Les Jackson’s Lifetime Achievement Honored

At a recent meeting at his American Legion post, long-time NHRA Division Five racer Les Jackson was honored for his lifetime achievement. On hand to present the award to Les, and acknowledge the contribution of his late brother Cal, were Nate Johnson (pictured left) Chief Technical Advisor and Ed Arcuri (presenting the plaque to Jackson) Founding Director of the Rocky Mountain Superchargers. 

Guests at the event included many of those who have known and applauded the performance of the “High Heaven” series of .Altereds and Funny Cars including Pikes Peak Hill Climb Champion Frank Peterson and his wife Kaye, Competition Director Ron Burge, Roger Kuyatt, Brent Wildenstein, and chassis builder Larry Parentau. 

Also on hand to honor Les was his son Keith who now campaigns the “High Heaven” Funny Car.

Everyone had a great time looking through the many photos that Keith had brought to tell the story of the Jackson Brothers and regaling one another with tales of their exploits and many wins. Of course, the usual rule applied: “the older we get the faster we were.”

Ed Arcuri told the story of attending the Mile High Nationals and asking to buy a “High Heaven” T shirt. Les advised that the NHRA did not allow sales from the racers’ trailers, so Arcuri gave the team a $20 contribution to help with expenses. He related that it made someone on the team happy and they gave him a free T shirt!



Yes, there were a few there who had grown old, but the jokes were old long ago!