Heading into the 2025/2026 Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service at Bradenton Motorsports Park, few – if any – drivers had more hype surrounding them than Jimmy Taylor.
In the months leading up to the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks, the first race of the DI Winter Series, Taylor and tuner Carl Stevens set social media ablaze when they powered Taylor’s twin-turbo Xtreme Racing Engines ’69 Camaro to a record-breaking 3.387-second pass at 240.29 mph during private testing at Maryland International Raceway.
Never short on confidence, Taylor was also one of the few drivers willing to discuss going for both the Elite Motorsports Million ( $1,000,000 for winning all three Winter Series events) and Jerry Bickel Clean Sweep Challenge (a brand-new Pro Mod chassis for qualifying No. 1 at all three races), two of the toughest feats in all of drag racing.
Unfortunately, he fell just short of each goal, qualifying No. 2 with a 3.567 at 223.36 mph and falling in round two to event winner Jason Harris. Taylor currently sits ninth in points heading into the second race of the Winter Series, the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission January 23-25. While there were a lot of positives to take from the Snowbirds, Taylor admitted it fell short of his expectations.
“It was a good weekend, but we were definitely disappointed,” Taylor said. “I mean, I wasn’t happy with it at all. We’ve been doing a lot of work on the car – we’ve redone a bunch of stuff on it to make it a little faster and hook up a little bit better. Our biggest thing was we just didn’t have enough data for our new converter, so Neal Chance has done some stuff for us to help it lock up softer. I think we’ll be ready to go next weekend.”
Fans may be seeing the beginning of a budding rivalry between Taylor and Harris as well, although Taylor is quick to mention the two are friends. Not only did Harris knock out Taylor in eliminations, he also took the No. 1 qualifying spot with a 3.560 – just seven thousandths of a second ahead of Taylor. With Harris now the only driver eligible for both the Elite Motorsports Million and Jerry Bickel Clean Sweep, Taylor would love nothing more than to foil those plans.
“Me and Jason are friends, don’t get me wrong,” said Taylor. “I’d love to see him win it if he could, but I’m definitely not going to lay up to give him an opportunity. We’re gonna bring everything we’ve got – we’re gonna shoot for number one, we’re gonna shoot for the win, and I’m going to do everything I can to take it from him.”
It’s not just Harris that Taylor needs to look out for, however. The Snowbirds featured an incredible 80 cars on the qualifying sheet, with numerous big-name drivers not even making the show. Competition for the U.S. Street Nationals plans to be just as tough, but Taylor has someone in his corner that gives him a ton of confidence – Carl Stevens.
“He’s the man, no doubt,” Taylor said. “There’s not a better tuner out there than Carl, especially when you get him on a turbo car. He’s done a bunch of stuff to the car to make it more consistent. All the key elements are there for us to put this car in the winner’s circle. We’ve just got to execute and do it. I feel like we’re as confident as anybody is to win it, but when you’re up against 80 or 100 of the baddest guys in the world, you can’t make any mistakes. Everything has to work and be executed perfectly, or you’re going on the trailer.”
With that mindset, Taylor is coming to Bradenton with a ton of confidence. He knows he has a record-setting car and an elite tuner – and his lofty goals for the event reflect that confidence.
“We’ve been getting the car ready and we’re bringing our A-game,” said Taylor. “I feel pretty good about it, I really do. I’ll tell you what – anything other than a top two finish and a number one qualifier, I’m going to be heartbroken. That’s our goal. That’s what we’re striving for.”
This story was originally published on January 13, 2026. 
