Story By: ELON WERNER / JIM DUNN RACING – LONG BEACH, CA – As rookie Funny Car driver Buddy Hull enters race weekend for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, August 15-18, at Brainerd International Raceway, he is beginning to run out of firsts.
In his inaugural season as a driver for Jim Dunn Racing, the Brainerd, Minn. racetrack is one of the last few tracks on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour that he has not previously competed at.
“All of the firsts that have come with this year are obviously very exciting,” said Hull. “But there’s a certain level of confidence that comes with not being the newbie all the time. This has been an incredible first season in a nitro Funny Car, and I’m already thinking ahead not just to this year’s U.S. Nationals and Countdown, but also to next season. I’m consistently getting better, just like our Jim Dunn Racing team is.”
The Dallas-based driver is coming off a personal best speed set in Sonoma at 319.60 mph. This new personal record comes on the heels of weeks of growing consistency with the car, as new parts have been introduced. Hull credits these improvements both to work he’s been putting in as a driver, but also fine tuning from the team.
“I’m on a mission. I’ve been losing weight nonstop,” said Hull. “I’m down about nine pounds since the beginning of the season. The more weight I’m able to lose, the better it’s going to make our race car. We took weight off the car in Sonoma to balance the car out. We’re trying to get lighter and faster. I’m very concentrated right now. My lights are consistently the same, which means I’m concentrating and getting better, bit by bit.”
Following this busy weekend of racing, Hull will also be representing the NHRA ahead of the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals by throwing the first pitch out at the Texas Rangers versus Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Tex. on Tuesday, August 20 at 7:05 p.m. CST. Fans can watch the game on FS1.
“I’m so pumped to represent our sport on this kind of stage and remind sports fans that we have an amazing event coming to their neck of the woods in mid-October,” said Hull. “The Dallas race is my home race, so anything I can do to help boost its profile, I am always game for. Baseball games have such a fun energy to them that I know throwing the first pitch out on Thursday is the perfect pre-cursor to a winning weekend in Brainerd.”
Blaze Exhaust Probes, one of Jim Dunn’s many long-term sponsors, will be the highlighted sponsor at this weekend’s event. In addition to Blaze, Hull will be representing other season-long sponsors Vertex Roofers and General Contractors, Solid Start/True Brand Products, Lescure, Crow Safety, KGC Construction, Koppl Pipeline Services, Mooneyes, Good Vibrations Motorsports, Powerbuilt Tools and Wiley X.
“I really consider Brainerd the last race of the regular season,” said Hull. “Yes, the U.S. Nationals isn’t part of the Countdown either, but since it’s got its own hype surrounding it right before the start of the playoffs, it does feel like it’s a standalone event. Because of this, we really want to go into this weekend as strong as possible, to fully set ourselves up best for success in the Countdown. Points reset soon and then the action is full throttle. And we’re ready for it.”
Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team will make two qualifying runs on Friday, August 16 and two qualifying runs on Saturday, August 17 at Brainerd International Raceway. The top 16 quickest Funny Cars in the field will then advance to race day on Sunday, August 18. The first round of eliminations will begin on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. CST. Fans can watch the finals on FOX.