up to 28 x 10.5 inches. Nearly every engine, power adder, and transmission combination is allowed. The rules are simple and were written up that way to make the class approachable for a diverse group of racers. The formula has worked. In just a few years, Lil Gangstas has become a household name in the sport.
“ Every single flyer you see now has some form of a 5.30 index class on it, whether it be Lil Gangstas or a different version. You know where it comes from,” says Poland, referencing the ever-increasing unsanctioned spinoffs.“ I love the growth. I love that Lil Gangstas exploded the way it did. It’ s gotten so many cars out of the garage that haven’ t seen the light of day in years. You’ ve got people building cars. You’ ve got guys who left the sport because they didn’ t feel competitive running cars that haven’ t seen the light of day in years.”
Gunner and Poland started the class for racers like themselves. They came up racing at the gritty tracks that surround the Dallas-Fort Worth area, sneaking into Pro Mod races.
“ We were too broke as kids, so we would sneak into the track in the back of my Hyundai Sonata and my now wife, Mo, would drive us in,” Gunner says.“ We’ d watch Frankie‘ The Mad Man’ Taylor and Gaylen Smith in the‘ Texas Bounty Hunter’ race Pro Mod at Texas Raceway.”
At the same time, Texas True 10.5 was hot and Tom and his buddies had started to get in trouble like most teens. When Lloyd Mitchell told Gunner and his childhood best friend, Shawn, if they stayed out of trouble, he’ d build them a car to go run Texas True 10.5.
“ That didn’ t work,” Gunner laughs.“ We actually still got into a bunch of trouble, but he still built the car anyways. We raced Texas True 10.5 for two or three years and that was really influential to me.”
Another memorable scene was the early days of Chris“ Limpy” Collins’“ Cash Days” on the streets of DFW. The local street racing scene was still very secretive – before social media spread the word about was happening and where – so Gunner would hear about races through friends at school. He’ d hear whispers of a meet in algebra class, and later that night, he’ d show up to watch local legends square off on the street.
“ We watched‘ Boosted GT’ and‘ Barefoot’ Ronnie Pace and Michael Hollis, Randy Bess, Johnny Brown – these real iconic guys would run no rules on the street, flashlight start,” Gunner remembers.“ That was real influential for me too.”
Across town, drag racing was sinking its hooks into Poland too. He went racing with his stepfather, who raced a bracket car at their local track, Wichita Raceway Park, in Wichita Falls, Texas. It wasn’ t long before Poland decided he wanted to get behind the wheel.
“ After two or three times that we went to the dragstrip, I convinced my grandma to buy a Jr. Dragster,” Poland says.“ I raced Jr. Dragsters for a couple years, then I just got to the point where I was so tall that they couldn’ t fit me in a car anymore. I went and did sports and some other things for a few years. Then probably 2019 or so, I started getting back into it.”
Gunner similarly took a step back from racing for a handful of years, mostly only going to the track to gamble in the stands. In 2017, he built his own first race car, a $ 2,000 1981 Ford Granada roller that he paired with a 5.3L / TH400 pullout that he found for $ 3,000.
“ I was so broke when it was time to get it running that I couldn’ t afford wire,” Gunner says.“ I went to O’ Reilly’ s and bought a trailer wire kit and I hooked my fuel pump up with the little green wire that goes to your trailer blinkers. Well, turns out it’ s not enough power off that tiny little wire to power your fuel pumps.”
Gunner messed around with the Granada for a while before moving on to a more competitive Cutlass called“ Proud Parent,” which he raced until a home invasion forced him to sell the car in 2019.
“ I got robbed at gunpoint,” Gunner says.“ They broke all the ribs on the right side of my body, they pistol-whipped me and gave me a concussion, took every dollar to my name, so I had to sell the car. That happened September 19th, 2019. I didn’ t touch drag racing for two years after that – didn’ t even think about it.”
What pulled him back was the car Lloyd Mitchell had built years prior to keep him out of trouble – a car Gunner called Magic. Gunner and his wife had just moved into a new house out in the country in an effort to move on from the trauma. Gunner got a call from Shawn, who said his parents were selling the car. Gunner didn’ t have a plan, but he knew he wanted that car. Through a decision made in an altered state – magic state, some may say – and a moment of grace, the couple decided to make an offer. Gunner and Mitchell went back and forth, and in October 2021, Gunner owned Magic.
A Brotherhood Begins
Poland was working for American Airlines in Austin when COVID hit. He moved back to his hometown and started going to the track again with his buddy, Mike Winder, who had a turbo LS Chevy S10. They’ d hit up test-n-tunes and the occasional street race, and along the way, Poland kept running into a guy named Tom.
The honest version of how Tom Gunner and Michael Poland became friends is not exactly G-rated, and Gunner doesn’ t pretend otherwise. Before either of them was racing for a living, they were both in the flower
94 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated. com Issue 201