ULTIMATE OULAWS / SUMMER RECAP

What a year so far. It has been since March since I have written. While there is no excuse for this, I will say that I have been extremely busy. Not only have i been keeping the orange car on the track constantly, But we had our baby girl in July. She is a healthy beautiful little girl named Sophie. There is so much to write, I will try to just cover the highlights. After signing our 2011 title sponsor, MAC FAB BEADLOCK CONVERSIONS, Things started clicking within our team. The car was performing flawlessly. Phil bought and helped me install a race pak in the car in march. Boy did this ever open some possibilities. It was like moving me into the 21st century.
Our next race following the shakedown in palm beach, was at Brainerd Dragway in Brainerd, Ga. This was rumored to be a very tricky track. That was an understatement. It was slick, narrow, and bumpy. I loved it. It was the kind of track that I grew up racing on . It was a mix of Eatonton back in the day, Dorchester late at night, and racing in the street. We unloaded with slicks on, and absolutely couldnt get down the track. On our third attempt friday night, The car spun hard, hit the rev limiter, I pedaled it, kicked the head gaskets out, and proceeded to torch a hole in one of the cylinder heads. When I pulled the head off and saw that It was torched, We started packing up. I was tired and the car wouldnt work, and I was ready to quit. We had everything but the car loaded in the trailer when I sat down with a couple of my buddies and fellow racers. I poured a stiff crown and coke and was feeling pretty lousy. They kept on me and wouldnt let up about fixing the motor. They said they knew of a machine shop 3 hours away and could pull some strings on fixing the head. They even offered to let me borrow their car. Finally the redneck in me was fired up and off we went. Me and brian drove to Crossville, Tn to Mondello's Speed Shop. This place was a state of the art machine shop. Brett stayed up all night welding , and machining the head. We finished it at 4 am and buzzed back to Georgia half asleep and banged the ole girl back together. We qualified like crap in the middle of the field with a 5.20. the track was really loose. We got past first round with a pedal fest running a 5.0. got by second round on a holeshot with a 4.97. In the semi's I was paired up with my arch nemesis from the north(and the man who crushed me in West Palm) Scotty G. He had been bracket racing in the 4.70's and was heavily favored to win. I knew a 5.0 wouldnt cut it, So i loaded the kitchen sink in the ole girl. I was going to go down spinning, but i wasnt getting outrun. I burned in hard, and when the tree came down, the old orange car leaped out of the lights like u shot her out of a cannon. We were glued together at half track. I was having flashbacks of West Palm as we approached the finish line. But this time my ponies galloped to the end, we beat him by the slimmest of margins. Payback was mine and we were headed to the finals. I respect Scotty as a racer, and now as a friend, And he will be back to get me. We blazed through the finals. It was the biggest payout I have ever won in a class race. 18k. And to think i almost pussed out and threw in the towel. Thank goodness for friends and Crown Royal. I will kinda buzz through the rest of the season.
Civil Wars- Rockingham, NC Went to the second round and got crushed
NHRA Unleased- Valdosta, Ga Went to the final and broke a charge pipe (got crushed by Fiscus)
Macon, Ga- Win
Carolina Dragway- Jackson, SC - Win
Union County Dragway Union, Sc -Win
Ultimate Outlaws- Julian, Nc -Win
Dorchester, Sc --- Win
Ultimate Outlaws- Milan, Michigan - Went to the Final and got crushed by Fiscus(Picture of Fiscus is now on my refrigerator)
Steele, Alabama Got crushed in the second round due to tire smokage
YellowBullet Nationals- Cecil County Maryland- Went to finals and got crushed By Alex Vrettos, beat Fiscus on a holeshot in the Semis ( Fiscus taken off of Refigerator, Alex Vrettos put up on Refigerator)
Ultimate Outlaws- Budds Creek Maryland- Win
We rolled into Budds Creek , Md with a chip on our shoulders. I was determined to find the limit of our car. The fastest we had been to date was a 4.40. The air was right and the track was perfect. our first pass on Radials we smoked the clocks with a 3.34. one hundreth off of the Drag Radial World Record. I smelled blood, and on the very next run I reset it with a 4.32 at 175 MPH. Boy you have no idea the celebrating that went on after that run. It felt good to keep the record in the south where it belongs. We marched through the field running in the mid 30's all weekend. We qualified number 1, Set the World Record, Set the radial track record, Won the championship, and won the race. What a weekend it was. I took the car apart monday when i got home. It's time for a freshen up, and i want to be perfect when we head to Englishtown , NJ in two weeks. Hats off to my sponsors, Mac Fab, Procharger, Mickey Thompson, Abby's Auto Parts, 2 Keys Customs, Aiken Augusta Paving. Not to mention my crew, Chris Johnson, Mike Merritt, Phil Shuler, and Brian Glendonious. We have pulled together this year and and are closer than we have ever been. Most of the time we know what each other is thinking. It makes racing a blast.
P.S ------- The engine in the Orange Car is for sale turn key. It can be purchased and delivered immediately following the the NO MERCY Race in Valdosta in October. The engine will be completely fresh with all new parts when we get to Valdosta. Its also comes with a brand new ready to race spare cylinder head, spare rockers, two racks of pistons and rods with rings filed and bearings set up. spare cam, pushrods, timing belts, etc. Serious inquiries only email - Steve@SteveJacksonRacing.com

