JAMIE FOWLER

our paths would not cross unless we both got to the finals , which is great for both teams ,” Fowler says . “ We don ’ t want to be running each other early in the race . Buddy came over right before the finals , looked at the tuneup , looked at the motor , and checked everything out and said it ’ s healthy and ready to go . He and I looked at each other and he says , ‘ You ’ re gonna have to earn it .’ And I agreed . I said , ‘ Buddy , I don ’ t want it if I don ’ t deserve it .’ So he and I shook hands and we loaded up and went to the starting line .”

Fowler was first off the line with a . 004 to Perkinson ’ s . 015 . Perkinson got to the finish line too soon with a 3.708 on a 3.72 dial-in , while Fowler posted a 3.842 on a 3.83 dial-in to get the win .

“ At the end of the track , Buddy got out of his car and we had a moment down there where there was nobody but me and him ,” Fowler says . “ He just gave me a hug and told me he was proud of me . I greatly appreciate the mentorship and everything Buddy has taught me in the past few years . It just speaks volumes about his character . I ’ m greatly appreciative of that . I don ’ t think I can ever repay that . I wanted to get that win and show Buddy that he hasn ’ t been wasting his time by working with me .”

Knowing he had to face off against some of the toughest Top Sportsman racers in the country made the win that much more rewarding for Fowler , who raced Top Sportsman in the early 2000s before stepping away to focus on his family with wife Kelly . He returned in 2017 in PDRA Top Sportsman , eventually moving up to the Elite Top Sportsman class , which takes the 16 quickest cars in qualifying .

“ I don ’ t believe there ’ s a lot of people out there who don ’ t realize the caliber of these cars ,” Fowler says . “ It is a huge accomplishment , not only financially , but talent-wise as well , to compete at this level . You ’ re bracket racing at over 200 mph in less than 4 seconds . If you want to race with

these guys , you ’ ve gotta be on your game . If not , they will send you packing early . There ’ s a reason it ’ s the Elite .”

Fowler , who grew up in a wheelchair due to paralytic polio , has worked with Perkinson all season to get his new car worked out . He ’ s suffered first-round losses at the first four races of the season , then had to sit out the Martin , Michigan , race because he had hurt his engine and had the car in for repairs at Jerry Bickel Race Cars . He got the car back the weekend before the Darlington race , so his team thrashed all week to prepare . They continued working through bugs once they got to the track .

“ Yet again , without Buddy and his knowledge and mentorship , I wouldn ’ t be at this level ,” Fowler asserts . “ We ’ ve had Mark Micke [ of M & M Transmission ] down at the trailer numerous times . We were having some lockup issues . Mark graciously came down there – talk about customer support – and looked at a few things , told us what we needed to do . We made some adjustments and the car was on a rail . It repeated every pass 60-foots to the thousandths with the lockup .”

The moments after the win were overwhelmingly emotional for Fowler , who lives in Chester , South Carolina , just under two hours away from Darlington Dragway . As he pulled into the line for winner ’ s circle photos , a crowd of supporters surrounded his team to congratulate them .

“ It was definitely a big deal , almost a Cinderella story , to be able to go into our home track and win with friends and family , and our hometown sponsor , Russell and Dee Dee Miller with Pee Dee Fleet ,” says Fowler , who thanked his family , crew member Bo Driskill , LAT Racing Oils , Gopher Utilities , and Advanced Prosthetics . “ Gene Fulton was there . Several guys from the shop were there . My parents were there . A lot of friends and family . I ’ m very thankful and appreciative that we were able to pull off the win . It couldn ’ t have been written any better .” DI

36 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 185