THE INTERVIEW ISSUE
BRANCHING
OUT
After clinching the 2019 Limited
Drag Radial championship,
Jim Howe Jr. has his sight set
on no-prep racing
By NATE VAN WAGNEN • Photographs by JAMES SISK and CHRIS SEARS
JIM HOWE JR. is a man on a mission.
While his supercharged ’68
Camaro bears the small logos
of a handful of partners, it’s missing
a major primary sponsor. Even after
winning the 2019 Limited Drag Radial
season championship, Howe didn’t get
the publicity he needed to secure a
major backer. ¶ This season, Howe is
trying to change that. He’s not abandoning
Limited Drag Radial, but he is
looking outside the class for opportunities to race
for more exposure. He’s dipping back into the noprep
waters, swapping out the narrow radials on
his Camaro for a set of fat slicks.
It’s a substantial change for Howe, who races
with his father, Jim Sr.; his son, Jimmy; his wife,
Amanda; and his crew chief and engine builder,
Bret Moore. But it’s a move Howe feels is necessary
to help his current partners – Menscer Motorsports,
TRZ Motorsports, Brad Anderson Enterprises and
VP Racing Fuels – get more exposure, as well as to
be more visible to potential sponsors.
Just a few days after starting his 2020 no-prep
season at JJ’s Arm Drop at Prescott Raceway in
Arkansas, Howe shared with Drag Illustrated his
plans for the season.
The COVID-19 situation has obviously had
a huge impact on drag racing. How has it
changed the way you were going to approach
the 2020 season?
It’s definitely affected it in a negative way. We
are committed to doing some other races, and as
a result of the COVID shutdown, now we’re be-
June 2020
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