the 8.5 gets grouped in with the other 10 bolts that have a history of breakage, but it's a much stronger rear than the 8.2 or 7.5. the 8.5 is actually a great rear for us novas as a budget performance upgrade. they're plentiful in the right size and they're very durable, especially with aftermarket parts. even so, not many stock axles will hold up without some modifications at that power level. if it's a track car and you're going to run sticky tires, i'd recommend at least adding c-clip eliminators and maybe aftermarket axles. but i'd do that no matter what i was running. my 8.5 has c-clip eliminators, 28 spline axles, and a spool, and it ran my 3500lb car to 10.80's with no breakage. plenty are going faster than me on the 8.5.