DIALED IN
JOHN TAYLOR
Raceway is a race that Pollage himself has been promoting long before becoming track manager : The Southern Big Bucks Nationals , a once-yearly affair . Originally slated for February , this year ’ s gathering was shaping up to be a mega event , as the anticipated car count was approaching 350 before eventually being rained out . The reto work at his dad ’ s elevator company and my friend ended up leaving after a few months , but I stayed on and continued working there until I started my own elevator business nearly two decades later ,” explains Taylor .
All the while , the allure to go racing was strong , although Taylor fought the urge tooth and nail as he concentrated on building a successful enterprise . It sure didn ’ t help matters that Taylor ’ s business headquarters was located exactly one building down from Thompson ’ s engine shop , and for the first three years , John avoided his neighbors like the plague . “ They all thought I was mad at them ,” Taylor laughs , “ but I knew what would happen if I started hanging around there !”
To satisfy his cravings , however , Taylor would occasionally accompany his racing buddies to Bradenton just to help out and enjoy some exposure to the sport without having any vested involvement on his part . Right about then , Thompson laid a clever trap for Taylor when he encouraged John to make a pass in a dragster he had for sale . “ Mike set me up good on that one , and after one pass my hands were shaking !” As expected , Taylor bought the dragster the following
day , and he ’ s been in the thick of things ever since .
Although Taylor didn ’ t immediately set the world on fire in his return to drag racing with the dragster , he did win a bunch of rounds and had a whole lot of fun , even if a trip to the winner ’ s circle wasn ’ t in the cards . Then , sometime in the late 1990s he had the urge to buy a 1957 Corvette . The car was purpose-built for Super Gas , though Taylor found himself pushing the envelope as he experimented with index racing . While running the ‘ Vette wide open in the 5.50 category , he crashed the car at South Florida ’ s Immokalee Regional Raceway in 2005 . “ In the long run , that crash was actually the best thing that ever happened to me , because that ’ s when I found my first truck ,” he says .
Taylor has admittedly always been a pickup enthusiast , so it only made sense to drag race a truck as well . The piece he acquired first was the red Dodge Dakota , a Rick Jones-built vehicle that Todd Patterson formerly campaigned in Pro Stock Truck . Taylor immediately began racing it in NHRA ’ s Super Gas class , as well as IHRA ’ s Super Rod category . A few years later he acquired the second truck , a former David Nickens-owned Dodge Dakota built by Jerry Haas , which Taylor now competes in Top Sportsman . Both Dakotas
No Snow , No Problem : Louisiana ’ s No Problem Raceway keeps the tires turning year-round
Story & Photos By Van Abernethy
If there ’ s ever been a drag strip that ’ s perfectly positioned to take advantage of yearround racing , Belle Rose , Louisiana ’ s No Problem Raceway certainly falls into that category , with their Gulf Coast location situated just over an hour west of New Orleans . In a perfect world , this NHRA-sanctioned quarter-mile facility could operate 52 weeks per season , although they choose to implement a two-week offseason that begins the second week of December , with operations resuming the first week of January .
Amazingly , though , this customarily warm locale was hit with snow twice this past winter , which is certainly a rarity for Louisiana ’ s deep south region . “ It almost never snows here , so it came as quite a surprise !” says Cody Pollage , who took over as track manager in November 2017 . Pollage says the onset of 2018 has been touch and go as far as the weather is concerned , when it ’ s traditionally full speed ahead right out of the gate at this track .
The facility hosts many events throughout the year , including points bracket , test-and-tune , and big-money bracket events , as well as the NHRA Lucas Oil Divisional series . The up-and-coming 4.70 and 4.30 Southern Outlaws series also visits No Problem Raceway , with four race dates penciled in this year , which is part of a 16-race series for the relatively new club . All bracket races are contested on the eighth-mile at No Problem , although TNT and Midnight Madness events provide full quarter-mile time slips should a driver want to experience the thrill of full-throttle runs down the entire 1,320 feet .
Among the largest events hosted at No Problem
60 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 132
DIALED IN
day, and he’s been in the thick of things ever since.
Although Taylor didn’t immediately set the
world on fire in his return to drag racing with
the dragster, he did win a bunch of rounds and
had a whole lot of fun, even if a trip to the win-
ner’s circle wasn’t in the cards. Then, sometime
in the late 1990s he had the urge to buy a 1957
Corvette. The car was purpose-built for Super
Gas, though Taylor found himself pushing the
envelope as he experimented with index racing.
While running the ‘Vette wide open in the 5.50
category, he crashed the car at South Florida’s
Immokalee Regional Raceway in 2005. “In the
long run, that crash was actually the best thing
that ever happened to me, because that’s when I
found my first truck,” he says.
