During a private test session this week at the legendary Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina, Manny Buginga and his team – led by renowned tuner Jamie Miller – delivered one of the most incredible performances small-tire drag racing has ever seen. The mission was simple: rewrite the record books on 275-series drag radials, then bolt on a set of 315s and do it again. And in true Buginga fashion, they did exactly that.
“Wow is the word that occupies my mind,” Buginga said afterward. “The amount of encouragement felt through this is humbling.”
Buginga opened the day with a jaw-dropping 3.481-second eighth-mile blast on 275 radials, cementing a new small-tire benchmark. A planned early-shutoff quarter-mile pull followed, still quick enough to reset the 275 quarter-mile record with a 5.682. Buginga’s been around long enough to know moments like that don’t just happen – even though he admits sometimes they do.
“Some say records don’t matter, but to me they do,” he said. “They’re always going to happen – accident or intentional, testing or in front of stands loaded with people. When it does, it’s a feeling like no other.”
With the first half of the mission complete, the team returned to the pits, swapped to 315 radials, and went right back after it. The result: a staggering 5.488-second quarter-mile rip to secure the 315 radial record, followed by a violent Hail Mary eighth-mile shot that stopped the clocks at 3.441 seconds – the second-quickest doorslammer pass ever recorded in any configuration. Only Jimmy Taylor’s 3.387-second blast in his twin-turbocharged Pro Mod Camaro from last month sits ahead of it.
Thinking back on it all, Buginga said he knew there was a window to do something “really challenging and awesome,” and decided to take a moment with nothing but his crew, his car, and the racetrack. “It’s a glorious feeling when you pull up in the still quiet and just feel it happening, knowing it’s something faster than you’ve ever felt before,” he said. “And then knowing we succeeded – it turned out to be amazing for all involved.”
Buginga credited his entire group for making it possible. “To the man behind the laptop, Jamie Miller – outstanding job. We do seem to do amazing things together,” he said. He praised the Buginga crew – Kyle Pettis, “Lil’ Manny” Buginga, Johnny ‘Drama’ Meguda, and Renee Matousek – along with AB Motorsports, Brad Mason, Chris Newton, Roger Wilkins, Carlos Gonzalez, and everyone who jumped in at critical moments. “Just when I thought we were done with two holes down and little time left, they all plowed through and got it up and running to accomplish the last of our goals.”
He also acknowledged the long list of companies whose parts, support, and problem-solving played a role, from Modern Racing, Pro Line Racing, ProCharger, and M&M Transmission to FuelTech, Menscer Motorsports, Summit Racing, VP Racing Fuels, UPR, Lucas Oil, and more. “Many of these people don’t just provide quality products – they provide insight into progression, knowledge, experience, and great customer support,” he said. “I hope to keep making everyone that has something involved proud.”
Buginga extended gratitude to the workers, track crews, and owners who make these opportunities possible, like the team at Rockingham Dragway, where “the magic happened.” He also made sure to credit the media documenting the moment – especially the photo shot by Hayden Raymond of TMG Marketing. “They capture and document these moments to cherish forever,” Buginga said. “When they say a picture is worth a thousand words, this is one of them.”
For Buginga, the records themselves might be numbers on paper, but the meaning behind them runs deeper – a culmination of effort, sacrifice, and the belief that something special was within reach.
“Thinking about my own course in racing, I saw there was a window to do something challenging and awesome,” he said. “This moment, these records…it isn’t just about me. It’s so many people who put their heart and passion into this sport to make it great – and this is their moment too.”
Photos courtesy of Hayden Raymond
This story was originally published on November 22, 2025. 
The post Manny Buginga Reflects on Record-Setting Radial Performance first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
