Dirt
OP-ED: STEVIE JACKSON
to open 2020
• Won Lights Out 11 in RvW
For those keeping track, that’s eight wins and
12 final rounds in 19 races (counting Sweet 16 2.0
and the World Series of Pro Mod) in two classes.
That’s not impressive, that’s a one-sided beat-
down against some truly talented racers. Win-
ning the NHRA Pro Mod title was remarkable,
considering how loaded that class is. But Jackson
separated himself from the outset and dominated
down the stretch to put a thunderous stamp on
his championship.
In Radial vs. the World, Jackson appears at
least one step ahead of everybody, a tribute to
the work he and super-tuner Billy Stocklin have
done. If everyone else is playing checkers, they’re
playing chess. That team is operating at a differ-
ent level than everybody else at the moment and
that was wildly apparent at Lights Out 11.
Jackson went 3.552 at 215.31 mph to qualify No.
1 and then mowed everyone down in eliminations,
never leaving the 3.50s. It started with a 3.586 at
214.01 in the opening round against Tim Slavens,
followed by a 3.575 at 213.77 against Brad Ed-
wards. Jackson went 3.569 at 212 to advance to
the semifinals, dispatching Shawn Ayers with
ease thanks to a 3.566 at 213.81.
That led to a final-round with David Reese,
where Jackson finally had to squirm a little. Still,
it ended up a Jackson victory on the strength of
a 3.548 at 213.81 mph moonshot – in the middle
of the night, no less.
On one of the longest single race days he’s been
a part of, Jackson was brilliant all the way through,
but it encapsulates what makes him so great.
The work is done long before he gets to the track.
While many are scrambling, Jackson is prepared.
While they’re pulling all-nighters to get everything
ready, Jackson already had his parts and engines
refreshed for weeks, his plan already plotted.
It’s the work behind the scenes that’s put such
a gap between him and much of the competition,
which is unequivocally a key requirement to be
among the elite in the sport.
Jackson is in that conversation and he may
be the top name in it because he doesn’t look to
be slowing down anytime soon. He promised
to rotate the earth in RvW at Sweet 16 3.0 this
month, which means we may see a run in the
3.40s. I mean, would you be at all surprised at
this point? Everything Jackson touches these
days turns to gold.
His blown RJ Race Cars Pro Mod Camaro
seems just as lethal, and it wouldn’t be a shock to
see Jackson pick up where he left off in that class,
too – which would mean following up the wins at
the last two races of the NHRA Pro Mod season.
The Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer
Nationals presented by CTech Manufacturing –
March 6-8 in Orlando – and the Gatornationals
the following week mark Jackson’s 2020 Pro Mod
debut and next outings, and he’s riding a tsunami
of momentum right now.
Jackson may talk big, but he more than backs it
up and that makes this all that much more enjoy-
able. He’s brash and he calls his shot, making a
bold prediction and following through.
To do that this often and come through this
frequently – especially in a sport that’s as un-
forgiving as drag racing – is truly phenomenal.
When I talked to Jackson before his 2020
started, he admitted the massive pressure he
faced coming off an incredible 2019.
He noted the years following a dominant sea-
son usually end up as a flop or an abysmal failure
for many. But Jackson likes to be different, and
likes to be the exception. He watched Torrence
run roughshod in Top Fuel en route to back-to-
back championships the last two years and he’s
now trying to top it.
Like many of us, John Force is Jackson’s hero.
But Force didn’t have just one dominant season.
He’s had 16 of them, winning that many titles
and 151 career races.
Those are the goals Jackson is after, as starry-
eyed as that may be. One incredible, champion-
ship-winning season won’t do and Jackson is well
on his proving that.
“I believe I can outwork any human being on
the planet,” Jackson told me last month. “My guys
have tasted success and they collectively agreed
they like winning more than losing. I never want
to lose another round. Every time I pull the car to
the starting line, I don’t want to lose. A guy like
Force, to have that much success, it takes brutal
tenacity. I never want to get comfortable losing.
My goal will always be to try to smash the person
in the other lane.”
Sounds like the words of the best driver on
the planet.
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36 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 154