Well-known drag race announcer and podcast host Doug Johnson (owner of Thunder Road Racing and The Thunder Road Show podcast) is bringing traditional no prep racing back to Texas over Memorial Day weekend, hosting the Thunder Road Days Memorial Day Bash on Sunday, May 26 at Xtreme Raceway Park.
Headlining the event is the $10,000-to-win Small Tire class. Featuring free entry, the only rules for Small Tire are 28×10.5 (non-W) tires and a front-clipped door car, although hoods are optional. What makes Thunder Road Days different is the fact that every car entered will be required to have a front clip and functioning doors. The only way they can run without these items is if they are broken beyond repair during the event.
Johnson decided he had seen enough of the “skeletor cars” – cars built with no front clip and sometimes no doors – being built and allowed to run at certain no prep and back of the track events. This style of car has become popular in large part by “Cleetus McFarland” and his Leroy Corvette. As these styles of cars have morphed and moved their way into the no prep scene, Johnson decided it was time to put his money where his mouth is and bring no prep racing back to where it got wildly famous with events like DigNight, Redemption, Dirty South No Prep, and the Small Tire No Prep Nationals – all of which Johnson announced at prior to 2020.
Racers that have verbally committed to attend the race include Street Outlaws star “Kamikaze” Chris Day, Chris Varni, Brent Self, Adam Plunkett, Eric Bain, Randy Westmorland, Ronny Odem, Wesley Martinez, Ron Gibbany/White Rhino, Joey Baroni/Swamp Thing, as well as many others.
In addition to Small Tire, Johnson has added the Lil’ Gangstas class to the event. After seeing how successful Jimmy Dale and Michael Poland have been with the class, Johnson decided to include it in the line-up in hopes of drawing out more racers that may not be fast enough to hang with the top-tier small tire cars.
Other classes include Nitrous Outlet True Street, Outlaw Street, Full Size Street Truck, Daily Drivable, and Outlaw Jr. Dragster. Daily Drivable will feature a round-robin format, with drivers being disqualified for going back to their trailer between rounds.
Johnson also says he currently has about 20 Jr. Dragster racers committed. As part of the Adopt a Jr. Program, each Jr. Dragster driver will have their own Q&A session, and will also receive a personalized gift bag and the chance to hang with a big-car driver in their driver meeting.
The track will be scraped and washed prior to the event. Fans that can’t make it to XRP to see the race live will have the opportunity to follow the action via a multitude of media outlets, including 6Sixty Street, Ticklefitz, Index Outlaws, Primitive Models and more.
This story was originally published on May 6, 2024. 
