At the TX2K26 event at Texas Motorplex, Brooks Weisblat lined up the Chevrolet ZR1X against a grey Tesla Model S Plaid for a straight fight on the drag strip. On one side sat the ZR1X, a hybrid packing 1,250 horsepower from a twin turbo 5.5 liter V8 paired with a front electric motor. On the other, a Model S Plaid, all electric, all wheel drive, and never short of instant torque. When the Christmas tree counted down, both cars were coiled and ready.
Weisblat was razor sharp off the line with a 0.069 second reaction time, and the ZR1X launched cleanly, the hybrid system putting power down without a hint of wheelspin. The Plaid got away hard too, but the Corvette was already edging ahead before they reached the eighth mile marker and never looked back. The ZR1X crossed the line in 8.95 seconds to the Plaid’s 9.40, and it was clear from the moment both cars got moving that the Corvette had another gear the Tesla simply could not match.
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Weisblat felt there was more time on the table and reset for a second run, this time against a black Model S Plaid. His reaction time slipped slightly to 0.167 seconds and the launch was not quite as crisp, but the hybrid powertrain covered for it, building power progressively through the V8 and electric motor without any hesitation down the strip. The Plaid stayed close early before the gap began to open up as speeds climbed. The ZR1X finished in 8.89 seconds to the Plaid’s 9.64, a bigger margin than the first run and a clearer statement of where the performance ceiling sits for each car.
Both runs came on the same afternoon at one of the biggest street car events on the calendar, with hot weather and high density altitude making conditions tough for every car in the field. Context matters here too. The ZR1X had already posted an official 8.675 second pass at 159.57 mph on a prepped surface earlier, so these street style runs in less forgiving conditions were genuinely impressive. The Plaid, rated at around 1,020 horsepower, is capable of low nine second quarters when everything lines up perfectly, but on this particular afternoon it had no answer for the Corvette.
