After initially being left off the event schedule, the fan-favorite True 10.5 class is poised to return January 23-25 for the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission, the second race of the Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service, once again competing for $40,000.
True 10.5 was originally scheduled to only appear at The Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks and the World Series of Pro Mod. But with the immense popularity of the class, combined with an incredible showing at the Snowbirds, event officials saw no choice but to include it at all three events.
“I couldn’t be more excited to bring back True 10.5 to the U.S. Street Nationals,” said Drag Illustrated Founder and Editorial Director Wes Buck. “This is one of the hottest classes in all of drag racing, and the fans deserve to see them put on a show. We understand that balancing slicks and radials at the same event can be tricky, but I know that Wade Rich and the gang at Bradenton Motorsports Park will have the track on kill for everyone.”
Fans in attendance or watching on FloRacing will experience an unexpected twist this time around as well – the clocks will be on. While the decision whether to light the scoreboards or not has been a highly debated topic for some time due to questions about participation, promoters Tom Gunner and Michael Poland believe with the Winter Series being specifically designed to bring out the best drivers in the country, it shouldn’t be an issue.
Tom Gunner (left) and Michael Poland (middle)
“Drag racing has to evolve to stay exciting, and this class proves that growth doesn’t mean losing an identity – it means pushing it further,” Gunner said. “That’s why we decided turning the clocks on was the best option for True 10.5. The possibility of taking 64 cars and qualifying for a 32-car field in the future is alive and well with the boards on. We have one goal in mind with this class, and that goal is to give fans the fastest 28×10.5 small tire field in the world every winter.”
Missouri-based chassis builder Larry Larson will be looking to defend his Snowbirds victory, where he took home $40,000. It was his second big-money victory of 2025 on a 28×10.5 slick, after winning $75,000 in May at the King of the South invitational at Shadyside Dragway. Going back-to-back in Bradenton won’t be easy, however, as he will have a bullseye on his back from a star-studded group of drivers including Snowbirds runner-up Russell Stone, Ryan Martin, Scott Taylor, Kye Kelley, and a host of others.
“We learned in a hurry at Snowbirds that True 10.5 was the fastest small tire class ever assembled,” said Poland. “Larson was rolling from his very first pass to the finals, with side-by-side racing every single round. The numbers these guys were discussing had never been talked about before on a 28×10.5 slick in the history of drag racing. We knew the numbers, the racers all knew the numbers. The only people that didn’t know were the fans, and we have to give them that insight.”
Martin, piloting his infamous Fireball Camaro, recently posted the first-ever recorded 3-second pass on a 28×10.5 slick, running a 3.949 at 198.73 mph during testing at Bradenton Motorsports Park. Gunner and Poland don’t expect that number to hold up in a couple weeks, though.
“Somebody is going to make history at U.S. Street,” Poland said. “The boards will be on during eliminations and we will see the quickest pass ever recorded on a 28×10.5 slick. You can take that to the bank.”
This story was originally published on January 8, 2026. 