Shakedown at Palm Beach Recap.

When the celebration was finally over after the victory at SGMP. Me and Chris and Mike headed south early Monday morning . Stopping off in Orlando for three days for a company expo, We arrived in Palm beach Wednesday afternoon. Thursday was a full day test session, Phil flew in about noon, and we drug the ole hot rod to staging. I left the same tune up that we ran four days earlier at SGMP, Well that didn't work. The car moved 3 inches before annihilating the tires. The racing surface at PBIR is very smooth and flat, but the track was prepped for pro mods, Which seem to prefer a looser surface. So we backed car down, and went 70 feet, backed it down again, went 150 feet. then on our final run we went 330 feet. I figured out that the track could be fast but the power application had to be a little different. By the time Qualifying was done on Friday we were sitting 4th with a 4.71. But we had a smoked transmission. Phil rounded up some parts from the pits and we took the unit apart Friday night and overhauled it. That was a fiasco in itself. We banged it back in the car about 3 am, Not quite sure if the backwoods overhaul we had just performed would even shift. We had one more session of qualifying Saturday morning before eliminations. Me and the boys decided to turn the wick up a little. But so did everybody else. We went 4.49 at 177mph, which put us third, number one being a 4.46. We felt pretty good. Then the rains came, Buckets and buckets and buckets of rain. To our dismay, eliminations were put off until Sunday. We had been away from home for 12 days and were ready to head back to Georgia, But we all talked about it, and decided that we had come this far, and were going to see this through. we went through the first three rounds without a hitch, The car was consistent, and doing what i told it to. With one exception, I was unable to cut a light. At this point I had made 27 passes in two weeks, and the best reaction time thus far was a .093 with most averaging in the .105 to .110 range. This is very very slow for me. There is a problem in the car causing this, whether it be a valve body issue, or a wiring issue, I don't know, but I will find it. So the final round was upon. I knew we couldn't cut a light so We decided to stand on the tune up. I burned in hard and pulled to the tree. Easy does it, inching into the lights. I was racing Scotty G in his camaro from New York and i know he's sharp on the tree. We bumped in and a flash of amber later we were on our way. He drilled my ass on the tree, his .066 to my .121. I was a half car back, but making ground, we buzzed half track and I was a fender back, then the Mph cone and It was dead even. We were glued together going through the traps. I thought I was out front, He nudged me out by .003 seconds. That's about 3 inches at 170 mph. I went 4.48 to his 4.53. The Hole shot killed me, and the extra foot of front overhang his camaro has. I hate pecker extenders on mustangs, But I now understand why people have them. Congrats to Scotty G and his crew for being the better racers that day. They were class acts before, and after kicking my ass. Their car was on a rail all weekend and they deserved the win. This is my first ever loss on a hole shot and no matter what I have to do, It will not happen again. I don't care if I have to take the transmission out and chunk it in the river and start over. In our first two races of the year we won and runner up'd. Me and the boys are focused like a laser beam. I cant wait to see what the rest of the year brings. I want to take a second and thank some folks that normally don't get alot of praise. Of course we always thank our sponsors and without them we cannot race, But there are a couple people who I can always count on when the dirty part of racing is being done. The countless hours working in the shop, the many many sleepless nights, the blood sweat and tears that go on behind the scenes that make us successful at the track. The thousands and thousands of miles driven back and forth up and down the highway, and the encouragement and faith they gave and had in me last year when we were getting mopped up race after race. My friend and partner Chris Johnson. Big Johnson never complains even when my ideas are stupid and unrealistic. He works on everything I have, runs parts back and forth, welds all my blown up stuff together all the time, drives the motor home everywhere we go, and sacrifices time away from his family so that I can pursue my dreams. Friends like that cannot be replaced. Mike Merriet has worked 60 hours a week for the last month helping me finish the car. He can do anything on the car from front to back and is truly an asset to our team. He also sacrificed the last two weeks straight of his life to go on the road with us. Brian doesn't do much work on the car because he is most of the time watching sports, but he is irreplaceable at the race track. He is always there when i need him and believes in me no matter what. Phil Shuler is the voice of reason when I wanna do something stupid and flies all over the world to race with us. His creativity has led to many behind the scenes innovations on the car that all lead to performance gains. It is an honor to drive his car and before we are through, alot of people, at alot of levels are going to have hurt feelings. I know you guys are tired of reading the mushy mushy stuff, but Its important to me, for folks to realize how much has to go on to get this thing to the track when you are a low budget team like I am. Our next race is April 1st in Brainerd, Ga. followed by April 7-9 at Rockingham, Nc. I can't wait. We may have a little surprise for everybody when we get to rockingham. Stay tuned :)

