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JACKIE ROBISON
racing , and Jackie experienced a setback when a crash at Greer in 2010 left his car badly damaged . Mike White put the car back together after the mishap , while Robison ’ s famous cousin , Scotty Cannon , set the car up for him . Additionally , a few changes were made to the car after they dropped it off at Donnie Gibbs ’ Mooresville , NC race car shop .
Perhaps the most interesting story that
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stemmed from the car ’ s post-crash restoration was when it was time for a new paint job . “ My friend of 30 years , Donnie Farmer , of Farmer ’ s Body Shop , repainted the car for me , and amazingly it was the first race car he ever painted ! Donnie told me to never bring him another race car , but he also said I could bring the Chevy II back if I ever needed to ,” laughed Robison .
The car looks sharp and it turns heads wherever Jackie races it . He ’ s getting geared up for the 2017 season and plans to race more than ever .
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“ I ’ ve teamed up with Doug Dailey from Maryville , TN , who has a David Monday-built 1963 Corvette .”
Together , they plan on competing in every NHRA national event , as well as every Lucas Oil race in Division 2 . “ Racing at this level takes so much support and I ’ ve got to thank my dad , Johnny , because without him I ’ d never be where I am today . I ’ ve got a great crew of help that includes , Stan and Tina Rabb ; Paul Campbell ; Rusty Hawkins ; Mickey Bailey and Wendell Davis .” DI
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On Fire Jonathan Anderson ’ s Dominant Sunfire Owns NHRA Division 2 Super Street
By Van Abernethy
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Jonathan Anderson enjoyed a dominating season in 2016 while competing his 2005 Pontiac Sunfire in NHRA Super Street competition . The lifelong Griffin , GA native ran the table early within the Division 2 region , winning three of the first four events this year . It was pretty clear by mid-season that the chance of anyone catching Anderson was largely out of the question and eventually , his season-ending point total was more than anyone had tallied in recent memory ( or maybe ever ) within the ranks of Super Street . Very little went wrong for Anderson in 2016 , although a mechanical problem in Atlanta dashed the hopes of him altogether sweeping the first three events this year .
“ They held a double race in Atlanta and when the call came for third round eliminations my car wouldn ’ t crank , so that ended my day for the first race that weekend . I fixed the problem and entered the second race ( the fourth of the season ) and ended up winning the race , which brought me to winning three of the first four events !” reflected Anderson , who had already picked up wins in Gainesville and Charlotte going into the Atlanta contest .
As the season progressed , Jonathan quickly locked up the title in dominating fashion within the competitive 10.90-index category . His championship-winning
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Pontiac Sunfire is a car he instantly fell in love with when he first bought it three years ago . It was originally built for Super Stock competition by Ohio ’ s P & K Race Cars , although Anderson thought the set up would be a perfect match for Super Street , so he began hitting the NHRA trail , while also entering various IHRA meets .
“ This Sunfire is the best car I ’ ve ever driven ! It doesn ’ t matter what you do to it , it likes it ,” says Anderson , who promises he intends to keep the car forever . “ It was for sale for quite awhile before I bought it , so I guess it was meant to be .”
Jonathan , alongside his entire family , grew up racing together at nearby Silver Dollar Raceway ,
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where he ’ s accumulated four track championships , including three Super Pro titles in a rear-engine dragster , along with a Super Street Championship in the Sunfire . He finished second in points in both classes at Silver Dollar in 2015 . In addition to the NHRA Lucas Oil series , Anderson enjoys entering big money bracket races . “ We ’ ve kinda stayed close to home this year , so our 7 year-oldson , Johnson , can race in Junior Dragster locally .”
Still very much a bracket racer at heart , Anderson is currently constructing a 1965 Nova Station Wagon exclusively for local brackets . “ I want something I can race so that I don ’ t have to drive a big rig down the road ... something I can just throw behind a pick-up truck and go racing ,” he smiles .
For 2017 , Anderson says he ’ ll be ready to defend his Super Street championship , and also contemplates the near future where he hopes to compete for a national championship in NHRA Super Comp .
“ I want to thank my wife , Melissa , along with my dad , John , as well as my uncle , David Simmons for all their support . I also appreciate Brad Plourd , Sherman Adcock and David Tatum for all their help and for being able to call them at any time .” DI
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PHOTOS : VAN ABERNETHY , RHONDA MCCOLE |