Story By: ELON WERNER / JIM DUNN RACING – LONG BEACH, CA – Any driver will tell you it feels good when you have a gut instinct that you and your car have rounded a corner, and quicker ETs are ahead. Buddy Hull, a Funny Car driver for Jim Dunn Racing, is riding high on that feeling, coming into the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, June 22-23.
“Our performance in Bristol at the Thunder Valley Nationals was exactly what we needed before this race weekend,” said Hull. “We made two solid runs back-to-back, figured out how to replicate when the car runs well, and then had a weekend off to rejuvenate before we hit the ground running again for a busy summer of racing. I am fired up heading to Richmond to build off of those team wins two weeks ago.”
In the ninth race of his Funny Car career, this weekend Hull will be experiencing two new things: racing at Virginia Motorsports Park and trialing a new scheduling format from the NHRA. Typically, a national event consists of two days of qualifying that result in three to four qualifying passes. But for the newly revamped Virginia Nationals, there will be three rounds of qualifying all on Saturday.
“I really like this experimental scheduling format,” said Hull. “Saturday you get a chance to make two runs before the throwdown session. For us that is perfect. We can get some track time in race day conditions and then try and run a low number. I think if the conditions are good on that race track you could see a lot of Top Fuel dragsters run high 3.60s and low 3.70s with the Funny Cars putting up a lot of 3.80s and low 3.90s. It is going to be great show for the fans.”
Hull and the Jim Dunn team will be working towards those low ETs and are hoping to continue with some consistency they found in Bristol. In the final round of qualifying and first round of eliminations, Hull made a 4.185 second and 4.176 second pass, respectively. Now that they have found more consistency, they are hoping to best their season record of a 4.010 second ET that they set in the second round of qualifying at Charlotte.
“Almost every race we have had bursts of success where we have made at least one sporadic low-four-second run,” said Hull. “But I want every run to be like that, so we can then get into more of the 3.90s range, sooner rather than later. All of this takes time, and I am always reminding myself that I am still only in my first year with this car. We have the right people surrounding us, who are all putting the work. The results will come.”
Richmond is the third race in a four week stretch that Hull is racing with his Blaze Exhaust Probes paint scheme on his Funny Car, repping one of Jim Dunn Racing’s many season-long sponsors. Since 1996, Blaze has been a leading full-service temperature sensor manufacturer that offers solutions for even the most demanding applications. Their reputation for creating the most rugged sensors available has made them a top choice in the industry.
“When I say we have the right people surrounding us, I don’t just mean the incredible team members of Jim Dunn Racing, including Big Jim himself,” said Hull. “They are a huge part of it, but an equal part of it is the amazing group of sponsors that the Dunn family and I have brought together to support our team. It feels great knowing we have so many people behind us, not just in their encouragement, but also their hard-earned dollars.”
In addition to Blaze, Hull will be representing other season-long sponsors Vertex Roofers and General Contractors, Solid Start/True Brand Products, Lescure Mechanical Services, Crow Safety, Compass Facility Services, KGC Construction, Koppl Pipeline Services, Mooneyes, Good Vibrations Motorsports, Powerbuilt Tools and Wiley X.
“Our families and our fans are the final piece of that puzzle,” said Hull. “With the recent addition of legal gambling and fantasy sports in the NHRA, we’re really seeing the fans’ passion for drag racing multiply. It’s not just about putting on a good show anymore but wanting to do well for the fans who go out on a limb to bet on you. It’s a wild time all around to be competing at this level, and I couldn’t be happier to be here.”
Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team will be making three qualifying runs on Saturday, June 22 at Virginia Motorsports Park. The top 16 quickest Funny Cars in the field will then advance to race day on Sunday, June 23, competing for a Wally. The first round of eliminations will begin on Sunday at noon EST. Fans can watch the finals on FS1.