Tesla Six-Way Battle Makes for One Silent Drag Race

To some people, drag racing might seem like the silliest thing on Earth. My dad feels the same about racing; he insists we have more important things to achieve in life. And I guess he's mostly right, but then again, we have that almost wild instinct to fight off. If we're not fighting for survival, we still have to fight for something, right? And we can each choose our battles.

I've seen hundreds of drag races this year, even without attending a pro event. These days, matchups often consist of ICE-powered vehicles going up against EVs. You can already see a pattern after watching so many battles. In 20 years, the age of the internal combustion engine may come to an end for good. Perhaps the automotive industry will devise a different solution alongside battery-powered cars.

Either way, we're looking at six Teslas going head-to-head across a series of challenges in today's battle. It's a straightforward challenge; you can predict the outcome by looking at the numbers. The Model X is already at a disadvantage due to its size. But it's hard to imagine that the P100D or the Raven could ever stand a chance at winning against the Plaid.

The same goes for Model S. This is ultimately a benchmark test meant to reveal how much faster your car will be if you can afford to go the extra mile financially. Well, I hope speed isn't the main reason you're thinking about getting a Tesla, as you may end up disappointed when taking on the twisties.

Sure, I've seen them perform around the racetrack in certain circumstances, but it will take many more years before I can fully embrace EVs as a replacement for ICE-powered vehicles (if ever). Anyway, I digress. As expected, the Model S Plaid is the dominant force here, and it needs less than 10 seconds to run the 1/4-mile (402 meters). I don't think this is what Dominic Toretto envisioned when asking for a "10-second car". Despite its massive size, the Model X Plaid is fast enough for a 10.2-second run.

Meanwhile, its lesser version, the P100D version, is 2.6 seconds slower. I remember when tuned Hot Hatches would barely finish their runs in less than 13 seconds. Some of these cars will go faster than 160 mph for the rolling race, but is that enough to make them more exciting? It all becomes a bit sketchy when it starts to rain, especially with so many cars down the same runway. Either way, I miss seeing some proper 1/4-mile monsters going at it so I might visit a pro event soon.