Bruce Jansen's 1986 Ford Thunderbird Race Car
Bruce E. Jansen II’s story about his 1986 Ford Thunderbird race car (and his childhood dream to be a race car driver):
“Hi, my name is Bruce Jansen. Here’s the story of my racing dream: As a child growing up in rural Alabama, I always loved playing with my toy race cars. I loved the number 9 of Bill Elliott. During my childhood, I would play with my toy race cars always pretending to be Bill — of course, making sure that the number 9 always won. The fun of playing with my toys along with watching Bill Elliott win races created a desire and dream inside me to one day become a race car driver.
“As I grew older my parents bought me a go-kart. They made a figure-8 track in the side yard for me to race on. It fueled my craving to become a race car driver even more. As I got into my late teens, the path to get into racing never became clear. So, when it became time to find a career, I chose law enforcement — and let’s face it, I had a car with a number on it, stickers, and occasionally I could go fast. But make no mistake: I still wanted to be a race car driver.
“In 2016, I convinced some friends of mine to build a race car and race in a series called the 24 hours of Lemons. We started with a flat-black 1997 Ford Thunderbird wearing the number 9. This car seemed to fight us every step of the way. At our first race with the Thunderbird, we spent most of Saturday in the paddock, but at the end of the weekend we had taken all three checkered flags and finished our first race with 200 laps! However, our second race with this car proved to be its last. The engine blew up and the car had to be sent to rest.
“In 2017, we decided to start over. I went to Kentucky and found a 1986 Fox Body V-8 Thunderbird Elan. The moment we started on this new Thunderbird it was as if she knew what we wanted from her – to go racing! For one thing, our chief mechanic, Jason Nance, approved of our new ride. For another, our ’86 Thunderbird never fought us once. The car actually looked like a race car, so naturally when it came time to give it a theme, it was simple: Bill Elliott’s 1986 Ford Thunderbird racer.
“After researching the actual race car and studying the paint scheme we sanded and prepped the car and pushed her into the paint booth. With the T-Bird in the booth, Jason Nance and Jason Buttram recreated the red, white and gold that was on the 1986 Coors Melling Thunderbird. This being in the Lemons series and with us not having a lot of money, we used Rust-Oleum paint, and it turned out great! The main sponsor for our car is a close friend and co-worker of mine, Tim Evans. When not working, Tim travels and cooks competition BBQ under the name ‘Thin Blue Swine’ (that name being a play on words referring to the Thin Blue Line law enforcement slogan). Being our main sponsor, I asked if I could have creative control over how the logo would appear on the car. He approved, and the challenge was on. I had stickers made using the closest font I could that mimicked the Coors logo from 1986.
“As luck would have it, our first race with our new car was in the great state of Georgia, Bill Elliott’s home state. Her debut was at Road Atlanta and this was the first chance for Lemons to meet our new Ford Thunderbird racer. At the end of the cold, rainy weekend we had won the 2018 Mediocre Bill from Huntsville regional award and made the Lemons YouTube video recap. To be a part of their YouTube video is a HUGE deal for us!
“Our car caught the attention of the fine people at the International Thunderbird Club. They loved our car so much that it was featured on the cover of their club’s monthly magazine, the ‘ITC Thunderbird Script.’ Now our car was seen around the world by most all Thunderbird enthusiasts. The International Thunderbird Club invited us and our car to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, for the 2019 Ford Nationals. Our first trip there saw the car win 2nd Place in our class, and for 2020 we were asked to be one of the International Thunderbird Club’s featured cars in their indoor Thunderbird section.
“To this day, our car has run in four races and has been invited to appear at the Carlisle Ford Nationals twice. The popularity of our car is unbelievable, and we consider it a true blessing. Although she’s not an actual NASCAR cup car, she is my number 9 race car that has made my dreams come true every time I turn the ignition switch on.
“None of what you have read would have been possible if not for the help of some very close friends. Jason Brightwell, Chris Nunley, Jason Nance, Matthew Nance, Dan Mellies, and Dana Jacobs. THANK YOU! To all the sponsors and people who have given money in any way, I also want to say THANK YOU! A special thanks goes to Tim Evans for the help and support over the years.
“We love our Thunderbird and what she has become. In 2021, we hope to be able race some more. As anyone who races knows, it can be expensive so we are always looking for more sponsors to help us continue with the dream. We plan to start our first race this season at Barber Motorsports Park in February. This journey has not been easy nor cheap — but it sure has been worth it!”
(photo credit: Ford Performance)
