In early 2020, two-time PDRA Pro Nitrous champion Jason Harris shocked the doorslammer community when he announced his plan to debut a new ProCharger-equipped hot rod in Pro Boost competition – his first-ever foray into drag racing with forced induction.
Late last weekend the North Carolina-based racer stirred things up again with a photo posted to social media. Instead of the blown black-and-red late model Camaro he’d campaigned in 2020 and just beyond the midway point of 2021, it was his nitrous oxide-injected ’69 Camaro he was loading into the team’s trailer and hauling to Virginia Motorsports Park for the first-annual PDRA Pro Stars Shootout.
“We’ve partnered with the Boone Family for several years,” said Harris, as he started to explain the details surrounding the switch back to a nitrous combination on Friday. “We’ve had a lot of success, won a couple championships and made the switch to boost in 2020. It’s been a great run, but after the loss of Jimmy [Boone] and with a recent opportunity to sell the ProCharger car, his son Brad Boone, the other half of Boone Racing, made the decision to step away from racing and focus on business.”
While Harris admits he and his father Bob had already started planning a return to Pro Nitrous late this season or early next, the plans became expedited with the sale of the Bickel-built ProCharger car.
“We feel like we had good success in Pro Boost, loved racing against those guys and gals,” said Harris. “We didn’t win a race, but we did go to a few finals and I feel like we were making progress, headed in the right direction. My heart and soul has always been in Pro Nitrous, though. We were a little like a duck out of water. I’m glad to be getting back to what we know best.”
Harris looked to Billy Albert of Albert Racing Engines to provide power for his familiar red first-generation Camaro, utilizing a 959 cubic-inch piece to thrust him back into the mix with nitrous racing’s best.
“It’s going to be fun to get back out there and run the guys that I kinda came up running against,” said Harris. “Our goal is to get back to where we were performance-wise when we left and go from there. We want to get some data, get some runs under our belt and be back in position to compete for a championship in 2022. We’ve had some great sponsors who’ve stood behind us for a long time – Hoosier Racing Tires, the Boone Family, now the Wine Racing team – and we’re looking forward to representing them in our old stomping grounds.”
This story was originally published on August 2, 2021. 
