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In the coming decades, it’s expected that electric vehicles will increasingly overshadow traditional gas-powered cars at drag strips. Electric motors are renowned for delivering impressive torque from a standstill, as demonstrated by a Tesla Model S P100D that triumphed over five competitors in a “cash days-style” eighth-of-a-mile race earlier this month at 710 Dragway in Rowland, North Carolina. Just when it seemed that lessons had been learned, a sixth racer showed up for a grudge match and was clearly not pleased with the outcome.
The YouTuber behind the Tesla Racing Channel has been transforming his new Tesla Model S P100D into a formidable drag racer since acquiring it last September. The vehicle already boasts one of the quickest 0-60 mph times for any production car—potentially surpassing the official 2.5 seconds—and TRC has further enhanced its speed by stripping the interior and replacing the stock wheels with lightweight 19-inch BBS rims. With additional drag-specific tires from Mickey Thompson and electric enhancements by renowned “Tesla hacker” Jason Hughes, it’s hard to envision any car, aside from perhaps a 2,700-horsepower Nissan GT-R, keeping up in an eighth-mile race.
Testing its capabilities, TRC brought the Tesla Model S P100D to a “cash days-style” event at 710 Dragway, where participants start from the far end of the track to replicate the feel of an illegal street race. The track’s surface was in less-than-ideal condition, and instead of the traditional Christmas tree timing system, a man with a flashlight signaled the start. The event featured 19 cars, each paying a $100 entry fee. Over five runs, the P100D convincingly defeated two Ford Mustangs, a G-Body Monte Carlo, an S-10 (yes, really), and a fourth-generation Camaro to secure the top prize.
Although the Tesla dominated the start, both the fifth-generation Mustang (at 4:10) and the Camaro (at 11:00) quickly closed the gap near the finish line and would likely have surpassed the Tesla in a quarter-mile race. The immediate torque from the electric vehicle has its limits, especially without the benefit of multiple gears. This might explain why a confident Camaro driver approached at 14:20, challenging the Tesla to one final race for a $600 bet.
After some back-and-forth, the Camaro driver agreed to give the Tesla a head start. In street racing vernacular, this means the Tesla driver could launch whenever he chose, while the Camaro driver would have to react. This decision was questionable for numerous reasons—the Tesla features all-wheel drive, launch control, and exceptional torque off the line—and the outcome at 18:00 clearly illustrates this.
In the final moments of the video, the drama unfolds. An event organizer mentions to the Tesla driver that some spectators are unhappy with the result. It’s challenging to discern the chaos of drunken shouts and bravado, but a few remarks are audible: That was a shitty-ass poor-ass excuse for a race! I work on electric cars, you know that was a bullshit run! Sure, buddy. The Camaro driver is also irritated, labeling the Tesla driver as “scared” and lamenting the head start that he willingly granted.
The situation offers a few valuable lessons: first, don’t drink between rounds at the drag strip like many of these individuals did. Second, avoid challenging an all-wheel-drive electric vehicle and giving it a timing advantage in an eighth-mile race. And third, reacting to a loss of $300 by insisting it doesn’t matter only reveals that it does.
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