Billy Glidden’s spare time will be valuable in 2008 thanks to his Mickey Thompson Tires “big tire” development assignments. Between the rigors of testing and keeping the test machine maintained, Glidden and his wife Shannon will have little time for any other drag racing.

At this point in the game, Glidden can not make any promises outside of the test program whether he'll race any Outlaw 10.5.

“At the time I don’t really have any plans,” Glidden said in a recent phone conversation. He’d just wrapped up a long stretch of road time where he was at the Dart Machinery headquarters in Troy, Michigan assembling engines for the tire test car as well some for the Justin Humphrey team to test. 

Being a member of the Glidden family carries a pre-requisite of long hours in the shop and successful results on the track. The son of Pro Stock legend Bob Glidden is truly a chip off the old block.

Glidden aiming for NHRA Pro Stock and Mickey Thompson Tire Development early in 2008

Billy Glidden’s spare time will be valuable in 2008 thanks to his Mickey Thompson Tires “big tire” development assignments. Between the rigors of testing and keeping the test machine maintained, Glidden and his wife Shannon will have little time for any other drag racing.

At this point in the game, Glidden can not make any promises outside of the test program whether he'll race any Outlaw 10.5.

“At the time I don’t really have any plans,” Glidden said in a recent phone conversation. He’d just wrapped up a long stretch of road time where he was at the Dart Machinery headquarters in Troy, Michigan assembling engines for the tire test car as well some for the Justin Humphrey team to test. 

Being a member of the Glidden family carries a pre-requisite of long hours in the shop and successful results on the track. The son of Pro Stock legend Bob Glidden is truly a chip off the old block.

“They were in Bradenton testing and while they were gone, we built three more engines and a fourth one in the process – we’re just waiting on the parts,” Glidden said. “We’ve been gone for almost two weeks. We’ll go home and turn right around and head back in a few days.

“At this time, our primary focus is to get this tire situation squared away. Hopefully we’ll come up with a fix for our big tire. We’ll probably hit some of the NHRA races in the interim.”

Glidden confirmed the Pontiac he drives as the Mickey Thompson Tires test vehicle is entered for the first five NHRA POWERade events of the 2008 season.

“We’re just trying to play it as we go here,” Glidden said. “We are going out the day after the events because the track will be decent. You can’t learn anything if you’re on a race track that you can’t even get down. The tracks are prepped differently the day after races than when they are at tracks for testing.”

Glidden said the second official test session for the Mickey Thompson “big tire” will be during the weekend of the Las Vegas test session the weekend before Pomona.

“To devote ourselves to this project correctly, it will certainly devour most of that time,” Glidden said. “You have engine maintenance, car maintenance and that takes everything you’ve got.”

This demand promises to make every note taken premium.

“Whatever we find in this tire is going to directly tie into every big tire we have,” Glidden said.