Drag Racing on 235 Radials/8.5’s for $20,000

It was once believed that the best way to restrict a class was to limit the tire size, but the cars competing in MX235 seem to have proven that even with the smallest tires in all of heads-up drag racing, some pretty spectacular numbers are still possible.

The MX235 class, the brainchild of promoter Jordan Grunwald, was created as an affordable class to allow competitors on a budget to have a means to go heads-up racing. Most heads-up classes, by their very nature, end up being big money classes because generally speaking, the guy that can throw the most money at his combo is able to go faster. It doesn’t always mean he will win every race though, as skill and luck have a lot to do with going rounds versus throwing up one good pass to lay down a huge number.

By limiting the tire size, Grunwald had the theory that there would only be so much power that could be thrown at the 235 radial or the also-legal 8.5” slick, and he’s right, to an extent. Track prep methods, thanks to prep specialists like Jason Rueckert, Tyler Crossnoe, and Jimmy Bradshaw, have allowed these guys on small tires to really throw a lot of power at the track and have it hook, even on the 235’s. However, the class does have other rules in place that keep it budget-friendly, allowing regular joes to have a place to compete in the world of “get there first” racing.

Sit back and watch some of the baddest guys on 235’s duke it out for $20,000 at Tulsa Raceway Park’s Throwdown in T-Town, brought to us by the guys over at Urban Hillbilly Action Videos. From the final round of qualifying to the semifinal, you can see just how badass these rides are. Unfortunately it rained out the final, which was shaping up to be a great race, but it was not to be on this weekend.