New Orleans native Jerry Bird had quite an auspicious introduction to the racing world a year ago when he first appeared on the premiere season of Street Outlaws: New Orleans, famously losing control of his nitrous-fed Ford Probe and crashing into Barry Nicholson on national television. But since that time, Bird — not to be confused with fellow street and no prep racers James “Birdman” Finney and David “Bird” Jones — has largely erased those misfortunes, thanks to a pair of hugely successful no prep outings in which he’s proven himself one of the biggest threats in the game. And that was fact was made abundantly clear on Saturday night in Tulsa when Bird motored his familiar Induction Solutions nitrous-assisted Probe to the $20,000 Big Tire victory at the Redemption 6.0 no prep event, outlasting 32 of the top street, grudge, and no prep racers in the nation.
Video courtesy National No Prep Racing Association
Bird defeated a host of hitters, including Kirk Peters in “The ’55”, Street Outlaws star Jerry “Monza” Johnston, and Ryan Taggart in “Swamp Thing” in the finale on his way to the crown at the Tulsa Raceway Park, right in the 405’s back yard. Of course, few doubted Bird’s driving prowess or the capabilities of his blue oval mount after he advanced all the way to the semifinal at Outlaw Armageddon near Oklahoma City back in August, where he was one of two remaining non-Pro Mod-style cars left in contention. And on the heels of those two outings, he’ll be a certifiable player in the no prep scene — and on the street — next season.