women to jump in and get their hands dirty as well.

“I attend a lot of diesel events such as pulls, drag races, shows and anything diesel-related,” says Wright. “I enjoy meeting other diesel fanatics and seeing more and more women surfacing in the diesel community.”

If you don’t know Wright personally, you still might recognize her truck.

Her 2003 F250 6.0L Ford Power Stroke Lariat 4X4 is featured in Jerrod Niemann’s new music video, “Drink to that all Night,” which can be seen on YouTube. Niemann begins the video at the bar with some buddies and a bartender, who starts off the video by asking, “Great set tonight y’all. Can I get you somethin’?”

Niemann responds that he’s, “ready for something a little different,” and the fun begins with the pour of a milky-white shot. Wright’s truck represents the black Ford that’s mentioned in the song and is in several scenes throughout the video. 

“One of the cops I work with was working on the video shoot of Billy Currington’s new video and mentioned my truck to the producers,” says the truck owner. “He ended up talking to the guy who finds all the vehicles for producers in the area. I sent him my information and pictures of the truck and two months later he called me and said they wanted it for Jerrod Niemann’s video!”

It took roughly six hours to get all the shots of the truck necessary and Wright was able to stay on the set.

“It was a very cool experience,” says Wright. “I got to meet Jerrod. He was very down to earth and took the time to come over, shake my hand, and talk a little bit between sets.”

Of course, since it was meant to be a man’s truck in the video, Wright had to take off all the pink emblems on the exterior. The best thing about her truck is that it looks great either way.

The Punch

Getting away from the exterior, there is a lot worth mentioning under the hood. This Power Stroke is fitted with a PowerMax turbo, SCT tuning, K&N cold air intake and a 4-inch straight pipe exhaust from the turbo back into a 5-inch tip. As you can tell, we’re talking about a lot of power. Wright had some transmission upgrades done next, including a BD Power torque converter needed for performance and towing.

“This is the stuff that really puts a smile on my face: the goodies under the hood,” says Wright. “For the first few years I only had a few mods to talk about: tuner, exhaust, different turbo and a cold air intake.”

All of this was about to change. Wright decided to bring her truck to the next level and beef it up by adding additional mods.  

“I tow a lot of vehicles for NSD Performance and farm equipment for Close Farms,” says Wright. “So I went with a set up that was still practical for these uses, but is still something I could have a little fun with.” 

Wright has added ARP head studs and gaskets, 175cc injectors, Stage 2 aFe intake, oil cooler, ungraded 58-volt FICM (Fuel Injection Control Module) FASS fuel system, custom tunes to her SCT tuner and a Sinister Filtration Kit.

“It has taken several years, a lot of time, money and work to get my truck where it is today,” says Wright. “I am thankful to say my truck is built, not bought. I have built this truck from the ground up with my money and without the help of sponsors.”

In Her Blood

Wright became interested in diesels at a young age because she grew up around fire trucks and tractor trailers. Even at this young age, she had a passion for diesel and loved to learn as much as she could about them.

“As I got older I took interest in diesel pickup trucks and knew I had to have one when I was able,” says Wright. “I’m a Ford girl, so the Power Stroke always caught my attention.”

She began working as a 911 dispatcher and a firefighter in 2005 and immediately started saving money to reach her goal. With three years of hard work under her belt, she was able to purchase her first diesel at the age of 20 in 2008, which was a 2003 Power Stroke.

“The truck was completely stock and had several scratches and dents on it. It was in rough shape, to say the least,” says Wright.

But she didn’t let a few dings and dents hold her back. She saw it for its potential and fell in love during the initial test drive. You can imagine her sense of pride when she drove it off the lot, knowing the back-breaking work had made this dream a possibility for her.  The Outside Look

After driving the truck for a few months, she began to fix it up. Wright started with the exterior appearance first by changing the color of the truck. What had originally been dark blue and gold was painted a metallic black that looks dark grey in the sunlight.

“I wanted to do a black and pink theme to let everyone know it was a girl’s truck,” says Wright.

The next purchase was a 6-inch Rough County Suspension lift. To complete the look she was going for, she went with 20X9 XD Series Spy wheels from KMC wrapped in 37X13.50 Nitto Mud Grappler tires. This combination gives the truck an aggressive look that lets people know she’s serious about her truck. Next, she replaced the stock headlight with the 05-07 style headlights, added a Recon LED smoked lighting all around the truck and topped it off with an Aries bull bar. Last but not least, she added custom pink emblems and pink tow hooks, including a pink vinyl sticker that reads, “Fueled by Haters.”

What’s Next?

Not being the type to be content with one truck, she started adding to the collection with the purchase of a 2013 F250 6.7L Power Stroke in May of last year. This truck is still stock, for now.

“Diesel is a way of life for me. My diesels are my daily work horses; don't let the looks of the 6.0L fool you,” says Wright. “It gets muddy and does its fair share of work hauling. It’s definitely not a pavement princess.”

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