In the past, traction control devices in drag racing were a bit of a taboo subject from top to bottom, outlawed in any major sanctioning body and the source of finger-pointing in the high stakes bracket racing arena. But with the explosion of outlaw doorslammer racing experienced in the last handful of years, these devices have not only become acceptable, but a virtual necessity to remain competitive in the cut throat heads up classes where rules are few and far between. From the upper echelons on ADRL Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous to Outlaw Drag Radial, traction control is standard equipment.

At the forefront of traction control technology is North Carolina-based Davis Technologies, who provide units to many of the top running racers in the business. Davis’ product lineup for drag racers includes three different units for racers ranging from sportsman bracket cars on up to Pro Modified. These include the Drag Sportsman, the Drag Lite, and the Drag Pro. The Drag Sportsman is what’s known as a “non self-learning” unit, meaning  it looks for the driveshaft to exceed a fixed point of acceleration, while the two premium units learn the rate of acceleration and notice sudden changes, or in other words “self learn.”

These units measure the driveshaft every 1/8 of a turn and for most applications and sends a signal through the ignition or engine management system, requiring less than 5 degrees of retard to perform its functions. This provides racers with complete control of the system. Davis has available units for older ignition boxes and those for later units such as the MSD 7531.

• Measures driveshaft rotation ever 1/8 of a turn
• Three units available for sportsman on up to high horsepower professional applications
• Drag Lite and Drag Pro units are “self learning” and detect sudden changes in driveshaft speed