BUDDY HULL BLOWS PAST CHICAGO
Buddy Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing Funny Car gave their all at the Route 66 Nationals,
Photo credit Innovative Creation Experts
By: Jim Dunn Racing
CHICAGO (May 18, 2025) — Nothing about the sport of drag racing is predictable, and that rang true for Funny Car driver Buddy Hull, the Dallas-based driver for Jim Dunn Racing at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK. Hull and the team battled the varying weather conditions all throughout qualifying but finished the weekend strong by making a solid pass in their Mooneyes 75th anniversary Funny Car.
“I love racing the Mooneyes Funny Car and I hate it we didn’t get to win more rounds today,” said Hull. “The fans in Chicago were great and we made some consistent runs. I knew we had a chance in the first round against Paul Lee. This team has been getting better every race.”
Day one of qualifying brought heat and high winds, a strong 4.057 second, 319.98 mph pass during Q2, and ended with a dust storm. Day two brought low temperatures, and the strategic decision to not make the fourth qualifying pass. Hull entered race day from the No. 15 spot, outqualifying four other competitive cars. He was paired against No. 2 qualifier Paul Lee for the first round. He made a solid 4.293 second, 252.95 mph pass, but it wasn’t enough against Lee’s 4.229 second, 225.11 mph run.
“You look at the improved times and I know our round wins are coming,” said Hull. “We are doing more with less than any team out here. We were a little shorthanded this weekend and we made the decision to skip the final qualifying session to focus on race day. We got ready and things just didn’t go our way. To put it into perspective, if we had made our Q2 run during round one, we would have beaten Paul Lee. The good news is we will be getting into the busy part of the season and when we are getting on the track consistently, I will get into even more of a groove and we are going to be in a good spot.”
It’s not often that the Mooneyes souvenir trailer makes it out east, so Hull wanted to make the most of it. You could often find him signing autographs at the display, and his son, Maverick, was fully decked out in the gear during driver introductions.
“One of the highlights this weekend was spending time at the Mooneyes display,” said Hull. “Getting to run the Mooneyes Funny Car, such an iconic brand, and seeing how the fans react to it is really cool. I was over at the souvenir trailer and seeing all the fans of all ages come up and buy a t-shirt or decal or hat and tell me how much they love Mooneyes just makes me happy. The Jim Dunn Racing team has had such a great relationship with Mooneyes and this is both of their 75th anniversaries. I’m looking forward to making even more progress in the Mooneyes car over the next couple of races.”
Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team will be back in competition at the NHRA New England Nationals on May 30-June 1 at New England Dragway. There will be two qualifying sessions on Friday, May 30 and two qualifying sessions on Saturday, May 31. For tickets or more information on the NHRA New England Nationals visit nhra.com.
Qualifying Results
Q1: 6.066 sec, 113.08 mph; Qual. 14
Q2: 4.057 sec, 319.98 mph; Qual. 11
Q3: 4.919 sec, 166.42 mph; Qual. 13
Q4: No Run; Qual. 15
Bonus Points: 0
Race Results
First Round
Paul Lee, Ewan, N.J., McLeod Racing/FTI Performance Charger, (.067), 4.229, 225.11 mph def. Buddy Hull, Dallas, Tex., Mooneyes Dodge Charger, (.143), 4.293, 252.95 mph