LETTING THE COUGAR LOOSE.........

WOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO . Back in the saddle... We got to South Georgia Motorsports Park late wednesday night. In usual Stevie fashion , the car had only been running for 5 days. Me and the boys have spent the last 4 months working our behinds off updating the car from front to back. We were anxious to see if the hard word would pay off and a little nervous. We rolled out the box early thursday morning and went to the line with a pretty gangster tune up in . I just wanted to see if it would hold. Well it didnt. Smoke immediately. So much for cowboy style. I backed her down and strolled on down the track like we were on a sunday drive. 4.59. Good solid starting point. I never have been one to leave well enough alone, So i kept letting the reins loose and by the time qualifying was to start friday, I thought we were ready. I tried several different things testing and by this time I had figured out exactly how hard I could push the hot rod without making her come loose. We decided to run two classes at the last minute. We ran Radial Vs The World, and Outlaw Radial. Basically Radial vs the world is an open class, tube chassis cars, backhalf cars, wheelie bars, etc etc are allowed. Outlaw Radial is a stock suspension class for drag radial cars. We turned loose of the button first round of Radial vs the world and smoked the clocks with a 4.48 @178 mph. Thats a new supercharged drag radial world record. That also made us the first procharged drag radial car in the 4.60's, the 4.50's, and now the 4.40's. We were estatic and whats worse is, the car just eases down the track like its on cruise control. Which is good for us........ but bad for everybody else. By the time qualifying was over , We were qualified first in Outlaw Radial, and 3rd in Radial Vs The World. The Killintime Machine was doing exactly as I told her to. Which is awesome. We lucked up and got a broke opponent first round bye in both classes. I dont know how that happens, but I guess the man was looking out for us. I went red on the tree in the quarter finals of radial vs the world. This is only the third time in my life I have ever went red and it was a kick in the head. There were some extenuating circumstances surrounding this redlight. But Ill keep it to myself. We went all the way to the finals, Each round we went faster than the round before. I was in the zone and we all knew it. The final round was an all Procharger affair. Big Johnson reached behind me and un clipped the leash that the boys normally keep on me during eliminations. I tend to get a little excited at times and the sometimes have to remind me that you dont always have to go for it. Well this time we were going for it. We had been down the track the last 8 passes in a row and I felt good. I put the tooombawooommba jackhawk 9000 tune up in it and to the line we went. We burned in and staged. I could feel the sweat from the hot georgia night running down my face. I went to the break, the tree fell and controlled chaos was in motion. The ole orange pumpkin snapped out of the lights like a jailbreak. 