Those who know Stevie “Fast” Jackson understand he’s not the type to sit idle, even when he’s in a cast up to his chin. Today, Jackson is running at break-neck speed; no pun intended, while healing recovers from neck surgery to repair injuries sustained as far back as 2008.
“I wake up in the morning, and the first question I ask myself every day when I get up is, how can I better my race team today?” Jackson said. “What can I do? How can I spend my time making it easier for my team to win? We’ve been working on a new deal that’s been coming to fruition for a while now.”
Jackson has finalized a deal that will make him part of Sidnei Frigo and Artivinco Racing in 2023, although he could be sidelined for up to six months while recuperating.
“We’ve finalized a new partnership between Killing Time Racing [KTR] and Artivinco Racing for 2023 and beyond,” Jackson revealed. “We’re both very thrilled to head down this path of showcasing KTR as a Motorsports Solution Business, and that’s what our business model is going forward. If you want to compete in world championship-style drag racing, We are the place that you go for that.”
Frigo is equally excited about the opportunity to partner with Jackson.
“I have known Steve for a long time, racing together in NHRA,” Frigo said. I think we both have the same competitive mindset and goals, which is to win the NHRA Pro Modified Championship. I’m very excited and looking forward to see what this new partnership can bring for both of us.”
Frigo has three career NHRA Pro Modified victories in five final round appearances. His most recent final round appearance came at the 2022 NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. He also has three No. 1 qualifying starts.
Currently, Jackson said, the choice of power adder the team will run is still up in the air.
“I’m managing all of Sidnei’s Artivinco Racing team assets from top to bottom in the USA and abroad,” Jackson said. “It’s really awesome to partner with someone who is both talented and passionate about motorsports as Sidnei Frigo,” Jackson said. “We’ve endured an onslaught of NHRA rule changes over the last couple of weeks that affects the screw-blown combination, the roots blower, the ProCharger, as well as the turbo, so we’re evaluating a path for him right now.
Jackson said without hesitation the most advantageous combination is the one they will run, and he’s not ruling out a nitrous car.
“I’m going to have whatever on our car that it takes to win,” Jackson said. “Whoever’s spending the most money manipulating the rules at the time in whatever sanctioning body it tends to happen to be in, I’m going to run the most advantageous combination in whatever that is. I don’t really care what it is. I have no problem running a turbocharger or a ProCharger or a Nitrous car or a screw blower or a roots car, or even a rotary if that’s what they want to do. So whatever it takes to win is what we are going to run.”
Jackson said there’s been minimal downtime since his surgery or during the holidays.
“What we’re doing now is spending some time on the dyno, trying to figure out what the 5% reduction in overdrive in the screw-charger has cost us to see if that’s a viable path still, as well as evaluating it,” Jackson said. “I have a really good relationship with Chuck Ford and CFH, a long-standing relationship. You may see Sidnei in a roots blower. If it appears to be, however, that there’s some tomfoolery going on with the rules, the ProCharger is still on the table as well. And I’m not opposed to running a Nitrous car.
“Whatever it takes to win. That’s how I’ve lived my whole life, and I’m not changing up now. We’ll have an announcement coming out in the next couple of weeks. I’m pretty versatile and can run nearly anything, so it’s a good skillset set to have in my toolbox.”
Right now, Jackson is planning to put Frigo at the front of the pack right away and isn’t concerned with the toes he steps on along the way.
“I’m incredibly excited about this new partnership, and Sidnei is looking forward to a non-store-bought drag racing experience,” Jackson said.
So what happens until his six months of recovery are up when it comes to his own racing endeavors?
“We might put a car out there in the meantime,” Jackson admitted. “Might even pull an old Days of Thunder scenario. If I’m Cole Trickle, I might have to call on ‘ol Rowdy to come out and drive for me until I get healed. I don’t know if anyone out there is rowdier than Scotty Cannon.
“But you never know.”