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Despite the considerable efforts on small tires, Otts ultimately intends to spend most of his time in the no-prep landscape — just not with the No Prep Kings. Instead, he has Armageddon, the Redemption series, and Dirty South No-Prep penciled into his calendar. And he won’t rule out selected events on radials, but takes a particular liking to the wild-west style of racing that no-prep provides.

“I like the radial racing….over there, it’s either you’re good enough or you ain’t, there’s no middle-ground,” Otts says. “But Armageddon — that’s the best no-prep race I’ve ever been to, Dirty South, you park, you hang out, and it’s racing. In my mind, racing should be about whether you’re bad enough or you aren’t, and if you have to stack the deck to make it where you’re not bad enough, then maybe you need to go bracket racing.”









Jamie (right) with son Brayden.


“But I’m sure I’ll still do some radial racing. I’ve already told Duck [Donald Long] I’m coming to No Mercy,” he adds.

For Otts, who along with wife, Kelli, has two sons Brad and Brayden), a daughter (Nicole), and six grandchildren, racing is a shared family endeavor.

“My youngest boy, Brayden, he loves to line me up, and I try to make him an important part of it. When I go racing, I want him there. He’s 12 now, and I want him to be as big a part of it as possible. You keep them in that and they won’t get into other stuff later.”

Hudson, has likewise, become not just a racing acquaintance, but a close friend to Jamie and an integral part of his racing.



“To be honest, when I bought the motor I didn’t know Ziff. He was somebody I’d seen on the internet and at races, but I never knew him. But he’s become like family to us. He lives in North Carolina and I live in Mississippi, and he’ll show up and hang out for a few days and help with the car. He’s become a real good friend. Everybody in day-to-day life has different problems, you have highs and lows, and he and I talk about those things. I wished we lived closer to one another, because he’s a cool dude to hang out with. And he cares as much about my program as I do.”

Jamie’s ’55 has already taken him to previously unimaginable places, from the bright lights of cable television to the 3-second zone on drag radials, and he’s primed to continue forging a name for himself in big-time drag racing. And even if you don’t remember his name, you’ll certainly recognize the Killer Cab anywhere it goes. Just don’t flag it down for a ride…they don’t call it the Killer Cab for nothing.