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A New Day: After Years Dominating Bombers, Jay Jay Eyes First Pro Truck Win at Five Flags

By Chuck Corder

Wasn’t long ago that if Jay Jay Day’s name came up in local racing circles, yarns of his track superiority weren’t far behind.

Day’s short-track feats were unparalleled when he had his No. 98 Bomber on a rail, boasting more than 30 wins in a few short years.

These days, with a move up to the fledgling Pro Trucks and Bombers now comfortably in his rearview, the Theodore, Ala., native is finding wins are harder to come by.

“We’ve definitely had to step our game up,� Day said. “To come from wining 11 races one year to just one so far this year? You’ve gotta work harder for it.�

This Friday won’t be unlike most race nights for Day.

When the Pro Trucks return to Five Flags, the 23 year old will climb inside his familiar canary yellow No. 98 and be a contender for the checkered.

He trails Steve “Chopper� Stagner by just two points in the season standings. Stagner has won all three Pro Trucks features held at Pensacola’s banked oval this season.

“I think it’ll be really fast,� Day said of his truck. “We found a few little problems that have been keeping us from outrunning Chopper. We’ve been working our butts off every night.�

The Allen Turner Pro Late Models, Sportsmen and Bombers also continue their seasons when the gates open at 5 p.m. Friday.

Admission for adults is $10; $8 for seniors, military and students; $5 for children 6 to 11; and free for kids under 6.

If he was just taking his lumps against stronger competition, that’d be easy for Day to handle. He has never backed down from a fight.

In a Bomber, Day racked up more than 30 wins and more than 20 poles between Five Flags and his home track of Mobile International Speedway. He twice sat on the pole at the Bombers Snowball Derby.

No, racing has never deterred Day. The more difficult debris that’s becoming harder for Day to avoid is off the track and it’s a familiar refrain for every weekend warrior.

The overall cost of the sport is becoming increasingly tougher to manage for Day, whose little family includes 3-year-old daughter Addison and wife Shelby.

“I work with what I got,� said Day, who works for his family’s towing business during the week. “We’re making it happen, I guess. It’s not easy. If we weren’t two points out of the lead in Pensacola, I probably wouldn’t race this weekend.

“To show up at the track and race and finish in the top three, you’ve gotta spend 600 bucks. That’s kind of hard to do. But we’re giving it all we got.�

Day doesn’t have to look far and wide for a place to make adjustments to the truck. There’s a two-car stall shop in his backyard.

Jimmy Day, Jay Jay’s father, works tirelessly with his son to get the Pro Truck dialed in before every race.

As a former racer himself, Jimmy Day knows a thing or two about turning a wrench.

Not that the Day team has had to do a whole lot of rebuilding this season. For as entertaining and nail-biting as the features have been this season, there has been little beatin’ and bangin’ on the pavement.

“Everybody takes care of their stuff,� said Jay Jay Day, who has lost out on wins by 12 inches once and by a fender another time. “It’s a totally different world from Bombers. Everyone in the class likes each other, as a person.

“There are no rivals, no enemies. That’s the best thing about trucks.�

And it’s a division that seems to be gaining a lot of steam in just its first full season at Five Flags.

With other divisions struggling with car counts, Day senses an opportunity for the Pro Trucks might be just around Turn 2.

“I believe we could have 20 trucks to start next season,� Day said. “I see it doing nothing but growing. I hate to see other classes hurting, but it’s opening a door for us.�

For Friday, though, he hopes the door is open for a victory.

After all, that’s how the Legend of Jay Jay Day was built.

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