1.15 sixty foot. He was still there. I could hear him. 200 feet out i stretched the ole girls legs and made my move. 2.6 g's pinned me in the seat . We buzzed the 330 clocks with a 2.98. When the W came on, I almost couldnt believe it. 4.400 @179 mph. The crowd went wild. I was so happy I almost forgot to stop. It was a wonderful feeling to be headed to victory lane again. Our first trip in over a year. All is once again right with the world. I owe so many people thanks that I dont know where to start. Thanks to the lord first. My beautiful Wife, for putting up with my 20 hour a day work schedule and loving me enough to allow me to chase my dream. My family and Crew, You guys work your butts off. Tommy Kirk at Mac Fab beadlock conversions, Without you we wouldnt have even cranked the motor up before the race. Dave W at Procharger, Your support has never waivered, We are not done with these turbo's yet. Robert at Abby's Performance Engines in Clearwater, Sc. We have a bad ass bullet, Robert is always there when I need him, Its nice to do business with people that really care. Many a night Robert has been up late working to keep me on the track. Tommy and Carl at Mickey Thompson, You guys have stuck with me through thick and thin. Cameron at Torque Converter Services, Yes that 179.76 mph is legit. Chris Tuten, The Grand Poobah of boost. Always there to help when I am lost or need encouragement in a hurry. Van and Neil at 2 Keys Customs, always keeping me shiny and sometimes its a full time job. My buddy Dean, something broke our front windshield sat night on our last run. We couldnt find a glass shop that would help, So Dean had someone from back home cut a windshield out of another car at midnight and drive all the way from home and put it in at 4:30 AM. My partner and friend Phil Shuler, Always ready to help no matter how crazy or complicated my ideas are. And to all the haters, Its going to be a long year. See everybody in Palm Beach Thursday.

Winter Updates

I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I actually relaxed a little more than usual and spent some time with my family. After two weeks of that, I am ready to get back in the shop. The last time I wrote I was on the way home from the ORTC race in Valdosta. Not alot has happened since then. I am very pleased with the performance of the new engine. We went within one hundreth of our fastest pass ever on radials with only two weeks of test time. I got the car back to the shop and decided to completely disassemble it. The chassis has been inconsistent all year and I am determined to find out why. The engine is apart for routine maintenence. It gets rings, bearings, rods, and valve springs every 50 passes. I sent the crank to Abby's to be checked out and got terrible news. The shaft is twisted. This is not good for the old trusty wallet. There are a few other things i want to change in the engine so now I have the time. The new billet crank wont be done until feb 14. So it looks like we will be burning the midnight oil(as usual) to get ready for the ORTC race . I am going to add a few bars to the car to better harness this monster that I have created. Thats pretty much it for now. I am very pleased to announce that Procharger, Mickey Thompson, Grp, Abby's Performance Engines, 2 Keys Customs, Cameron's Torque Converter Services, MacFab Wheels, UPR Products and Aiken Augusta Paving have come back onboard as sponsors for the 2011 season. We are a low budget team and could not race without these guys. Support the companies that support our sport. I will update you guys as things progress through the winter.