There comes a time in the universe, not as often as one would think, that two stars collide. Instead of the stars shining brightly on their own, they become one new, bright star, called a Blue Straggler. This is exactly what happened when the stars of Haley James, and her fiancé Kieffer Simpson collided. 

Recently I had the opportunity to photography the “AmericanXpress” car out of the HJR (Haley James Racing) camp that Kieffer has been tasked with taking to the Winner’s Circle. Along with that photo shoot, I spoke to Haley, Kieffer, and the man with a plan, Haley’s father Dwayne James. We discussed the history of the program and what the notion was behind adding a second car to an already solid team. 

Dwayne stated that the reason for a second car was really a round-a-bout way of coming at it. After racing the “War Eagle” car for a time, which was previously an X275 car owned by Ronnie Diaz that went through a lot of changes once Haley got it, the question kept arising about what would happen if we had a newer car, a car with that latest and greatest. That is when Jeff Polivka’s white and black Boss 302 was for sale. This is a car that Haley had faced off against during her time in Coyote Modified over in NMRA. 

The original plan was for Kieffer to drive the new car as a developmental car, Dwayne stated. What he didn’t expect was for the car to show a tremendous amount of potential the first time that Kieffer let off the button in it. Within a few races, including a runner-up at Snowbird Outlaw Nationals this month and it had become glaringly obvious that it was a front running car and a development car, it was two front running beasts. 

Now, for those thinking that Kieffer just fell into a role of driving a grade A piece of meat in one of the toughest heads-up classes in racing, well you’d be wrong. Kieffer has been around racing his entire life, and so has his family. His grandfather raced, Kieffer raced juniors, he helps work on Jeff Rudolf’s Pro Mod, etc. So, there is a lineage within the family when it comes to racing. That same lineage has helped set the course for Kieffer to grow and be successful within our industry. 

Something that I know people were wondering though was about the struggle to compete against the same person you are sharing your life with outside of the track. Competing against his fiancé Haley James while also being teammates, is something that they both enjoy. In fact, when I asked Haley about that, she was very open in the fact that she can set feelings aside and go race. There is no jealousy between the two. They both want to win, and they both want each other to win. 

Clout Chasing…it’s a term that the younger generation using regarding attempts to gain popularity. I know that there are people in this world whose goal in live is to be as popular as possible by any means possible. Seeing the red, white, and blue on both the War Eagle and the AmericanXpress car is something that certain people would view as a way to gain popularity among a certain group. What I will tell you is that certainly isn’t the “play” here with these two stars. Both Kieffer and Haley are very dedicated to the U.S. Military, our troops, first responders, police, fire, etc. The pride that they exude in everything that is America and American is so obvious from the moment you spend time with either of them. In a day and age of “woke” culturalism, it is refreshing to see these two raise a toast to American and a middle finger to anyone that doesn’t love this country. 

The business side of things is where Kieffer also excels. He has started KSD (Kieffer Simpson Designs), in which he handles different creative design work for many within and outside of the motorsports industry. Creative design is a passion that he shares with all of us, as he had a hand in the design work for the wrap on the American Express car as well. When he isn’t working with Haley on something for HJR, he is spending his time with his new KSD business and using that to build a future for he and Haley. 

While speaking with Kieffer for the article, I asked him if he felt a certain expectation to live up to within the HJR camp, and he stated that he did. Not only is his fiancé a former champion, but his future father-in-law is the team head and tuner on the car. His own personal expectations in making sure that he did what’s expected and helped the team to accelerate towards greatness is something that is always on his mind. 

HJR is on a mission of growth, family, legacy, and future. With Dwayne at the helm, Haley and Kieffer driving the respected cars, along with the “third man” if you will, and that being Frank Varela, the mission is clear. Build for the future of this team, which means upward growth in personal ability and outward performance. No one on the team is new to racing, and everyone knows what’s expected of them 

What about the details on the AmericanXpress car though? A car that within a short amount of time has already found its way into a final round. The heart of it all is a 302 Coyote engine that is built by BTeam Performance and Dwayne James. It’s a “chain gain” with a turbo helping it breathe. The mouth of the beast consists of a 1320 Junkie Performance boost proof intake manifold with a 76mm Harts Turbos sucking in the oxygen. Matted up to the back of that block and transferring power to the rear is an Ultra Turbo Transmission RPM TH400 with a ProTorque converter in place. 

Outback of the car is a set of Menscer Motorsports shocks that are used to push those M/T radials into the pavement. They are attached to a chassis courtesy of DMC Racing and 4th Dimension Fabrication. There is a built 9” out back with a Merillat/Indy 3rd member. Let’s not forget…the AmericanXpress needs to be able to stop as well, so a set of TBM Brakes were commissioned to make that happen without fail. 

Sometimes the most important things are the most overlooked things. Just like a heart needs blood, an engine needs fuel, and that fuel needs to be told what to do. Since that is the case, a MoTec/NCS Designs EFI is in place. Dwayne uses this to control everything that he could possibly need to make sure that engine, transmission, etc. have all the need for a successful pass. Weldon High Performance is tasked with pumping that blood to the heart of the AmericanXpress in such a manner that it’s smooth as melted butter. Absolutely none of that happens without the proper wiring though. Fingered by Frankie took care of the wiring on the car, the veins if you will. Lastly are the looks. As I mentioned earlier, Kieffer had a hand in the design of look along with Nitro Alley Graphix. The two laid down a design that is impossible to miss, follows the theme of the team, and shows pride in America. You really can’t ask for more. 

When asked what next year’s plans were for the team, it was made apparent to me that a lot of their time will be spent coming to the biggest and best races of the season. Races like U.S. Street Nationals, Lights Out, YellowBullet, and more. Not forgetting where the HJR team comes from, there will be a stop or two at NMRA to duke it out with them as well. For now, though, it’s about getting back to enjoying racing and having fun. It’s easy to lose sight of why we are all involved in this sport sometimes, and then you remember the fun you can have while doing this.