After a series of rule changes reshaped the path forward for Brett LaSala and Snot Rocket in Limited Drag Radial competition, LaSala is making a major change. The five-second, Coyote-powered Mustang is headed into Outlaw H-pattern stick shift racing.
The change will put one of the most recognizable modern Mustang race cars behind a clutch pedal and a Grannas Racing ATLAS billet T56 transmission built on the proven TREMEC Magnum XL architecture. The transmission is being built by Nth Moto, while EZ Motorsports is handling the multi-disc clutch combination.
A TREMEC Foundation Built for Outlaw Racing
TREMEC’s six-speed performance lineage reaches back to the T-56, which entered production in the early 1990s and became one of the most recognizable manual transmissions in modern performance history. TREMEC acquired BorgWarner’s North American manual-transmission business in 1996 and continued developing the platform. The T-56 architecture later evolved into the stronger TR-6060, followed by the aftermarket TREMEC Magnum family.
That history helps explain why serious street-car, road-racing and drag-racing programs continue to use TREMEC architecture as the starting point for increasingly specialized builds. The Magnum XL features an extended-length extension housing that allows for a direct-shift configuration. Its OEM counterpart, the TR-6060, is specified by manufacturers with a remote-mounted shifter to accommodate production vehicle packaging.
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What Is the Grannas Racing ATLAS-XL?
Grannas Racing describes the ATLAS-XL as an Outlaw-spec dogbox based on the TREMEC Magnum XL platform. It is available in a four-speed drag-racing configuration with fifth and sixth locked out, or as a full six-speed dog-engagement transmission for extreme roll-racing applications.
The ATLAS-XL is not an off-the-shelf TREMEC transmission. Grannas Racing starts with the Magnum XL architecture and adapts it with purpose-built racing components and available configuration options. Grannas states that every ATLAS gearset and transmission is individually assembled, fitted and dyno-tested to verify tolerances and machining specifications.
LaSala’s setup uses a billet adapter and main-case arrangement with a longer 1.25-inch, 10-spline input shaft designed for a multi-plate racing clutch system. That extended input arrangement gives the clutch package the space and engagement design required for the type of power and launch loads expected in Outlaw stick shift competition.
Because the ATLAS can be ordered in multiple configurations, the exact gear ratios, dog-engagement layout and fifth- and sixth-gear arrangement in LaSala’s transmission have not been publicly confirmed. Those details will depend on the final specification selected for Snot Rocket.
Snot Rocket Enters a New Chapter
LaSala’s decision follows a turbulent stretch in radial racing. After setting records and winning in Limited Drag Radial, mid-season rule changes affected the competitive position of his Coyote-powered combination. Rather than continuing to reshape the same package around a moving rulebook, LaSala chose a completely different challenge.
H-pattern racing will require a new driving rhythm, a new clutch-management strategy and an entirely different approach to putting the car’s power down. It will also place Snot Rocket in one of drag racing’s most demanding and spectator-friendly categories, where every shift is visible and every mistake carries a cost.
The plan is to complete the conversion and begin testing before the Outlaw Stick Shift Challenge at Great Lakes Dragaway on September 11-12, followed by appearances at FL2K and the World Cup Finals. The Motion Raceworks YouTube channel will document the conversion and testing process.
Why TREMEC Remains the Starting Point
From factory performance cars to purpose-built race programs, TREMEC transmissions have remained a trusted base for builders who need strength, broad aftermarket support and a proven six-speed architecture. The ATLAS-XL shows how far that foundation can be taken when companies such as Grannas Racing and Nth Moto develop it for the demands of elite-level H-pattern competition.
For Brett LaSala and Snot Rocket, the move is bigger than a transmission swap. It marks a new direction for one of the quickest Coyote-powered Mustangs in the country, with TREMEC architecture at the center of the next chapter.
Sources:
Brett LaSala on Facebook.com / Grannasracing.com / Ez Motorsports on Facebook.com / NTHMoto.com / Tremec.com / Sickthemagazine.com
