Counterweight
class has progressed right
in line with
the quality
of the cars in
the class and
E
TH
the technolHOTTEST
o g y ava i l 2016’S
DRAG RACING
able. BackLEADING WOMEN
halved cars,
Alex Rogeo
P r o Mo d
Melanie Salemi
Hemi-headThe Sisters Force
ed engines,
Courtney Enders
1000ci
niteley
Annie Whi
trous enJudy Franklin
gines – what
Megan Meyer
can you exAND MORE
pect? We
started this
whole deal
with small
blocks
STREET LEGAL
and twin
IE
OK
RO
’S
RACING
SENSATION
8 8 m m
turbos,
or 632s
with 88s.
Then it was Pro Mod 88s, then 91s,
then 94s, 98s and 102s. Went from
4.840-inch bore space engines to
everyone having a 5.3-inch monster.
Small blocks were 440ci Windsors
– now they’re all billet and 500+
cubic inch. In my opinion, the Pro
Mods on radials…they aren’t good.
Neither are the back half, 10.5 style
cars. We should have kept it all stock
suspension, but that didn’t happen
and here we are. Regardless, these
cars are as fast in the eighth-mile
now as they were in the quartermile in 2010, and we all thought it
was crazy back then.
Chris Maters, via the Internet
dragillustrated.com
Haley
James
Ridiculous
Radials
Drag Illustrated Editor-inChief Wes Buck asked over 10,000
subscribers via em ail whether
drag radial racing, at least at its
highest levels where sub-four-second, 200+ mph runs have become
commonplace, is out of control
or right on track. Below is a collection of responses. Join the DI
Email Newsletter and hear from
Wes directly by joining at www.
dragillustrated.com and get in on
the conversation.
We’ve got cars going mid 3.70s
now on radials (well, at least one), a
half dozen or better consistently in
the 3.80s and a whole bunch running 200 mph or way faster every
time out. I have to ask – how much
is too much?
Dave Bell, via the Internet
It’s crazy to think that guys
that were being put on the cover of
Drag Illustrated a little over a
year ago for running low four-teens
in the eighth-mile would hardly
qualifying at a top-tier radial race
at this point in time. I think the
12 | D r a g
I think the world of radial tire
racing is turning into another Pro
Mod – same thing happening all
over again. It’s tough to see all these
classes so quickly turn into situations where teams with high-dollar
sponsorships or steep self-funding
abilities dominate and the average
Joe can’t even come close to competing.
Trey Sasser, via the Internet
I say let ‘em ride if the tire company says the tire can handle it. Let
‘em go! I get so tired of these big
body sanctions saying, “slow down”
and “change this”. The ame of the
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Feedback, Friendly Notes,
& Hate Mail
sport is racing. If it were “slow down”
there wouldn’t be any sponsors or
any fans. Keep up the good work,
Drag Illustrated! Lifetime subscriber here!
John Williams, via the Internet
Racing Pro Mod type cars with
Pro Mod type power on a tire just
wider than the ones on my daily
driver? You have got to be kidding
me! These cars are one of the coolest things to come into the sport
in a very long period of time. It’s
great to think that so many classes – like drag radial, Pro Mod and
even fuel cars – are reaching new
heights performance-wise still yet
in 2016. The sport is becoming so
much more exciting now compared
to five-to-ten years ago. This is how
we make drag racing great again.
I would, however, like to see some
radial guys try running those numbers – threes at over 200 – on an
average race track instead of one
with the same tackiness as flypaper.
Jimmy Sackuvich, via the Internet
The best part about drag radial
racing, in my opinion, is that almost
all of these cars resemble daily drivers – a far cry from even Pro Stock
today. Being able to relate to the cars,
again, in my opinion, is critically
important. Drag radial has got it
going on!
WG Miller, via the Internet
I think it’s insanely impressive,
but, ultimately, a recipe for disaster. When everything goes right…it’s
awesome. But the weight of the cars
and the radial tires make it almost
impossible to come back/recover
when these cars get out of control.
My opinion is that they need to limit
cubic inch or do something to slow
these guys down.
Doc Z, via the Internet
I think the progression in radial racing is the most exciting thing
in drag racing today. The NHRA is
really missing out by not bringing
them in on some level. On that note,
they could also benefit from some
match races by the grudge and noprep names that we all know.
John D. Hartman, via the Internet
Honestly, I think it’s like every
other category in heads-up drag racing – the evolution never stops and
there are few boundaries outside of
the literal physics involved. Is it “out
of control”? That’s a great question,
but I think the answer is going to
depend largely on whom you ask.
At the current time, it appears as if
drag radial racing is operating just
like any other within the boundaries (rules) set. At some point in the
curve, the folks with the most liability (insurance companies) will drive
the rules that are implemented to
insure the safety of the competitors.
A great tire engineer once showed
me a timelapse study of the performance improvements in Top Fuel
drag racing over the years – the
curve has always gone up. It may
have flat-lined during some periods,
but at the end of the day – records
continue to be broken. Man and machine have continued to improve
performance levels regardless of the
limitations imposed – done deal!
Carl Robinson, via the Internet
Radial is the new class for serious players, and no doubt it was
time for it. The sport is always looking for new ideas and challenges,
and drag radial racing will continue
to be “the show” as long as the promoters are willing to put up big
money. It would appear that racers
have a safe venue to push current
technologies to the maximum and
develop new ones. As long as it can
continue to be marketed as something new, special and never-beforeseen – I believe it will continue to
grow. The most exciting part is the
amount of younger fans this type of
racing has brought into the fold. It
makes the sport feel so much more
alive, and thank God for that. We
needed something new.
Wes Ramsey, via the Internet
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Issue 109