The guy who has been making all the noise and waves in Da Black Pearl is James Mosher. He is as one of a kind guy as Captain Jack Sparrow himself. James has the same, if not better, quick come backs than Sparrow and more tattoos. Da Black Pearl is a 1966 Chevelle Malibu that James has built and ran into uncharted waters in the No Prep world.
James is a native to the Southwest. He grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico but has settled in Corrales NM after some moving around. At one point he was living in Indianapolis, Brownsburg, Indiana. This area was known as a dirt track mecca. James may be new to the No Prep world in theory, but he is no newbie when it comes to racing. He started driving before he got his driver’s license, which lead to him having 32 street racing tickets before he even turned 15. His first car ever was a 1966 bright orange Chevelle Malibu, which the only regret he has, is that he sold it. “I’ve been racing my whole life. I started with Go-karts, went to dirt bikes with desert racing, to mini-sprints. I’ve raced all over the southwest and won quite a bit. I then graduated to big sprint cars and ran 4.10 and 360’s”. Needless to say with such a success rate as he had, traveling was a huge part of his life. When James lived in Brownsburg, he rented a shop from Bill Simpson, himself. James raced his sprint cars for almost 25 years, but having a family and taking their needs into consideration, James moved back to New Mexico where his family could thrive.
Once back in New Mexico, James took a little bit of a slowdown in his racing career and switched gears. He sold all the sprint cars and found a drag car. The car was already fairly built up, it was a 1966 Chevelle, and it was a super stock to begin with. “I started racing locally, and got bored easy. I got to thinking, I want to take this to the streets. It has since then progressed into the tidal wave you see before you. The whole family enjoys it, and we have been racing ever since”. James grew up around speed shops. If you look closely you will see that his license plate cover that is black and yellow is an homage paid to his father, Jerry’s speed shop that he owned in the 70’s and 80’s.
If you were to ask anyone that knows him, what they think of James and his antics, you would get a slew of different answers. The most common of them all would be his gift of gab! “People know me as being a chatty Cathy, or the social butterfly in the pits. I am your friend before and after the race, but not during”. He has the nickname of No Limits growing up. “I had a fox body mustang in the 90’s that we built up, I would wreck that car just to beat people, I gained my name of No Limits because I knew my limits and I would always bring it right to it, it was intense”. Growing up James looked up to John Force, “he was the coolest guy at the track, and he truly loved being there and is great to his fans”. There are idols of many different forms as we grow up. Sometimes the negative gives us a positive in life as well. “I learned hard from a dirt car driver when I was 10 years old, exactly what I never wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to get an autograph from him. He told me he didn’t have time for me and to go away. I then told him that one day I was going to be a famous sprint car driver and that I am going to be on the top of the list, and I am never going to be like you! I took off the shirt I was wearing that was his merchandise and dropped it on the ground. I went to the next pit and bought another drivers shirt. From that day forward, I made sure that every last person that comes to my pits get their autograph, picture or conversation. I would never let someone go without. I did that with dirt, and I do that with No Prep. I will never leave until the last picture is taken or the last child gets to sit in the driver’s seat”.
James has his hands in many different worlds. One of them being Adrenaline Therapy through Outlaw Desert Racing (www.outlawdesertracing.com). This is a non-profit for Veterans and first responders who are affected with PTSD. This therapy is to help them get out of their heads and experience a non-life threatening adrenaline rush. James is avid about giving back to his community and those who protect our country. He is joining forces with them to do the same thing in the NoPrep world. “If it wasn’t for the Vets we wouldn’t be able to do what we do, they come first and foremost”.
Not only is it all things involving an engine that James is known for, he is also known for his green chili cheeseburgers. If you were to ask the locals at the track about him, I was told it wasn’t always about Da Black Pearl, it was his burgers. “My dream job would be to own a little taco stand on the side of the lake. My wife cooks the most amazing tacos and the world should really know about it!” If he isn’t racing James can most likely be found at the lake. It’s not always laughs and lake life and causing waves, but James has a very deep outlook on life. He asked, “How do you measure success? What’s your definition of it?” Many different answers were given, but his main point was this, “You can’t achieve success without having failure, so it’s important to understand and embrace the failures and grow from them. The only way to be successful is to surround yourself with successful people, and that doesn’t always mean money. I would like people that I am trying to teach to become successful, to continue teaching others how to do the same once I’m gone”. Even though James may look intimidating he really is just warm and squishy. “I’m a self-made man. I grew up extremely poor and everything I have I made myself from the group up. I never gave up. I wanted to work and I made things work”.
Because James has such a long history with racing of many types there are a few different tracks that appeal most to him for different reasons. The owner, atmosphere and fan base are top notch at the Odessa TX, Penwell Knights Raceway. The best venue and racing surfaces for James is at the Las Vegas Strip. “I honestly started doing this because I saw it on TV, and I thought, hell, I could do that. And now we’re here”. The fans and the stories are really what make this all around enjoyable. “I’ve met some really neat people from all the different races, some I am still in contact with. If the pits are open, come on in. NoPrep has really breathed new life in the racing world”. Of course there are always stories and situations that stick out in memory, and then there are stories of a face palm. James has all of those and then some. Part of why his car is called Da Black Pearl is because when he was racing sprint cars they were the fastest car out there. No matter where they were placed they could catch everyone. Because of this speed the team would constantly get “checks” because everyone thought they were cheating. These checks were black flags. James and the team would mock and joke saying they were “racing the black”. It doesn’t help that James has the visual persona of a pirate and the quick wit of Capt. Sparrow, Da Black Pearl was brought to life. What also comes along with such a winning nature is interviews. James did not seem to have the best track record with those. “We were winning all the time and on television too. They always interviewed us, and we were never put on the screen. I was never sure why exactly it was. Was I cursing too much? Did I not thank my sponsors enough? The next time the interview team comes to me, when they began their questions I replied back with “Man do you smell those corndogs?” the interview team was not pleased. The second time I messed with them again. So the end result was that I was aired talking about corndogs on TV after a big race and a win. But the corndogs really are amazing, so it’s ok”. You can apparently find these TV noted corndogs at Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Arizona.
Just like anyone else it takes an army to get these drivers to where they are now. James has his beautiful family he would like to thank, “the old lady” Hollie, the kids Jaleh and Cadence, and their dog Joseph the pug. He promises to take everyone to the lake. Also a man by any right has his team, big or small to thank and be appreciative of. Chris Brahs, Mike Barne”z”, Jackie Deaver, all the Veterans, and my promotion person Christi Zimmerman from No Prep Felons. “They have all really stepped up and pushed us forward. I’m incredibly lucky to be part of this world and to be able to share it with others.”
