Drag Illustrated Issue 140, January 2019 | Page 26

Dirt TRIBUTE im Jacob, a loving husband, father, grandfather, businessman and motors- ports aficionado, died suddenly Novem- ber 15, 2018 at the age of 69. He was a no-nonsense type of guy with a sig- nature smile and deep, raspy voice that one knew could only be him. He had a way of telling you that you were doing something wrong in no uncertain terms, and then take what you were working on in his own hands, take over the project and show you the right way to do it. He would lend money, tools and parts on a handshake, and some- times that would be the last time he would see those as- sets, but it didn’t stop him from doing it again. Yes, Jacob was guilty to a fault. More admirable was the time and expertise he would lend to friends, relatives and even strangers when they were in need. Jacob was a successful businessman running Ja- cob Pattern Works, as well as Knopp’s Performance, a shop that put Pottstown, Pennsylvania, on the horse- power road map long be- fore the advent of a GPS. He was a tireless worker in support of his family and his passion for competi- tive motorsports. He had locally at his disposal some of the best in the business. He tasked Doug Kline and Jimmy Carl at Precision 26 | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com By Marc Schankweiler Chassis to build and modify his cars, Todd Kulp and Carlos Lopez in the paint booth and Doug Meyers, who provided the foundation for his high- horsepower heroics. Jacob was always pushing the envelope as any driven racer would. From nitrous to turbos, he melted pistons, exploded transmissions, blew off hood scoops, caught on fire and scraped walls, but he always came back with a passion to compete and win. His office walls are a cross between a museum and a time capsule. They are decorated with pictures and magazine articles. Inclusion into such periodicals was earned and an honor. Jacob dabbled in drag racing early on then tried his hand on the dirt track, turning left locally at Grandview Speedway. His career turning corners gar- nered him several trips to the Winner’s Circle. One such evening was punctu- ated on his birthday, several hours after his daughter Kelly was born, when he won the heat race, the fea- ture event and even a scale model contest. He jumped back into drag racing shortly there- after and never left again. His last victory was once again on his birthday, Octo- ber 6, 2018, at Cecil County Dragway in the ultra-com- petitive 10.0 Index class in his 1998 Chevy S-10. Jacob raced numerous different vehicles over the ‘90s and 2000s, including a Pro Stock Truck-style Chevy S-10 and twin-tur- bocharged ’63 Corvette. Eventually Jim decided to reel things in a bit a few years ago and was racing Issue 140 J Jim Jacob