Roll racing — it’s a form of quick-and-dirty street racing that draws a lot of opinions from those who street race and those who simply watch street racing from the safe and legal confines of the internet. Those who oppose such contests simply see it as a means of racing for one lacking  proper vehicle setup and car control skills. Others view it as a means to make a quick race out of a chance meeting on the freeway. But of course, in the organized, legitimate drag racing world, it’s not a common topic of discussion, as roll racing simply doesn’t exist.

Or does it?

Over the weekend, the wildly popular, annual Woodstock-like gearhead happening known as TX2K took place at the Royal Purple Raceway near Houston, Texas, and featured, interestingly enough, roll racing on the famed quarter-mile drag strip. TX2K, if you’re not aware, is an annual event held at different locations around Texas with drag racing, dyno competitions, and plenty of after-dark shenanigans, and always brings out some of the downright baddest automotive machinery in the country, from insanely-quick imports and domestic muscle cars to Lamborghini’s Ferrari’s, Porsches, and more. Endless to say, there’s no lack of horsepower at TX2K.

After dabbling with the concept in the past, the organizers of TX2K went all-in with roll racing this year. Competitors were paired up back in the staging lanes and would receive the “go” signal well behind the control tower. They would then shoot out from under the tower, maintain pace to the eighth-mile mark, and then drop the hammer all the way to the quarter-mile boards — making for a very unique sight at a drag racing facility where, under normal circumstances, there would be water in the burnout box, a starter manning the tree, and cars not going 40-50 mph through the beams.

The racing seemed to be a hit, and has led to quite a bit of social media chatter, and thus, might well become a regular part of the TX2K event. The question then is: will it take off elsewhere, perhaps drawing racers away from the street?