Jackie Meadows 9-4-02
- Updated: September 4, 2002
Name: Jackie Meadows
Occupation: Cable TV Contractor – Jack Meadows Communications
Residence: Collierville, TN
Birth date: 2-14-71
Hobbies: Training, drag racing pro mods and World’s Fastest Street Cars, Harlies, street rods. Basically anything that looks cool or goes fast – we like it.
Accomplishments: 8-time GNC champion. First and only factory mounted amateur racer.
Current Ride: Merrell Extreme/FTZ powered TT 250R
Racing Number: 111
Sponsors: Merrell Extreme FTZ, Denton Racing, Scott Goggles, AXO, Jack Meadows Communications
ATV Scene: How many Grand National Titles do you have?
Meadows: I believe it was eight. I was the first rider in AATVA history to win three championships in one year. I did that in ’87. I was also the first and only rider to ride for a major manufacture in the amateur ranks. Myself and Charlie Shepard rode for Kawasaki.
ATV Scene: Do you still talk with Kawasaki?
Meadows: I talk with them frequently. People at Kawie are pretty much family. I talk with Reid (Nordin) every two weeks or so. They’ve all been great to us over the years.
ATV Scene: Why did you stop racing?
Meadows: I turned pro when I was 16 and had accomplished a lot. I was 17 and didn’t know what it was like to have a regular life. We raced somewhere 48 weekends a year in different states all over the country. I had been riding three-wheelers since I was three. I got burnt out, that’s about it. The factories left and I didn’t see much of a future in it. My dad and I have an “all or nothing” attitude and we agreed it was time to get out.
ATV Scene:Why are you making this comeback?
Meadows: Mainly because people have told me that I can’t. “You can’t run with these guys, you can’t get in the top ten”, that kind of thing. I’ve got news, I can and I’m going to. I’m not quitting until I am one of the best again. Gary Denton told me that I’m in the beginning of my prime and I believe he’s right. My dad expecting me to win that first year I turned pro on basically a stock 250R. Top five to ten wasn’t good enough for him, we got frustrated – I got mad and we quit. I never accomplished much in the pro class and it has bothered me for fourteen years, and that’s another big reason I’m back out here.
ATV Scene: How is it different now?
Meadows: The bikes are better, that’s about it. There’s always been competition, there’s always been controversy and there always will be. I will say there wasn’t this many people back when it was really thriving. As strange as that sounds, it’s true. We didn’t have as many riders as there are now, but we had all the hype to make it look absolutely huge. We had full on teams – Suzuki, Kawie, Honda, Tiger, Rotax – everybody was there! It can be so much better because now we have so many more people into it, but we’re missing the hype of the old days. This sport can really be booming. Someone’s got to start hyping it up.
Meadows’ huge desire to win makes him one of the most aggressive riders ever.
ATV Scene: What kind of ATV racing do you like most?
Meadows: I love motocross and I feel I might be a better motocrosser but I also love TT racing. I think I like the variety of both. After you run MX for a while, it’s nice to compete in something different like TT racing. If we can get some badly needed sponsors, I’m all for racing both parts of the GNCs, but until then I’ll stick with the TTs. It’s too much money to have two pro caliber machines right now without some major sponsorship help.
ATV Scene: What do you remember most about the “good old days” of ATV racing?
Meadows: The people. The people are great in this sport. I remember trips to California. I would stay for a month or so with our mechanic Reid Nordin and coordinator James DeGain just to get everything together and dialed in. We would go to Glamis and stuff – this Missouri boy never saw that kind of stuff at the time – so that stands out in my memory. I stayed with Matt Hillenburg a lot and got to go to Mickey Thompon’s house to have dinner with them. I was there two months before they got shot. They were great people.
Jack Meadows is a huge part of his son’s success. He and Jackie have been to many ATV races. Most of them were probably before most of you readers even knew what an ATV was.
Meadows is seen here winning his heat race at the Ft. Dodge, IA GNC. This was his first race in fourteen years! He eventually won, but suffered some mechanical problems in the main event. Not too shabby, huh?
ATV Scene: How did you get Jolly Rancher Candies to back you?
Meadows:My mom’s got the golden tongue. She got that deal for me. She’s really good at that kind of stuff. I also had a beer company ready to sign checks out to me, until they found out I was 16 years old.
ATV Scene:Are you for or against the GNC split?
Meadows: I really liked having an overall champion. Kind of like High Lander – “there can only be one”. At the end of the year, who is really the best? Last year there was no question, Jeremiah Jones was undisputedly the best rider – period. I think it will end up being good for the sport though. I think both parts will grow this way. It’s too much money for someone to keep two separate quads now, so I think they did the right thing by separating them. It’s just sad that there can no longer be one true champion.
ATV Scene:What needs to be done to make ATV racing better?
Meadows:We have to get this on TV! Bottom line! And we have to hype it. We need good promoters that can make it an exciting show and get the general public to take a second look at it. If we can do that, the factories will come back because they can sell ATVs through the “what wins on Sunday sells on Monday” concept. ATV racing has top notch riders that are at the top of their game – it’s unfortunate that no one knows just how talented these guys truly are. We need somebody to push it.
ATV Scene: Parting words?
Meadows: Glad to be back and glad there’s still so many great people in this sport. I’m happy to see a bunch of familiar faces.
