THREE-TIME NASCAR CHAMPION MAKES HIS COMEBACK WITH THE ASA SPEED TRUCK CHALLENGE IN 2008

Source: Bill McCloud
Date: 01/19/2008

The next season, determined to give himself a real chance of allowing his talent to be seen, Neal mortgaged his home and went to work for the local chassis builder, building himself a brand new car, incorporating some of his own ideas and innovations. The extra money and hard work paid off as he won the NASCAR California State Championship, the Ascot Park NASCAR Championship and a close 2nd to Joe Ruttman in the last NASCAR Grand American held at Ontario Motor Speedway.

Coming off of what many would say was an excellent season; Neal now knew that he had what it took to make some history in the sport that he loved so much. In 1981, he went back to the chassis shop and built another car that would prove to be virtually unbeatable. His car wasn’t the only thing that took off fast as his record moved into high gear, winning his second NASCAR California State Championship and the West Coast NASCAR Grand American Championship. At one point during the season, Neal and his superior red #61 car won eleven races in a row.

The next few seasons saw many more wins with several different series and Neal even finished second in the points race in the 1984 Outlaw Stock Car Series. However, with the fame came the excesses of life and Neal found himself needing to escape the rat race. Realizing that he had a drinking problem, he raced only once in 1985.

Over the last 21 years, Jimmy Neal turned his winning on the track into real life victories. Not only did he stop drinking, but his actually worked in an alcohol detox center and has run a 29-bed homeless shelter in Laguna Beach, CA for alcoholics and addicts. Despite the years, Neal still had the burning in his stomach to get back into a race car. After doing research in the California area and watching races at Irwindale, Neal knew that if he was going to get back behind the wheel, he had to find a challenging but not too expensive series that would allow him to quickly hone his once superior racing skills.

With positive encouragement from his close friends, Neal has completely decided it was “time to go racing” and will test his skill in 2008 with one of the fastest growing and one of the few nationally televised racing series in the country – the ASA Speed Truck Challenge. Recently purchasing an excellent used truck, Neal is hard at work both mentally and physically preparing for a tough season with the other excellent drivers in the ASA STC. At 52, Neal will be one of the oldest drivers in the series, but by working out every day and getting in as much practice time as possible before the first race March 8th at Havasu 95 Speedway, he certainly is one of the most capable drivers of setting a series record by winning the 2008 championship as a “rookie.”

On or off the track, Jimmy Neal is still a positive and dynamic force to be watched in life. “I am so grateful that I have a chance to make a come back in this way,” said a confident Neal. “I tested extremely well recently at Irwindale Speedway and I’ll be ready to give it my best in a Speed Truck. Whether he hoists the 1st Place trophy or not in 2008, Jimmy Neal has already proven he’s a winner.

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