Losing his major sponsor only served as a stumbling block for Evans, Ga-based Pro Nitrous champion Steve "Stevie Fast" Jackson.

The 2013 American Drag Racing League Pro Nitrous entered last season hungry to defend his title, only to face a non-existent race series and the loss of his major sponsorship. The double negative kept the usually resourceful Jackson on the sidelines for most of last season.

“It killed me at first,” Jackson said of not being able to defend his title," Jackson said. “The whole 2013 season was kind of a blur. It was really thrown together. Even to be able to win that Championship was tough. I had all knowledge and thoughts that we were coming back to run in 2014. At the last minute, our sponsorship and funding got pulled. So it took me a couple of months to even get started putting a new deal together. I was pretty fired up. Disappointed is not the word. Pissed off is. But it’s kinda the way of the world.”

Losing his major sponsor only served as a stumbling block for Evans, Ga-based Pro Nitrous champion Steve "Stevie Fast" Jackson.

The 2013 American Drag Racing League Pro Nitrous entered last season hungry to defend his title, only to face a non-existent race series and the loss of his major sponsorship. The double negative kept the usually resourceful Jackson on the Pro Nitrous sidelines for most of last season.

“It killed me at first,” Jackson said of not being able to defend his title. “The whole 2013 season was kind of a blur. It was really thrown together. Even to be able to win that Championship was tough. I had all knowledge and thoughts that we were coming back to run in 2014. At the last minute, our sponsorship and funding got pulled. So it took me a couple of months to even get started putting a new deal together. I was pretty fired up. Disappointed is not the word. Pissed off is. But it’s kinda the way of the world.”

The way of Stevie Fast is to find a way out of the mess. And, thanks to Jeff Sitton and SEI Oil Field, he found himself back in the mix.

“After I won the Championship in 2013, and after I got back from Qatar [racing Arabian Drag Racing League], Jeff and I signed a deal to race together in 2015," Jackson explained. "It took us half a year to get a car, truck, trailer, engines, stuff like that.”

Jackson immediately ordered a new car, a 1969 Camaro, from Jerry Bickel and a stealthy powerplant from Reher-Morrison.

“It took the majority of the year to get everything in place," Jackson explained. "Then we came out and ran the last two PDRA races to get our feet wet with the new car and see where we were at with our old powertrains. Our main focus the majority of last year was preparing ourselves for 2015."

The time has come for Jackson to live up to his nickname. To do this, he says, requires a team which shares the same passion.

“For me, it’s hard to find someone to work with that’s as passionate about racing as I am.” Jackson said. “I love racing more than I like breathing. So for somebody to partner with me - sponsorship or otherwise - you’ve got to be pretty into it. You’ve got to be pretty hardcore. I want to win, and I don’t care what it takes. If there’s a way to get out front, I'll find a way to get us out front. Me and Jeff work well together because he has the same mentality.

"Along with me and Jeff, we also have my partner and best friend Phil Shuler. I have been racing with Phil for the last ten years. He actually owns the radial tire car that we won Lights Out 6 with in Valdosta. He’s as hardcore as the come and doesn't mind one bit chunking the crankshaft out on the ground to win. Then we have Billy Stocklin. I call him Big Swig. He's a genius behind the computer and helps tune the Pro Nitrous car. He’s very good at what he does and wants to win as bad as I do. I try to surround myself with people who have the same mindset as we do.”

Don't think for a moment Jackson spent his time away from the tour in 2014 only ordering parts and handling administrative duties. He kept his driving skills sharpened by driving some of the arguably toughest styles of race vehicles.

Jackson kept busy participating in Grudge Racing and racing on the edge in his Drag Radial entry. In fact, he was a winner at the recently completed Lights Out 6 event outside of Valdosta, Ga., while racing in the Radial vs. The World, the top of the food chain for this type of car. 

“I run just about everything with wheels on it,” Jackson explained, “but our 100% focus this year is on PDRA Pro Nitrous. The grudge racing and radial tire racing and other stuff just fills in the gap. I would be at the race track 365 days a year if you’d let me. So running ten events a year is not enough to keep my plate full. I grew up grudge racing, so I kinda gotta stay to those roots. We enjoy racing for money. If something pays decent and the competition is good, we’ll go. I like crushing people most of all.”

Crushing the competition in Pro Nitrous might be a challenge, as he expects a battle to the wire for the 2015 crown.

“It’s going to be good,” said Jackson. “Pro Nitrous is going to be the hardest class to win. Everybody’s got nice cars. Everybody’s got nice motors. Everybody’s got good stuff. It was already very difficult before. This year will be the hardest, I think, it’s ever been to win. I think you’ll see a lot of different winners. And that’s not me being modest. It’s just that everybody who does this at this level is good at what they do.

"I talk a lot of trash, but if you have a Pro Nitrous car that you run at the PDRA, you’re pretty accomplished. That’s just the way it is. I like to think that we’re pretty smart. We’ve got some good people behind us. Our team owner believes in us. And if we don’t win, it won't be for lack of effort.”

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