By: Jim Dunn Racing
POMONA, CALIF. (November 17, 2024) — Buddy Hull’s rookie Funny Car season finally came to a close with the conclusion of the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals this weekend at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. The driver for Jim Dunn Racing will remember this season for its many firsts, personal bests and intense competition.
“This season was huge for me, from start to finish,” said Hull. “It was my first season as a full-time driver. My first season in a nitro Funny Car. My first season as just a driver and not a team owner. My first season as a husband and dad. My first season as the host of Talkin’ Funny Cars with Buddy Hull. I have so much to be thankful for, and I owe it all to the Dunn family: Big Jim, Dianne, Jon and Johnna, and my wife and son, Madi and Maverick.”
photo credit NHRA/National Dragster
Because of rain, the Funny Car class was only able to get one qualifying run in on Friday, instead of the scheduled two runs. With only three runs available to qualify, Hull knew the competition would be fierce to make the show on Sunday.
“We knew when we unloaded the trailer for this weekend that every car on the property had the potential to be able to qualify,” said Hull. “That’s why we knew we needed to bring our A-game and give the car all we had. Our first two runs here let us figure out several small issues with the car, which is why we felt pretty confident going into the third and final round of qualifying.”
On Saturday evening during Hull’s third round of qualifying, he made a 4.076 second, 305.29 mph pass. Not his personal best, but still a solid run for him and the Jim Dunn Racing team. If the run had stuck, he would have qualified in the No. 15 spot and raced Ron Capps on Sunday. But after the run, the NHRA technical team disqualified the pass due to a discrepancy with the car’s headers. When they threw out this run, it pushed Hull back to the No. 19 qualifying position.
“We ultimately feel that this was an unfair decision, because the NHRA tech team does not have an accurate or consistent way of measuring these things,” said Hull. “It’s a disappointing way to end our season, when I know everyone has been working so hard. We hope that by bringing attention to this issue, the NHRA will improve their processes so this doesn’t happen again.”
Despite the tough call made on Saturday, Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team are choosing to channel their frustration and energy into improving all aspects of their program for the 2025 Mission Food Drag Racing Series season.
“We are going to put a lot of work in during the off season and come back better than ever in at Gainesville in March,” said Hull. “I will be forever proud to be a part of this team this year, but I know there is still plenty we can improve on before the start of my second Funny Car season.”
Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team will be back in competition next year for the NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway on March 6-9. For tickets or more information on the 2025 Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, visit nhra.com.
Qualifying Results
Q1: 8.320 sec, 78.61 mph; Qual. 17
Q2: 12.070 sec; 66.77 mph; Qual. 19
Q3: Run DNQ; Qual. 19
Bonus Points: 0
