When there’s a point to be proven, rest assured that doorslammer drag racing icon Stevie “Fast” Jackson isn’t shy about getting the job done. Some circles believed Jackson was finished in small tire racing after years of being absent at the drag radial events.
Let the record reflect very few can straighten a circle like Stevie Fast.
In a brand new, purpose-built ride for small tire racing, Jackson came out on the first day at the Lights Out 15 drag radial event at South Georgia Motorsports Park outside of Valdosta, Ga., proving he’s still a force to be reckoned with.
During Wednesday’s opening session, Jackson called his shot and went to the top with a 3.586 elapsed time at 208.17 miles per hour. Luis DeLeon was second quickest with a 3.607, followed by Ken Quartuccio with a 3.608.
“We came out there with a big old stick,” Jackson said of his Camaro which came into the event with only a handful of test runs. “We wanted to show the fans that we’re back, that we still know how to do it, and that we’re serious about it. And if anybody’s going to come out here and whoop us, they’re going to have to come correct. I pulled some Scotty Cannon stuff out there and about burned the firewall out of it last night. We had a little electrical snafu, but that’s all right. We got her fixed up, patched up; she’s ready to rock.”
Jackson had sworn off his old stomping grounds of drag radial racing, focusing instead on his Pro Modified racing.
“Well, I was over it, but I missed the people, and I missed the culture,” Jackson admitted. “I missed the fans and it pays good. And I’ve been itching to build a new Shadow. And when we got her done, decided she was coming to debut out in RVW.
“Folks were chippy, been chippy for a while, but the biggest reason of all is I think that the competition has got a little stagnant over here, and I wanted to see if we came back and ran a car as hard as you can run it again if we can get folks to come out and do the same thing.”
Not far off the Radial vs. The World pace, Jason Collins drove his Alabama-based 1969 Camaro to the top sport in Pro 275 by stopping the clocks with a 3.644 elapsed time at 205.51. Marcus Birt was second with a 3.651. Bryon Holder is third with a 3.684.
Mitch Mika leads qualifying in Limited Drag Radial with a 3.869 elapsed time at 187.68.
Other leaders include Ron Rhodes (X275), Brad Schehr (Limited Street), and Haley James (Ultra Street).
