The bright lights of the biggest stage in radial tire racing can melt some with the pressure that they bring, while others are just ready for the heat that emanating from them.

John Keesey won at Lights Out 9 this year and he’s ready for another big win at No Mercy 9. Keesey’s Mustang is freshened up, tuned up, and ready to show the X275 class it’s got another winning performance prepared for this epic event.

The X275 class is considered one of the toughest in all of small-tire racing due to the high level of competition it displays. The top cars in the class are separated by just a few numbers at events like No Mercy 9, so racers must be perfect every round if they want to advance deep into eliminations.

Nobody understands this more than Keesey and he’s prepared to do what it takes to win again.

“To go rounds and win at an event like No Mercy takes a team effort. One thing that helps us is my tuner from KBX, Justin McChesney — he’s easygoing and pretty relaxed so that vibe spreads throughout my team. Being calm and focused helps with the tasks at hand because things can get tough, things break and obstacles pop up, but being able to deal with them and stay focused on our routine without missing the little things is key. In X275 most of the guys we get lined up against are so closely matched that every race can be won or lost on the tree and have a margin of victory that’s just a few thousands of a second. Everything has to be on point,” Keesey says.

Knowing that everything has to be perfect, Keesey has taken the time to make sure his Full Force Racing 1989 Mustang is ready to go. The Bennett Racing Engines small-block Ford has been refined with what the team has learned and will be fresh for No Mercy. The ATFSPEED transmission and torque converter have also been completely gone through to make sure they will perform their best at No Mercy.

Coming to No Mercy is something that Keesey enjoys because it allows him to test his skills as a racer against the best from across the country.

“The local tracks in the Northeast draw some of the fastest cars in X275 and that can motivate you to step up your program. The DuckX races are known for drawing the fastest racers from literally everywhere to race against each other in the X275 class. It’s also cool seeing new builds and racers I don’t get to see anywhere else.”

For fans and racers alike there really is no other experience quite like No Mercy. It’s a carnival of horsepower that lasts for almost a week and you have to be prepared for the long haul. Just being able to qualify is something that can make a racer’s season, but being able to go rounds at the event takes an extra level of toughness. Keesey has survived the radial tire war known as Lights Out and knows the same battle plan will be needed for No Mercy if he wants to be victorious again.

“As much as I enjoy Donald’s races by no means are they an easy race to win. When Sunday rolls around it usually feels like you’ve been racing for about three weeks straight. Everyone is worn down, all the booze is gone, and you’ve fixed things that shouldn’t have broken on the car, twice. That’s when a great team effort shines through and can make the difference at one of these events,” Keesey explains.

Keesey has done everything he can to prepare for No Mercy and plans on using the experience of his team and support from sponsors to get the job done again. “My team that consists of my wife Deneen, Jordan, Doug, and Bob are all ready for this race. With the assistance of Justin from KBX along with many others, I think we will do well.”

To see John Keesey and the rest of the stars of the X275 class in action you’ll want to check out No Mercy 9 at South Georgia Motorsports Park September 27-30. The racing will also be broadcast live RIGHT HERE on SpeedVideo.com for those who can’t attend the event. This broadcast is brought to you by presenting sponsor Edelbrock along with, COMP Cams, TCI, FAST, ProCharger, Honeywell Garrett, WELD Racing, and Nitrous Outlet.