Also on Yellow Bullet are many discussions of drag radial vs slick, which there-in detail the woes of stick cars and the fact that a track needs the proper prep for a drag radial to hook... stick or auto.
For the average Joe going to the local track with a near stock
suspension and street friendly clutch on a test and tune night (not a drag radial event)... if anyone here is honest, the right choice is a slick.
We can all agree that if you have the time/money to spend dialing in the perfect
suspension (double adjustable coilovers are typically part of the receipt here) and launch tune (electronics limiting power out of the hole, adjustable clutches etc...), and then are able to make the adjustments at the track after a few test hits to get the car dialed for that track, that night, then sure, a drag radial is a great item.
Another thing to note is that when the launch is not perfect on a drag radial the tire is unable to recover like a slick. Spin a drag radial and start pedaling to get it back, tenths are lost, aborted run... spin a slick out of the hole, stay in the carpet with the gas and thousands are lost... a slick will recover.
Guys that can get it done on a drag radial have bragging rights when they get it all just right.
And they do just that.
Guys on slicks simply go about their business, because there is not nearly as much to "get right" at the performance level that OP is at.
Ever wonder why there are drag radial "only" classes of racing... and DOT only classes of racing.... but, guys on slicks don't discriminate against the drag radial or DOT guys running in open events?
I think this DR vs Slick debate has gone away from advising the OP of what is likely to work with what he's got, into a fanboy hoisting of the DR... keep in mind all the DR guys are also saying "get the
suspension right"... which will also involve getting the clutch right, or swapping in an auto... OP could bolt a set of slicks on and not worry about much other than a decent set of rear shocks and tire pressure.