Show Me the Money Champion Jim Wall Sets Sights on Alabama 200

Jim Wall broke through last season at Montgomery Motor Speedway by winning the Show Me the Money Series championship. He hopes to take that momentum one step further by winning the 62nd Alabama 200 this Saturday.

Wall was a model of consistency in 2025 at the Alabama half-mile, with six top-five finishes in seven races. That propelled him to his first Show Me the Money championship, a crowning moment in the Madison, Alabama driver's career.

“That was very special, man," Wall told Racing America. "We’ve been running for points down there for quite a few years now and just always had something happen to take us out of contention for the points. We just persevered through any bad situation last year. WE kept hte nose on the car the best we could, just continued to rack up good finishes.

“Winning that championship is a big deal for our team and especially our crew chief, David Ray. He’s been after one of those for a while. To get one was really cool with him. That championship holds a lot of ground for a lot of people. A lot of really big names have won that. It was really cool to add our name to that list.”

The championship season was the culmination of a continued progression of improvement for Wall, finding his stride with his Pro Late Model program and establishing himself as a front-runner at several venues throughout the Southeastern United States.

“We’ve been partnered with Robbie White Engines and Brannon Earnest on shocks for a couple of years now. I really think we just finally hit on what me, as a driver, and what the car was looking for. Brannon, as always, helping us tweak our shock package to keep us on the up and up there. Between him and Dave putting their heads together, Robbie building us good motors, those are all huge in Pro racing."

That momentum started with a third-place finish in last year's Alabama 200, won by John Bolen. The Alabama 200 had previously challenged Wall and his team, but they put all the pieces together in the 2025 edition of the event and put their best foot forward to start the season.

“Looking at the third in the 200 last year, it really set the tone for us as an upfront contender," said Wall. "It gave us a lot of confidence. We learned a lot at the 200 last year set-up wise and, you know, just starting the year off good always helps out some, right?

"We’ve had our troubles in the 200 before, and last year everything just fell into place and just set us up for a really good year, not only in Montgomery, but we had consistent top fives at Penscaola. We ran decent at Nashville a couple of times, until we got in somebody else’s mess. Overall, we had a great year last year, and finishing in the top three at the 200 definitely set the tone for that.”

Wall took advantage of last weekend's open practice at Montgomery ahead of the Alabama 200. That proved to be valuable on-track time, as his team diagnosed some offseason issues ahead of the Show Me the Money Series opener.

“We went and tested last weekend and got the bugs out of the car. We actually unloaded with a miss that was pretty bad. We changed everything on the car and finally changed the distributor, and that’s what fixed it. We only made about four clean laps and then had to mock up to end the day. Our mock session was really good for just off the hip there.”

The Alabama 200 isn't just the most prestigious event for the Show Me the Money Series, it is also one of the longest races Pro Late Model competitors take part in all season. The 200-lap race introduces some unique challenges, such as the ability to pit for tires and adjustments during the race and the strategy decisions that go hand-in-hand.

“The biggest thing this weekend is the pit stop," Wall explained. "It always plays into who wins the race, who makes the best adjustments on their pit stop, who takes tires the latest? Who can hang around the front and, like I said, take tires the latest has always done very well. That was one thing we did last year. We were going to run our tires until the very bitter end and the caution fell right when it needed to. Strategy is a big part of it.

“We’re on a new tire compound this year, so we definitely think that the more you can save your tires that first 100, 125, however long we go before we take tires, tire conservation but staying up front on the lead lap is going to be big."

Of course, another challenge is surviving the 200-lap marathon and putting yourself in a position to contend for the win at night's end.

“For the drivers, we’re all used to running 100, 125 laps," said Wall. "The 200, you’ve really got to have patience, and that’s sometimes not what a lot of Pro Late Model teams have is patience. They like to go.

“I think it really sets the teams apart, the teams that have drivers and crew chiefs that have patience and are able to not jump the gun. Just bide your time and try to set yourself up to be there in the last 25, 50 laps.”

As satisfying as last year's Show Me the Money championship was, Wall is hungry for a Late Model victory. Checking that box in the Alabama 200 would be a special occasion.

“It would easily be the biggest win of my career," said Wall. "I’ve won Modified races, Super Truck races, championships in both of those classes. This would be at the tip-top of the list for stuff we’ve won.

“[To win my] first Late Model win in the 200 would obviously just make it even bigger. There’s nothing that could really underscore that more, finishing first place this weekend would be the absolute top of where we’ve been so far in our Pro Late Model program.”

The 62nd Alabama 200 takes place on Saturday, March 7 at Montgomery Motor Speedway. The Show Me the Money Pro Late Models will also be joined by the Rogers-Dabbs Performance Parts Modifieds of Mayhem Tour and the Alabama Vintage Association.

For more information about Saturday's Alabama 200, visit montgomerymotorspeedway.org or follow Montgomery Motor Speedway on Facebook. Fans can also watch the race live on RacingAmerica.TV. Click here to subscribe today and tune in to Saturday's race live from Montgomery Motor Speedway.

-Photo credit: Montgomery Motor Speedway