Not so long ago, “they” said it couldn’t be done. “They” said no door slamming drag car wearing 10.5W tires, referring to the relatively narrow 10.5-inch-wide rear slicks, could ever go into the “three’s,” meaning a three-point-something seconds pass over an eighth mile. “They” said 200 miles per hour was out of the question, too.

“They” were wrong.

On Aug. 8, at Gateway International Raceway just across the mighty Mississippi from St. Louis, Chuck Ulsch steered his supercharged 1968 Camaro on a pair of Mickey Thompson 10.5Ws (M/T #3169W) to a 3.98-seconds lap at nearly 198 miles per hour during the Extreme 10.5 (XTF) semi-finals for the National Guard ADRL Hardee’s Gateway Drags II. For more information on the ADRL series, visit their website.

Chuck Ulsch had his “Sticky Mickeys” working well all day on his way to a record setting 3.98-seconds pass at 197.88 mph in the Extreme 10.5 semi-finals of the National Guard ADRL Hardee’s Gateway Drags II.

Ulsch ultimately finished as runner-up in the final, but it didn’t really matter; he had already made history.

“To be honest, if I had to pick just one I’d rather have the ‘three’ than the win,” Ulsch admitted later. “That’s what we came here (Gateway) to do, to be the first in the three’s, because we knew if we didn’t do it soon, someone else was going to step up and get it done. There will be other wins, I’m sure, but there’s only one chance to be the first at something like this.”

That sentiment was echoed by Gil Mobley, co-owner (with John Ferguson) of Ulsch’s Maryland-based car and team.

“It’s like a huge weight has been lifted off our backs,” Mobley said. “Now we can just go out there and win races and have fun.”

Mickey Thompson Performance Tires and Wheels was certainly not among the doubters. Early this year they established an exclusive Extreme 10.5 Three-Second Club for the first five XTF teams to turn the trick in official National Guard ADRL qualifying or eliminations passes, regardless of tire choice. Each club member receives a $3,000 bonus, commemorative jacket and ring. Additionally, they receive inclusion in a special section ofwww.ADRL.us the official Web site of the National Guard ADRL.

“We’re thrilled to see Chuck Ulsch become the first member of the Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5 Three-Second Club and even more so to see him do it on Mickey Thompsons,” stated Carl Robinson, motorsports manager for the Stow, Ohio-based tire manufacturer. “I know Chuck personally and know how hard he personally works on the car. There’s a lot of heart that goes into something like this.”

Mickey Thompson’s Carl Robinson (in hat) listens in as ADRL’s Kenny Nowling interviews tuner Todd Tutterow with driver Chuck Ulsch, after Ulsch became the first XTF 10.5 pilot to break into the threes with a 3.98-seconds pass Aug. 8, at Gateway International Raceway.

Robinson pointed out that Ulsch was riding on Mickey Thompson front tires, too, as well as M/T rims on all four corners, including the company’s new Pro-5 double-bead-lock rear wheels. “We gave them a tire we knew was capable, but all the credit goes to the guys on the Mobley team,” Robinson stressed. “What they did was really something special that will always be remembered for being the first.”

The entire Extreme 10.5 class will be taking their wild show to National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio, this weekend (Aug. 21-22), for the National Guard ADRL Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags III, where Ulsch would love to break the 200-mph barrier. “I don’t think there’s a club for that,” he said, “but it sure would be nice to be first again. And I know we can do it.”

At this point, it would be very difficult to find anyone that disagrees. “They” have been silenced.