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:
http://www.moparmax.com/tech/2008/iii_7-tire-1.html