Oklahoma’s Dewayne Mills Tests Big Tire No Prep Car

If you follow small tire racing, even casually, you’ve almost certainly heard the name Dewayne Mills over the past few years. The Sand Springs, Oklahoma native has been a front-runner in the radial racing world for quite some time, having held the record for the quickest radial-tired car on the planet at more than one point, as well as becoming the first radial ride in the 3.60’s and winning some huge small tire events.

It would seem Mills is ready for a bit of a change of scenery, and I have a feeling he just might end up making a name for himself in a world where things are drastically different than what he’s used to. No prep and radial racing quite literally could not be more different. Radial prepped tracks are as tacky as flypaper, often ripping the shoes off of anybody who walks across the track surface. No prep, as you might guess by the name, is quite the opposite. While many tracks are somewhat sticky just by being drag strips, the amount of traction available from the prep procedure is considerably less.

However, as you will see in the short clip below, Mills has made a couple of obvious changes to his iconic Golden Gorilla Camaro that seem to have gotten him up to speed rather quickly in this new world. Gone are the relatively small Mickey Thompson 315 Drag Radials. In their place, a set of MT steamroller slicks. You’ll also notice a more pronounced rear wing, and a set of wheelie bars. These changes, along with some less obvious things like converter and suspension changes, have Mills laying down what looks to be a pretty solid lap.

The car is still leaving a bit soft, something you’ll see often in the no prep world, but once it’s rolling, the Golden Gorilla screams through the rest of the 1/8th mile. If this team has proven anything, it’s that they know how to go fast and win rounds, so look for a new contender to rise to the top of the no prep ranks in no time!