It began with Dave and Mandy Jackson in the early 1970s, when Dave bought his first race car to compete at the famed Saugus Speedway. As a driver, Dave was often more concerned with what the tires were doing than where he was on the track.

That curiosity sparked a deep passion for chassis engineering and fabrication—and a drive to build better racecars. With Mandy by his side and their sons Matt and Tony involved in every aspect of the business from an early age, that passion grew into a multi-generational racing operation.

From the beginning, the focus was clear: design and build better racecars. Dave’s hands-on approach to chassis development and fabrication quickly produced results.

The first race win came in 1975 with Tru Cheek behind the wheel. In 1978, that commitment led to championship success with Gary Johnson, who would later found Fluidyne Radiators.

Those early years set the standard. Jackson Race Cars did not simply field competitive teams—they engineered and built the cars that won. Over the decades that followed, the family continued designing, fabricating, and racing its own chassis, earning a reputation throughout the West Coast for toughness, performance, and results.

The work extended far beyond the shop floor. Jackson Race Cars built championship-winning NASCAR short-track chassis, maintained customer cars, operated successful race teams, and developed house cars that carried the Jackson name to victory lane.

What was learned at the track made the next car better in the shop. That approach—family, craftsmanship, constant improvement, and a winning spirit—became the foundation of the Jackson Race Cars legacy.