Story By: ELON WERNER / JIM DUNN RACING – ST. LOUIS, MO – Rookie Funny Car driver Buddy Hull is now walking away from a jam-packed three weeks that he will never forget – the first three races of his first ever Countdown experience. The NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology marked the first half of a busy Countdown schedule, that leads directly into Hull’s hometown race, the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals in Dallas, Texas. Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team will be taking everything they learned over this three-week period into the final stretch of the season.
“What I like about three races in a row is that it’s good for the team to get into a groove,” said Hull. “This weekend, the service on our car was better than it’s been all year, because we have three weeks in a row of doing the same thing. Everyone’s in a routine, they’re conditioned. The part I dislike about it is the lack of rest or the time in-between to just think. We have to think about what we did right, what we did wrong, and make adjustments accordingly. But all in all, I enjoy it. I’d race every weekend if I could.”
After the two planned Friday qualifying runs were canceled because of rain, Hull made only two qualifying runs for the weekend on Saturday. He entered race day in the No. 14 spot, facing off against three-time world champion Ron Capps for the fourth time this season. Despite making an early exit on Sunday, Hull took the rest of the day to watch his competitors and continue to gear up for the Texas Fall Nationals.
“I learn so much from watching my competition,” said Hull. “When I’m sitting in the tow vehicle, I’m looking at live timing up into the point we run. Not just Funny Cars, but also Top Fuel. And then I go back later that night and watch all the runs on NHRA.TV. I’m paying the most attention to how they stage the car. There’s a lot that goes on at the starting line, so it’s good to know and understand people’s procedures.”
This weekend Hull received the support of Gateway Classic Cars, as well as season-long sponsor Lescure Mechanical Services. When qualifying was rained out on Friday, Hull and Jon Dunn were able to stop by their St. Louis location and speak to a group of high schoolers.
“Jim Dunn Racing has a long history with Gateway, so we were thrilled to be able to see their shop in-person while we were in town,” said Hull. “To also hopefully inspire the next generation of racers and car lovers in the process is just the cherry on top. Gateway is a fantastic organization, and we are so lucky to be partners with them.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the Countdown, and into the 2025 Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, Hull is optimistic about the many changes the team has made to the car, and the possible upcoming improvements they have left to make.
“We’re of course going to keep working towards winning some rounds to finish out this season, but we’re already looking ahead to next year,” said Hull. “We made some major changes to the car this weekend. So next year we will have a much better idea of what new parts we’re going to put into the program, and possibly even a new race car. Anything is possible at this point, so there’s a lot to be positive about, knowing our operation is going to continue to get faster and faster.”
Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team will be back in competition for Hull’s home race and the fourth race in the Countdown at the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals on October 9-13 at the Texas Motorplex. There will be two qualifying sessions on Friday, October 11 and two qualifying sessions on Saturday, October 12.