Las Vegas Drag Races Saved by 11th-Hour Glue Donation

Posted on: November 10, 2022, 12:10h. 

Last updated on: November 10, 2022, 04:20h.

Just hours after canceling its E.T. Bracket Nationals on Wednesday because of a shortage of traction compound, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway reinstated its annual Thanksgiving drag race series thanks to an unexpected donation.

The races — where drivers of dragsters and roadsters compete on equal footing —will be held Wednesday, November 23, through Sunday, November 28, as originally scheduled.

However, the Summit Racing Equipment Mayhem on December 2 and the Test ‘n’ Tune drag races on December 3 – also canceled by the Las Vegas Motor Speedway because of lack of traction compound – remain canceled for reasons undisclosed by the racetrack.

A (Not So) Sticky Situation

This year’s Bracket Nationals nearly came unglued because of a global shortage of VP Racing Fuel’s popular Lane Choice 7 (LC7) traction compound, which is a glue that creates the tire traction necessary for drag strip racing. This is, in turn, because of a global shortage of a chemical in all similar compounds called Lutonal.

When you see the cobwebs come up on the tire after you spray the track, that’s it — that’s stringy adhesive,” VP’s Jason Rueckert told dragzine.com. “When you walk across it and it rips your shoes off and you fall down, that’s Lutonal.”

Manufactured by BASF in Germany, Lutonal has been mostly unavailable since the beginning of 2022 because of supply-chain issues caused by the pandemic and shipping issues caused by inclement weather. According to dragcoverage.com, tracks across the country have been told they can no longer purchase track prep products containing the compound.

In an attempt to stretch their dwindling reserves, many tracks have switched from 1/4 mile to 1/8 mile races, reduced their drag racing schedules, or eliminated events requiring their own track preparation.

Speedway Responds

In its cancellation notice on Wednesday, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway explained that it spent weeks trying, and failing, to secure shipments of LC7. That was before an undisclosed glue supplier donated the necessary barrels.

“We’re still looking and sampling other chemicals and bringing things in to replace the Lutonal if it comes to that and this continues,” Rueckert told dragzine.com. “Every week, my chemist is sending me things and I’m mixing it and going to the track and trying it … We have had to find another (ingredient). I just see this as a stepping stone to the next thing. It was 2010 when the last formula of LC7 was made, and 12 years is a pretty good run.”