Veteran drag racer Scott Palmer took an important step forward with his Pro Mod program last month at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks, making his first appearance in the J&A Service screw-blown ’69 Camaro owned by Jim and Annie Whiteley. Now, with extensive test laps behind him, “The People’s Champ” heads into the upcoming U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission at Bradenton Motorsports Park with growing confidence.
The Snowbirds marked Palmer’s first race with the J&A Service team, led by the Whiteleys and tuner Brandon Snider, after crashing his own ’63 Corvette at last year’s World Series of Pro Mod. While Palmer’s results didn’t fully reflect the performance potential shown in pre-race testing, the experience laid a strong foundation for what’s ahead.
“It was awesome,” Palmer said. “We came down here before the Snowbirds to test, and every run I made was a career best for me (in Pro Mod). Every single run I made in was the fastest I’ve ever ran. I’m not making excuses, but when the race started, we just had trouble getting a handle on the track prep. Brandon got a handle on his car and got in the show, but we just shook in qualifying and it cost us.”
Although qualifying at Snowbirds proved to be unsuccessful, Palmer remains encouraged by what the data showed. The team has continued testing in preparation for the U.S. Street Nationals January 22–25, the second of three races in the Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service.
“I know the performance is in the car because I’ve seen the time slips,” said Palmer. “Since then, we’ve made more test runs and they’re better than what it was running last time. I’m still not that great on that trans brake button, but with each lap I get better and better.”
A major difference for Palmer has been the level of preparation within the J&A Service team. He admits that with focusing on his Top Fuel operation throughout the majority of the year, he was always forced to thrash preparing his own car in the past, putting him behind the competition at each Winter Series race. Now he can see the benefit of a crew that’s always focused on the Pro Mod side of things.
“It’s a night and day difference,” Palmer said. “I never had the confidence that my Corvette would run that fast. It goes from being at the shop, just working night and day, trying to get the basics of a Pro Mod put together…and that’s not even getting to the fine-tuning part. The preparation on these cars is second to none, which it has to be to run in this class. It’s as tough as Pro Stock right now, with lots of heavy hitters not qualifying at Snowbirds.”
Palmer credited Snider for not only his attention to detail in preparing the car, but the sheer amount of work he does for the entire J&A Service team.
“I’m not exaggerating, Brandon’s probably the hardest working tuner I’ve ever seen,” said Palmer. “He does every inch of these cars – the suspension, shocks, transmissions, motors…he’s one of very few people that can do all the work. He doesn’t just walk around with a laptop in his hand. He is physically in there doing it.”
As the U.S. Street Nationals approach, the J&A team has continued to grow around Palmer. In addition to him and Snider, reigning NHRA Pro Stock world champion Dallas Glenn will pilot Whiteley’s blue ’63 Corvette. All three cars have shown performances capable of qualifying, and despite some self-criticism, Palmer is energized by the environment surrounding the program.
“My short-term goal, of course, is to qualify. Long term, go some rounds,” said Palmer. “There’s no doubt this car has what it takes to qualify. Honestly, I’m the weak link, so I’m concentrating more on me driving because these cars are set up so good that it’s so smooth in there. I told Jim, ‘You have 100% ruined Pro Mod for me. I’ve never had a car of this caliber.’ I’m just gonna enjoy this opportunity that I have, and it’s all because of Jim and Annie. They’re just that good of people. I’m telling you, even if I don’t qualify, you’ll never see me not smiling because it’s one of the best opportunities I’ve ever had in my life.”
This story was originally published on January 22, 2026. 
The post Scott Palmer Gains Momentum Heading into U.S. Street Nationals first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
