Stevie “Fast” Jackson, the most recent winner in the Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service, will not be in his familiar, fan-favorite Motion Raceworks “Shadow 3.0” ’68 Camaro when he rolls through the water box for Q1 at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by Red Line Oil. As announced this week on the Shake and Bake Show, Jackson has converted the Shadow from outlaw trim to NHRA Pro Mod-legal trim and will instead drive the Pierce family’s “Purple Heart” ’68 Firebird in the $150,000-to-win DI Winter Series finale.
The World Series of Pro Mod takes place Feb. 26-28 at Bradenton Motorsports Park, and just a few days later, the NHRA Pro Mod season kicks off at the NHRA Gatornationals, March 5-8. That tight timeframe led Jackson and his Killin’ Time Racing team to make some tough decisions. Rather than make the necessary changes to the screw-blown Shadow between races, Jackson got everything converted after winning the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission in late January, giving him plenty of time to get his NHRA setup dialed in.
“I’m very focused on trying to win a third NHRA Pro Mod world championship this year,” said Jackson, who won back-to-back NHRA titles in 2019-2020. “I’m racing all 11 races. KTR is all-in behind the series. I’m very focused on it. With Gainesville being the week after World Series of Pro Mod, I don’t feel it’s in our best chance to go to Gainesville to race the Motion Raceworks Shadow 3.0 at WSOPM. I will not be driving the Shadow 3.0 at WSOPM. It’s set up in NHRA trim. It’s been dynoed. It’s been tested. It’s sitting out there on the ground ready to go in the trailer for Gainesville.”
Not competing in the World Series of Pro Mod was not an option for Jackson, though. With his win at the U.S. Street Nationals, he moved up to No. 2 in the Winter Series points standings behind Snowbird Outlaw Nationals winner Jason Harris. WSOPM is worth points-and-a-half, plus the $150,000 winner-take-all prize.
Enter “Purple Heart.” Owned by KTR crew chief Jeff Pierce and his father, Dave, the M&M Transmission/Motion Raceworks ’68 Firebird now sports a screw-blown SF-1 engine. The car has been successful in MWDRS Pro Mod competition, and after some updates at KTR, Jackson is confident it’s ready for battle.
“Jeff brought that thing here to KTR immediately after U.S. Street,” said Jackson, who was runner-up at the 2025 WSOPM. “All of our team dove in it, got it converted to an SF-1. She has been dynoed and ready to roll, also sitting out there ready to go. It’s not a very smart move to change your very winning car before the biggest Pro Mod race of the year. I have faith in my team, I got faith in my crew chief. I fit in it pretty good and I feel good about it.”
WSOPM tickets are now available at www.TheWinterSeries.com.
Watch the full Shake and Bake Show episode, including an interview with Pro Mod hero Von Smith, below.This story was originally published on February 13, 2026. 
