Owner/Tuner Jim Barrett
Jim is Alex's dad and the "J" in J&A Racing. Throughout the years of Alex's racing career Jim has been along side, whether it was cheering from the stands, tuning the cars, or coaching. Jim's first love was drag racing but wasn't sure he was ready to be a racer Alex decided he wanted to drag race. As a tuner, Jim has several wins and three championships to his name. Although he has yet to get Alex and the Rocketeer into the winners circle, the team is a real threat to all of our competitors.
Crew Chief Tim Cook
Tim has a wide variety of experience in racing and has a passion for all motorsports. Tim joined the team about seven years ago when the Dart was being built. Much of the craftsmanship in the Dart is due to Tim's knowledge and expertise. Because of Tim's attention to detail and his vast experience he was named "crew chief" on both the Dart and the Rocketeer. Both at the track and at the race shop Tim oversees any and all work done on the race cars.
Martin Morris
Martin joined the team about four years ago although he has the most experience in drag racing. Martin was crewing on funny cars long before the Rocketeer came along. Martin crewed on drag racing legend Ken Veney's car in the '60s and 70s. He worked most of his life in the automotive world and is a virtual encyclopedia of automotive knowledge. Martin's experience has been very useful for this funny car team since building the Rocketeer. During the construction of the Rocketeer Martin was able to showcase his skills and the success of the Rocketeer has been due to Martin's experience.
Tom Harper
Tom joined our team about 3 years ago and brings a vast experience in a variety of racing. While he says his first love was drag racing, things just gravitated towards NASCAR and Sprint Car type racing. Joining the Rocketeer team has brought Tom back to his first love! Tom has worked his entire life in the automotive industry and brings vast amounts of experience and knowledge. He is also a veritable encyclopedia of automotive knowledge. Both Tom and Martin serve as mentors in many ways to each of the team members.
Bob Sibole
Bob has served on the team now for a little over a year and is our chaplin and keeps the car clean and shiny at our events. Bob brings with him a passion for all kinds of motor racing a love of cars.
Rocket
Rocket is our team dog and serves really no purpose. He gets violently car sick just going around the block and poops in the garage anytime he gets a chance. He annoys the team while they are trying to work on the car and destroys anything he gets his teeth on. He is just a pup and we are hopeful he turns out to be a good shop dog. His only redeeming quality is he is cute when he is asleep.
Crew
Tyler Nelson
Tyler may be the youngest team member but as far as time goes, he is the oldest serving member. Tyler joined the team at the ripe old age of 6 when Alex was still racing Jr. Dragsters. Tyler has continually grown in his talents and service to the team. He shows a real eye for detail and can be counted on to give 100% to any task assigned to him. Tyler's responsibilities at the track include monitoring air pressure in the tires, assisting in valve train adjustments and serving as all around assistant to Tim, Martin and Tom. With Tyler's talents we see him as a future crew chief and we hope he stays in drag racing for many years. Tyler is currently working at saving up to finish his 1971 Dodge Dart street car. He is an outstanding student at Beaumont High School and plays trumpet and the euphonium in the school band.
