---
title: "Tesla Cars and Other EVs Banned From Texas Drag Strip Due to Battery Fires"
description: "The Texas Motor Speedway isn't opposed to hosting EVs, but it simply doesn't have the right safety equipment to suppress battery fires."
date: "2019-07-29"
modified: "2019-07-29"
authors:
  - name: "Rob Stumpf"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/rob-stumpf"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/29192/tesla-cars-and-other-evs-banned-from-texas-drag-strip-due-to-battery-fires"
categories:
  - "Car Tech"
  - "Electric Vehicles"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Tesla News"
tags:
  - "Electric Vehicle"
  - "Tesla"
---

# Tesla Cars and Other EVs Banned From Texas Drag Strip Due to Battery Fires

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/05/drag-race-tesla-hero1.png>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Every Friday, the Texas Motor Speedway hosts an event in coordination with Universal Technical Institute (UTI) called Friday Night Drags: an eighth-mile sprint where participants can earn awards and look to take home the divisional crown after six weeks of bracketing. Anyone can partake, as long as they're *not* driving an electric car.

As it turns out, UTI Friday Night Drags has decided to ban electric vehicles from competing in the racing festivities. Despite what many will say, event officials claim it isn't because of a perceived acceleration advantage, but because of the risk of somewhat uncontrollable battery fires.

![message-editor%2F1564407870150-2019-07-2909\_43\_52-universaltechnicalinstitutefridaynightdrags.png](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1564407870150-2019-07-2909_43_52-universaltechnicalinstitutefridaynightdrags.png>)
**via [Texas Motor Speedway](<https://www.texasmotorspeedway.com/events/friday-night-drags/>)**

Event organizers for the Texas Motor Speedway simply don't have the means to combat an [electric vehicle fire](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/15267/watch-firefighters-battle-a-blazing-tesla-model-s>) should a catastrophic accident occur.

“The reason for the exclusion is, in the event of a crash and possible resulting fire, our emergency vehicles currently do not carry the specific equipment required to suppress EV fires," said Texas Motor Speedway VP of Public Relations David Hart to *[Teslarati](<https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-evs-barred-from-drag-racing-over-fire-concerns/>).* "As I’m sure you’re aware, conventional extinguishers are of no use in fighting lithium-ion battery fires.”

As Hart mentions, a [battery fire](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/28420/parked-teslas-keep-catching-on-fire-randomly-and-theres-no-recall-in-sight>) can be much more complex to extinguish than a traditional vehicle fire. Should a lithium-ion cell be punctured in an accident and go up in flames, emergency crews face the possibility of the vehicle re-igniting for up to 48 hours after the initial event occurred. Because of this, it has become an increasingly common procedure to [submerge EVs in vats of water](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/27181/see-an-emergency-crews-shocking-way-of-extinguishing-a-fiery-bmw-i8>) following a fire for 24 hours or more to prevent conditions such as thermal runaway.

As [recently requested](<https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1120821609596510209>) by *The Drive*, Tesla has [published statistics](<https://www.tesla.com/VehicleSafetyReport>) on vehicle fires regarding its fleet of cars. The manufacturer-supplied data shows that despite the stigma placed upon battery-powered cars, its vehicles are eight times less likely to all other fossil-fuel-powered vehicles on the road.

Hopefully, as EVs become more commonplace on the roads and first responders are better prepared to tackle the challenge of battery fires, tracks like the Texas Motor Speedway will be able to able to encourage the friendly rivalry between ICE and electric.

## Author
After putting down the camera and leaving the tuner car scene behind, Rob has been covering the automotive world since early 2017. Rob’s blend of technology and automotive backgrounds coupled with his industry insight give a unique perspective of what the future of mobility holds.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/allthingslow/>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/RobDrivesCars>)