“ I want to race against the best people in the world , and I think [ the NHRA J & A Pro Mod Series is where they ’ re at . A real racer wants to race against somebody who ’ s as good or better than you because it makes you better . I ’ ve looked up to a lot of those guys since I was a kid . I ’ m fired up to race with them .” - STEVE “ FAST ” JACKSON

FANBOYS A couple of young fans have their t-shirts signed by Street Outlaws stars Shawn “ Murder Nova ” Ellington and Justin “ Big Chief ” Shearer after waiting patiently to meet the street racers-turned-drag racing celebrities .

GETTING THE SHOT DI Senior Staff Photographer John Fore III sprawls out across the racing surface at South Carolina ’ s Darlington Dragway to capture the right angle during a photoshoot with a few stars of Discovery ’ s Street Outlaws .

“ Bullet Bob ” Reed , age 77 , stands with his friend , Robbie McDonald , at a recent race in Wilkesboro , NC . Reed , a veteran of the sport , won his first race more than three decades before Robbie was even born ! The two met a few years ago when Reed stopped by McDonald ’ s Mooresville , North Carolina-based Outlaw Headers shop , looking for some custom pipes for his Harley . The two made fast friends and now hang out nearly seven days a week . “ We build stuff together ,” says Robbie . “ Yeah , anything off the wall !” laughs Bob . They dig prototype “ one-off ” projects . “ We can ’ t compare notes with other people on this stuff , ‘ cause there ’ s no notes to compare !” chuckles Bob . So , together they dream it , build it and no doubt have fun doing it !

TALKING SHOP CompetitionPlus . com Editor Bobby Bennett and Funny

Car crew chief and team owner Paul Smith listen intently as 16-time NHRA Funny Car world champion John Force shares one of his infamous , hard-to-believe stories in the staging lanes at the 2016 NHRA Gatornationals .

SHOCKING ! Shock guru Mark Menscer poses for a photo with one of his original customers , Radial vs . The World driver “ Stevie Fast ” Jackson , who took flight in Phil Shuler ’ s “ Shadow ” entry at No Mercy 7 .

46 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 117