With just the name "Steve Fast" affixed to his driver's side window, multi-time NHRA Pro Mod champion Steve Jackson sought redemption at the 32nd annual Mopar Express Lane SpringNationals at Baytown. Jackson came up short in the season opener at this year's 50th annual Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals in March. North Carolina native Todd Tutterow grabbed a holeshot win and the special-edition "Gold Wally" at the Gainesville event, even though Jackson set the E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod national speed record with a quicker 5.643 ET at 253 mph.
Having arrived last week at Houston Raceway with a chip on his shoulder, Steve "Fast" Jackson quickly eliminated teammate Khalid alBalooshi with a 5.679 ET at 253.80 mph in Round One. In the quarterfinals, Jackson defeated Brazilian driver Sidnei Frigo, who won the E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod event in Round 12 of the 2018 NHRA series at Las Motor Speedway. Fast Jackson continued his winning ways by defeating last year's Pro Mod World Champion Mike Janis in the Semifinals. Off to his best season ever in Pro Mod, Tutterow defeated Eric Latino and Steven Whiteley before eliminating Jose Gonzalez when his Camaro left the starting line early on a red-light foul in the Semifinals.
In the Finals of the 32nd annual Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals powered by Pennzoil, it was Jackson who claimed victory with a 5.675-second run at a whopping 255.00 mph over Tutterow. The win vaulted Jackson to the points lead in the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag series following the second of twelve races scheduled for 2019. Jackson's winning speed topped Jim Whiteley's 239.14 mph run in 2018 by almost sixteen miles per hour. Needless to say, this year's doorslammer series is off to a very "Fast Start".
The Baytown classic marked the second of twelve races on the E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service for the 2019 NHRA season. The class will return to action in two weeks at the NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, N.C. April 26-28.
Photo courtesy of Real Pro Mod online.
Featuring the world’s fastest and most exotic doorslammer racecars, the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service offers something for every kind of drag racing fan. With more than 3,000 horsepower, the "suspended door" Pro Mod cars travel the quarter-mile in less than six seconds at speeds exceeding 250 mph. Visit Real Pro Mod online to learn more.
