Like Father Like Son. Chad and Jackson Henderson prove that drag racing is a family affair
/We in the drag racing community like to tout that it is a family affair. The stories of fathers and sons building cars in the garage together and going out racing on the weekends. The Jackson family has shown the world that these aren’t just far fetched stories or myths, it’s a way of like for this father and son duo.
Ever since Jackson told me that they were building another car for him to race I’ve been excited at the chance to feature both he and his father Chad in a photo shoot. This October at South Georgia Motorsports Park during No Mercy 14 the stars finally aligned for me to do so. Getting the family in the same place at the same time with time to actually pull this off is no small feat. Luckily, I received a message from the leader of the household, Chad’s wife and Jackson’s mom Marie. She asked if we could do the shoot while the track was drying off from the terrible weather we had gotten. So I asked Sydney if I had time to pull this off while they work on the track and he said absolutely.
The sky was still a bit flat and overcast, which doesn’t always make for the best environment to do a photoshoot like this, especially with two very dark cars. My thoughts were as they always are when doing these shoots…I can make it work. That’s exactly what we did.
Those that don’t know, the Henderson family is a farming family from Alabama. If you haven’t met the family I suggest you make the time to do so. I’m not sure you will ever find a more down to earth, humble, and amazing group of people as you do when you stop at the Henderson pits. Gone are the egos, the look at us, and other things that you find in some pits. These folks are as welcoming as your own mother on Thanksgiving day.
I’ve known Chad and Marie for a long time, as I have been covering radial racing for the better part of 15 years now. Chad’s car is always one that as a photographer we all focus on. Prior to the current blower setup that he runs now in Limited Drag Radial, he was a nitrous powered car for as long as I can remember. I recall the first time I saw them pull the blower combo out of the trailer and my jaw hit the ground. You get so used to see someones race car one way that when it’s completely changed you are left at a loss for words. Our favorite nitrous car to photograph, especially at night, was now converted to a blower car.
Jackson’s car on the other hand, that car is a sheer work of art. While I knew it was being built and had seen some photos here and there, you never get the full appreciation for something until you get up close and personal with it. The fact that he had a car built that mirrors his father’s car, also tells you about the type of bond the two of these men share. They farm together and they race together, with Marie and Jackson’s wife Kendall being the glue that hold it all together.
Both cars are 1987 Buick Grand Nationals. Anyone that remembers the muscle era of the 80’s and 90’s know that there were Buick GN’s and Ford Mustangs at the top of the heap. While these two might not look like the Grand Nationals that rolled off the assembly line floor, I promise you they carry on the tradition of performance and power all day long.
Jackson’s ‘87 Grand National was built to compete in the very competitive Ultra Street class. A crew that consists of his wife Kendall, his parents Chad & Marie, along with Michael Smith. The chassis was built by Chris Terry Racing in Alabama. Under the hood is an HED 321 cubic inch LS based engine. A Forced Induction turbo is mounted to front of that HED small block to provide the boost needed. Bolted up to the backside of that LS and sending the boosted power to the back is a transmission and converter combo from Performance Torque Converters, better known as PTC.
Once the power is sent out back it is transferred to a set of RC Components wheels that are wrapped in Mickey Thompson rubber. None of that matters though if you don’t have the suspension to get the power to the ground, and that’s where a beautiful set of Menscer Motorsports shocks come in to play. Menscer has become the standard bearer in radial racing with their shock setups, and that’s exactly why both the Grand Nationals utilize them.
In case you haven’t noticed the pristine paint and body work on both cars, first I’d have your eyes checked, and then I’ll tell you that the paint and body work was handled by Eagle Collision in Madison, Alabama. It’s certainly a sight to behold.
Chad’s car is also an ‘87 Grand National and like I stated before, this car has been around forever and I have countless photos of it producing some of the greatest nitrous flames you will ever see. It was time for a switch though to stay competitive with rules, hence the blower combination.
Chad’s GN is a Reese updated chassis along with some more updates by Chris Terry Racing. The crew of Chad’s wife Marie, son Jackson, and Michael Smith are the ones that keep this beast going A to B lap after lap. While both Chad and Jackson’s cars are Buick Grand Nationals, the power plants couldn’t be more polar opposite. Jackson car featuring the small block turbo setup and Chad’s featuring a big block Hemi that relies on a CFH blower mounted up top for all the boost.
Chad’s car, like Jackson’s, features a PTC transmission and converter combo to move all that blower power to the rear of the car. Once it’s reached the back, the power is planted to the ground via a set of Menscer Motorsports shocks pushing the Mickey Thompson radial tires mounted to a set of beautiful Mickey Thompson wheels against the surface. Chad relies on a set of TBM brakes to make sure the Buick can come to a safe roll after a bottom 4 second high 3 second pass.
I want to take a moment to thank Marie for making this happen, along with Chad and Jackson for being willing to participate in doing a photoshoot with me. It was absolutely my honor to be able to showcase these cars and this family.
