During a recent episode of The Wes Buck Show, fresh off a near-six-figure win at the Grudge Bowl at US 60 Dragway, Jimmy Taylor joined Wes and co-host Mike Carpenter to talk about his big weekend, the state of no-time radial racing, and his brand-new Pro Mod program built specifically for the 2025-26 Drag Illustrated Winter Series.
Taylor’s victory at the Grudge Bowl – promoted by Team Boddie – was the culmination of a picture-perfect weekend for the Tennessee-based racer and his GPS Race Cars-prepared team.
“It was just kind of the dream race for us,” said Taylor. “From the time we unloaded off the trailer to the final round, the car went down every single pass. When you’ve got that kind of confidence in your team and the car, it makes your job as a driver pretty easy.”
Taylor credited tuner Jack Green and his crew for delivering a no-drama weekend – rare in the world of big-money, no-time grudge racing. Even on a solo bye run, the team tried to swing for the fences with more power and quickly learned to stick with what was working.
“We cranked it up and it didn’t go,” Taylor laughed. “So we backed it back down, and from there, it was just A to B. Every time.”
The weekend ended in an anticlimactic fashion when Michael Hawes – driving the Stevie Jackson and Ryan McCain-tuned “Louis Vuitton” ’69 Camaro – suffered mechanical failure in the final. While Taylor was happy to collect the win and the check, he was looking forward to a rematch.
“He beat us at Big Jake’s last year, so I was definitely looking for redemption,” said Taylor. “We hated to see it end that way, but hey – you gotta take the win however you can get it.”
While Taylor is no stranger to the high-stakes world of no-time and grudge racing, the interview quickly shifted to what’s next – a new chapter that could define the next stage of his career.
Teaming up with renowned engine builder and tuner Carl Stevens Jr., Taylor has purchased a brand-new twin-turbocharged 1969 Camaro Pro Mod originally built for Stevens himself. The car, equipped with Stevens’ record-setting Xtreme Racing Engines power, will debut later this summer, and its primary mission is clear: the Drag Illustrated Winter Series.
“Our main goal was to get this thing ready for the Winter Series,” Taylor explained. “We want to come down there, make a statement, and win some races.”
That’s music to Wes Buck’s ears.
“I think it’s crazy – and honestly, really meaningful – that someone like Jimmy, who’s been all over the country racing in all these different series, put together a car specifically to run the Drag Illustrated Winter Series,” Buck said. “That’s a huge feather in our cap.”
Though Taylor has run just about every power adder combination under the sun – ProCharger, nitrous, screw blower – the turbo setup is uncharted territory for him. In fact, he’s never made a lap in a turbo car.
“We’re leaving Sunday to go test for a few days at Cecil County,” said Taylor. “If I feel good in the car, we’ll jump into a race in the next couple weeks. But first, we want to see how I adapt to it.”
While some drivers struggle with the unique staging and launch characteristics of turbo Pro Mods, Taylor believes his past prep work will give him a leg up. Early in his driving career, Taylor famously made 61 passes in a single day at Knoxville Dragway in a bracket-style dragster – strictly to work on his reaction times.
“I sucked at letting go of the button when I first started,” Taylor admitted. “So I bought a Dragster and would go out there during the week just to let go of the button over and over again. We did that for six months.”
That kind of obsessive dedication has paid off. Despite being relatively new to the drag racing scene – this is just his fifth season – Taylor has rapidly climbed the ranks, earning respect for both his driving and his willingness to invest in doing it right.
“Carl told me I’ll probably be better on the tree with the turbo car because you’re already wide open when you stage,” said Taylor. “You’re already there – you just let go of the button and go.”
With Stevens on the laptop and Taylor in the seat, this new entry into the DI Winter Series instantly becomes one to watch. Stevens, after all, won the World Series of Pro Mod back in 2018 and is widely considered one of the most dangerous minds in turbocharged drag racing.
“People started calling me immediately when they heard Carl was involved,” said Buck. “They don’t want to line up next to him, and they know Jimmy’s going to be fast.”
For Taylor, the DI Winter Series isn’t just a stop on the schedule – it’s a target.
“I think it’s the biggest and best thing going right now,” said Taylor. “And with the news dropping about the Elite Motorsports Million, it’s going to be even bigger.”
As for the future? Taylor is wide open. He plans to finish testing at Cecil, hit a Northeast Pro Mod event in New Hampshire, and run Big Jake’s event at Xtreme Raceway Park in Texas later this summer with his screw-blown, radial-equipped Camaro. But all roads lead to Bradenton – and three rounds of the richest, wildest, and most competitive outlaw Pro Mod racing anywhere.
“I’ve been to all the big shows – NPK, grudge races, radial tire stuff, whatever – but there’s nothing quite like the DI Winter Series,” said Taylor. “That’s where we’re planting our flag.”
This story was originally published on July 24, 2025. 
