Seems to be all Drag Radials, not just M/T, and has to do with launch
techniques when racing on the strip.
Quoted from an on-line forum:
"Something has to slip when you launch a car. Either a torque converter, a clutch, or a tire (or a combination of two).
The problem is that D/R do not seem to like being the part that slips, they don't tend to recover like a slick or bias DOT tire. If the tire is not slipping the clutch is."
Here is a great article on Drag Radials from MoparMax online magazine: