Jerry Bird Stays Nitrous for 2025 Speed Promotions Season — Can He Still Be Competitive?

Well folks, 2025 is shaping up to be one wild year for no-prep racing — and it looks like Jerry Bird isn’t backing down from the nitrous combo just yet. Despite all the turbo, blower, and ProCharger madness expected with Speed Promotions' no-rules format, Jerry’s doubling down on the blue bottle and sticking with his nitrous-fed Mustang for another season.

Here at Street Outlaws Talks, we’re all about keeping up with the racers who go against the grain, and Jerry’s definitely one of them.

Photo by Jerry Bird - Bird Boyz 

The Last of the Nitrous Mohicans

With Lizzy Musi no longer behind the wheel and Lissy tragically passing away last year, Jerry Bird is now the last nitrous car standing on the NPK-style circuit. It’s a big deal, especially with the rest of the field loading up on high-horsepower combinations and pushing the limits under Speed Promotions’ wide-open rulebook.

No weight rules. No overdrive limits. No cap on power adders. You want to run ten power adders? Go ahead. That’s the vibe of Speed Promotions. But while many think Jerry doesn’t stand a chance with “just” nitrous, there might be more to the story than meets the eye.

The Power’s There — It’s About Putting It Down

Last season, Jerry struggled with consistency — but it wasn’t necessarily a power issue. From what we’ve seen and heard, the problem came down to his lockup converter setup paired with a 34.5” tall tire. That combo made the car real upset, especially on marginal tracks. But with nitrous, a lockup is pretty much mandatory to stay competitive, and it needs to be dialed in just right.

Photo by Mallory Elizabeth Photography

Now, here’s the kicker: Jerry’s Mustang is one of the lightest cars in the field, sitting close to Pro Nitrous trim at around 2,450 pounds. That’s no joke — that’s Pro Mod territory. And on good tracks, his car can absolutely fly. The issue is when the surface isn’t ideal (which, let’s be honest, is often the case in no-prep). Without a bigger tire — say, a 36” — the car just didn’t have enough forgiveness to plant the power consistently.

But if Jerry can get that bigger tire on, and if the lockup hits right, mid-3.60s aren’t out of the question. And in the no-prep world, where putting power down is often more important than having all the power in the first place, that could make all the difference.

It Ain’t All About Horsepower

Yes, nitrous cars don’t make 4,000+ horsepower like some of the twin-turbo monsters or massive screw-blown entries. But horsepower isn’t everything — especially on a sketchy track. Most of these high-power combos can’t use all that power anyway. It's all about how you manage the hit, the 60-foot, and the track conditions. And that’s where nitrous, when tuned right, can shine.

Photo by Mallory Elizabeth Photography

We saw it with Lizzy. Her car was competitive, even late into the NPK seasons, and Jerry has a very similar setup. If he dials in that consistency, there’s no reason he can’t hang with the best of them.

Don’t Count Him Out

With Speed Promotions throwing out the rulebook in 2025, there’s going to be a lot of wild builds and experimental combos. But at the end of the day, the race is still won on the track — not on paper. Jerry Bird may be the only nitrous guy left, but he’s not showing up to just fill lanes. He’s got the experience, a strong car, and maybe most importantly, the guts to do it his way.

We’ll be watching closely to see how the Bird Boyz shake things up this season. And who knows — maybe nitrous ain’t dead after all.

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