Taylor has admittedly always been a pickup
enthusiast, so it only made sense to drag race
a truck as well. The piece he acquired first was
the red Dodge Dakota, a Rick Jones-built vehicle
that Todd Patterson formerly campaigned in Pro
Stock Truck. Taylor immediately began racing
it in NHRA’s Super Gas class, as well as IHRA’s
Super Rod category. A few years later he acquired
the second truck, a former David Nickens-owned
Dodge Dakota built by Jerry Haas, which Taylor
now competes in Top Sportsman. Both Dakotas
JOHN TAYLOR
to work at his dad’s elevator company and my
friend ended up leaving after a few months, but
I stayed on and continued working there until
I started my own elevator business nearly two
decades later,” explains Taylor.
All the while, the allure to go racing was strong,
although Taylor fought the urge tooth and nail
as he concentrated on building a successful en-
terprise. It sure didn’t help matters that Taylor’s
business headquarters was located exactly one
building down from Thompson’s engine shop,
and for the first three years, John avoided his
neighbors like the plague. “They all thought I was
mad at them,” Taylor laughs, “but I knew what
would happen if I started hanging around there!”
To satisfy his cravings, however, Taylor would
occasionally accompany his racing buddies to
Bradenton just to help out and enjoy some ex-
posure to the sport without having any vested
involvement on his part. Right about then,
Thompson laid a clever tr f�"F���"v�V��P�V�6�W&vVB����F���R72��G&w7FW"�P��Bf�"6�R�( �֖�R6WB�RWv��B��F�B��R���BgFW"��R72ג��G2vW&R6����r( �0�W�V7FVB�F���"&�Vv�BF�RG&w7FW"F�Rf����v��p���6��r���&�&�VӢ��V�6��( �2��&�&�VХ&6Wv��VW2F�RF�&W2GW&��r�V"�&�V�@�7F�'�b��F�2'�f�&W&�WF�����bF�W&^( �2WfW"&VV�G&r7G&�F�N( �0�W&fV7Fǒ�6�F���VBF�F�RGf�FvR�b�V"Ч&�V�B&6��r�&V��R&�6R���V�6��( �2��&�"Ц�V�&6Wv�6W'F��ǒf��2��F�F�B6FVv�'���v�F�F�V�"wV�b6�7B��6F���6�GVFVB�W7B�fW"আ�W"vW7B�b�Wr�&�V�2���W&fV7Bv�&�B�F��0��$�6�7F���VBV'FW"�֖�Rf6�ƗG�6�V�B�ЦW&FRS"vVV�2W"6V6����F��Vv�F�W�6���6P�F����V�V�BGv��vVV��fg6V6��F�B&Vv��0�F�R6V6��BvVV��bFV6V�&W"�v�F��W&F���0�&W7V֖�rF�Rf�'7BvVV��b��V'������vǒ�F��Vv��F��27W7F��&�ǒv&Ц��6�Rv2��Bv�F�6��rGv�6RF��27Bv��FW"��v��6��26W'F��ǒ&&�G�f�"��V�6��( �2FVW �6�WF�&Vv����( ėB���7B�WfW"6��w2�W&R�6��@�6�R2V�FR7W'&�6R( �6�26�G����vR�v��F����fW"2G&6���vW"����fV�&W"#r����vR6�2F�R��6WB�b#��2&VV�F�V6���Bv�2f"2F�RvVF�W"�26��6W&�VB�v�VগN( �2G&F�F����ǒgV��7VVB�VB&�v�B�WB�bF�P�vFRBF��2G&6��F�Rf6�ƗG���7G2��WfV�G2F�&�Vv��WBF�P��V"���6�VF��r���G2'&6�WB�FW7B��B�GV�R��@�&�r����W�'&6�WBWfV�G2�2vV��2F�R�$��V62���F�f�6����6W&�W2�F�RW��B�6�֖�p�B�s�BB�36�WF�W&��WF�w26W&�W2�6�f�2Ц�G2��&�&�V�&6Wv��v�F�f�W"&6RFFW0�V�6��VB��F��2�V"�v��6��2'B�bb�&6P�c�B"p����R2B"BRB�G&t���W7G&FVB�6�Ч6W&�W2f�"F�R&V�F�fVǒ�Wr6�V"���'&6�WB&6W0�&R6��FW7FVB��F�RV�v�F��֖�RB��&�&�V����F��Vv�D�B�B֖F�v�B�F�W72WfV�G2&�Чf�FRgV��V'FW"�֖�RF��R6Ɨ26��V�BG&�fW �v�BF�W�W&�V�6RF�RF�&����bgV���F�&�GF�R'V�0�F�v�F�RV�F�&R�3#fVWB����rF�R�&vW7BWfV�G2��7FVBB��&�&�VХ&6Wv��2&6RF�B���vR���6V�b�2&VV�&���F��r���r&Vf�&R&V6�֖�rG&6���vW#��F�R6�WF�W&�&�r'V6�2�F����2���6RזV&ǐ�ff�"��&�v���ǒ6�FVBf�"fV''V'��F��2�V.( �0�vF�W&��rv26���rWF�&R�VvWfV�B��2F�R�F�6�FVB6"6�V�Bv2&�6���p�3S&Vf�&RWfV�GV�ǒ&V��r&��VB�WB�F�R&RФ�77VR3