Grizzled drag race veterans bear with us for a moment while we bring the new guys up to speed. For those who don’t know, there are two main ways to retain an axle. One is to capture it with the bearing assembly at the end of the rearend housing next to the hub, while the other is to hold it in with a C-shaped clip snapped on the end that pokes into the center section.

Some heavy-duty factory rearends (Ford 9-inch, I’m looking at you!) came with bearing retention, but most designs are a C-clip setup for good reason. They’re easier to work on, cheaper to manufacture, and the hub bearings on a C-clip axle don’t have to deal with any side loads, making them more durable and less likely to leak. C-clip axles are preferable in every way, except one: if the axle breaks, there’s nothing (besides possibly the disc brake caliper) to keep the entire wheel and broken stub from sliding right out of the housing like a miniature tetherball pole.

It’s a big enough flaw that NHRA regulations forbid C-clip retention once you go 10.99 or quicker, or put in a spool. To help you get legal without the expense of converting to something like a 9-inch, Strange Engineering is running a sale on Ford and GM C-Clip Eliminator packages that include Pro Race (Hy-Tuff) axles, lightweight Pro Race steel spools, and  1/2-inch stud kits (with an optional upgrade to 5/8-inch) to go along with the all-important C-clip eliminators.

Of course, if you’re running a street/strip car, getting C-clip eliminators to seal properly can be a challenge, but Strange has a solution for that, too. Their new C-clip eliminator for most GM 10- and 12-bolt rearends utilizes a Timkin tapered bearing rather than the usual ball bearing setup, which is designed to endure extended street use and severe side loads. They’ve also built in two axle seals per shaft to keep the gear oil where it belongs.