DRAG ILLUSTRATED ROUNDTABLE
Tommy Youmans is a Pro 275 veteran
through and through. He’s never had 315 tires
on his car, welcoming the challenge that comes
with the smaller 275. But he’s also proud of
where the class has come and where it’s going,
noting increased purses, increased attention and
increased competition in the class.
Mark Micke is one of
the original stars
in RvW, but he’s seen
the writing on the
wall. By moving to
Pro 275, he can keep
going fast in the
storied ’68 Malibu.
who won Pro 275 at Lights Out 11. “It’s just a
great class.”
The early returns have been impressive, espe-
cially in 2020. The competition level was stout
at the U.S. Street Nationals in Bradenton in Jan-
uary, with class newcomer Ron Green going a
blistering 3.839 seconds to qualify No. 1. Event
winner Nick Agostino went a whopping 210.11
mph – already showing a glimpse of what’s to
come – en route to the victory, while McManious’
performance in a single-turbo small-block Ford
was remarkable at Lights Out.
It’s given radial racing a fast and competitive
home for stock body style cars, and it’s all trend-
ing in the right direction. Participation is strong,
payouts are increasing and the spotlight is also
growing.
In talking with a number of drivers in the Pro
275 class, Drag Illustrated discovered a wealth
of excitement and potential from radial racing’s
next big thing. It’s an opinion shared by everyone
from class veterans to racers who made their
class debut in 2020, making this much obvious:
Pro 275 is thriving and there doesn’t appear any
78 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
chance of it slowing down.
McManious has been a standout on the No
Time scene, but he felt it was important to show-
case what the small block was capable of doing.
Pro 275 gave him the platform and he’s responded
quickly. Despite several team members battling
the flu at Lights Out 11, McManious avoided it,
making one consistent run after the other to
grab the victory.
Mark Micke has been a mainstay in the ra-
dial scene, and was one of the original Radial
vs. the World heavy-hitters while campaigning
the fan-favorite ’68 Malibu. He’s seen the writ-
ing on the wall as far as the body styles in RvW,
prompting his move to Pro 275 – with zero hard
feelings toward the direction of RvW – this year.
Agostino is another drag radial veteran, racing
in RvW for a number of years. But he lauded the
moves made to Pro 275 and he’s found a com-
fortable home in his standout Camaro.
Green made his Pro 275 debut this year, driv-
ing a car previously owned by David Reese. Jus-
tin Smith bought it and promptly put Green, a
former Outlaw 10.5 driver, behind the wheel.
DRAG ILLUSTRATED: Pro 275 seems to be
gaining a lot of steam as far as popularity.
Why is this class gaining in popularity on
the racer side?
RUSSELL M C MANIOUS: It gives a lot of RvW
cars that aren’t Pro Mods, it gives them a place
to race. You have to put a smaller tire on, but it’s
hard to run against a stretched-out Pro Mod. I
have a feeling a lot of those guys are going to
keep coming over. I have a feeling if they get the
rules parity close, it’s going to be the biggest class
they’re going to have.
RON GREEN: It’s really taken off. With the RvW
cars so fast and looking like Pro Mod cars, in Pro
275 they look like cars and they’re still fast. It’s
gotten a lot of guys to step back from RvW and
start running Pro 275. I’ve never driven a blower
car before, so it’s exciting. It’s not every day you
get to drive one of the baddest cars on the planet.
MARK MICKE: The way the rules have been
headed in RvW, it’s headed towards lighter
weight combos, lighter weight cars. It’s headed
into Pro Mod-type-style cars. The car we have
is badass, but it was built in ’98 and it’s heavy. It
just got to a point where the car couldn’t meet
the minimum weights. We were consistently 100
pounds overweight. We can make that up for a
while, but now in RvW, you can’t be 100 pounds
over the minimum and expect to be competitive.
TOMMY YOUMANS: I really enjoyed the class
when Donald first started doing it and that’s why
we chose to build our car strictly for that class.
The stock-style body, that’s what appealed to me.
It’s a non-Pro Mod-type of class. I enjoy racing
against fast guys, and the class has just gotten
faster and faster. But the 275 tire is a challenge
for anybody. The 315 tire, you’re just able to kill
them, but the 275 tire, you have to be able to
finesse it a little.
NICK AGOSTINO: I really think as long as they
keep in control of a couple rules, I think this
class is probably going to be the next big class
besides RvW. Don’t get me wrong, everybody
wants to watch RvW cars go 3.50s, but only
select teams can compete at that level, and then
you’ve got everybody else. I think the “everybody
else” likes the stock-bodied cars and that’s very
big for fans.
When we started racing RvW 5-6 years ago,
there weren’t many Pro Mods in it and they were
very few and far between. Everybody was going
between 3.95-4.10 and it was great. Now, it’s a
lot different and that’s why we changed. The
weights have dropped over the years and the
technology has changed, and for me to compete
in that class I’ve got to spend $200,000 and build
a brand-new car for RvW. That’s my reasoning
Issue 154