In the broad landscape of drag racing categories, from NHRA class-style competition to open bracket racing categories, not all dragsters demand the same tire—and Mickey Thompson’s Jason Moulton is quick to point that out. Whether you’re running in Super Comp, Top Dragster, Competition Eliminator, or high-stakes bracket racing events, there’s no one-size-fits-all drive tire solution. Mickey Thompson has grown its product line over the years to meet the specific performance and even weight requirements of each class or style of racing.

“You’ve got Top Dragster, you’ve got Super Comp on the throttle stop, and then a lot of big-money bracket cars in the 4.30 to 4.70 range,” Moulton explains. “Then there’s Competition Eliminator racers running everything from four-cylinders up to powerful Pro Stock engines, and their needs are very different. So, we really look at the application and what tire is best suited for them.”

For Competition Eliminator, where minimizing weight and maximizing performance is critical, many racers have adopted the 34.0/13.5-16W ET Drag, or the 33.0/10.5W ET Drag “outlaw” tire, which was originally designed for heads-up doorslammer racing. The tire’s grip profile and predictable behavior make it ideal for Comp Eliminator’s varied engine combinations, horsepower and torque curves, and aggressive tuning windows.

Super Comp and Top Dragster, by contrast, prioritize repeatability. These categories live and die by consistency, where even a hundredth of a second off pace can end a weekend. That’s where Mickey Thompson’s “Big Bubba” tire made its mark. 

The original “Bubba” tire, a 34.0/13.5-16W ET Drag slick, was developed in partnership with Billy Glidden, and was famously named after his blue and gold Macaw, Bubba. Since its inception, it has become a go-to tire for racers all across the spectrum of drag racing, from heads-up competition to dial-in weekend warriors.

“If you go back 10 or 12 years, Super Comp cars and Top Dragsters ran a 33 or 34.5-inch, 17-inch wide tire. When we developed the Bubba tire that changed that a lot. With the Bubba tire, we wanted to reduce or eliminate tire shake and provide the grip needed to get them down the track consistently and fast,” Moulton says. “That product allowed them to turn up the wick and really chase performance without sacrificing reliability. The 34- to 35-inch tall tire with a 15-inch tread has become a staple in both Super Comp and the quicker end of bracket racing.

Top Dragster racers have gravitated to Mickey Thompson’s 35.0/15.0-16 ET Drag, commonly referred to as the “Big Bubba.” There are two part numbers of this tire: the 3195 generally for nitrous oxide-injected and naturally aspirated applications, and the 3197 for more powerful boosted cars.

For Super Comp and bracket cars, Moulton says some racers will utilize the 35.0/15.0-16 ET Drag “Big Bubba” (Part number 3195), but common choices in this performance and use-case segment include the 33.5/16.5-16 ET Drag (Part number 3183), and the original “Bubba” 34.0/13.5-16W ET Drag tire. Mickey Thompson currently offers two part numbers of the “Bubba” tire: the standard 3190W and the 3191W for throttle stop racing and for “cooler” racing conditions.

What began as a performance solution also brought a packaging advantage. The narrower tread width lets racers fit two cars in a trailer, which is something Moulton says was an unexpected but welcome benefit. Since its debut, the “Big Bubba” has quietly reshaped the tire landscape in these classes and fueled a notable performance uptick.

“In Top Dragster today, we’re seeing a lot of cars deep into the sixes,” Moulton points out. “A seven-second car is still out there, but more and more are running much faster, and reducing tire shake with the ‘Bubba’ product really helped with that.”

Still, the performance bar keeps rising. Mickey Thompson is already engineering the next generation of dragster tires. “Someone asked me how we were going to top the Big Bubba,” Moulton says. “There’s always a way to improve. We’re working on that right now.”

From class-specific needs to evolutionary development, Mickey Thompson’s dragster tire line isn’t just wide—it’s purpose-built for performance, class by class.