LONG BEACH, CA (April 3, 2024) — When you look at an athlete like Funny Car driver Buddy Hull, you can tell he exudes discipline. Between running his Dallas-based company, Vertex Roofers and General Contracting, and competing full-time as a Funny Car driver for Jim Dunn Racing, it takes a lot of structure and consistency for him to hold everything together. And it’s that consistency that he has in his business life, that he is striving to perfect at the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park on April 5-7.
“We’re looking for A to B runs. We want to come off the trailer and run a four-flat in Arizona and then on our second run just throw the kitchen sink at it, to see what the car does,” said Hull, who will be making his third Funny Car start this weekend. “We’ll use the data between those two runs to find a middle ground that will create a more consistent race car so on race day we can run between a 3.95 and a four-flat. If I do my job on the starting line, and we can run a 3.95 to a four-flat, and the other guy smokes the tires or shakes, we win a round. And we’re doing everything we can to see more win lights.”
One of the many traits that makes Hull such a successful business owner and race car driver is that he is realistic about his own limitations, but he does not let that hold him back. If anything, it drives him to work harder and become more creative in his approach.
“Some of these other teams run on a little bigger budget than we do, so we are incredibly parts conscious. We have yet to damage a single car part this season, which is an impressive feat,” said Hull. “But at the same time, we do want to run hard and run good. We’re aggressively aiming to have 3.90 race car consistently. I’m getting more and more comfortable with the car, and the car is getting faster, which is why we feel this race is the perfect weekend to focus on consistency above everything else.”
This weekend Hull will be racing a USD branded nitro Funny Car, with an image of an eagle swooping in on the side, continuing his trend of driving cars with interesting car bodies. Hull is proud that he is also continuing to represent a slew of local and corporate sponsors.
“I’m thrilled to be representing the good people of USD this weekend at their home race,” said Hull. “We’re looking forward to hosting a group of them from their Phoenix corporate headquarters. They’ve had a lengthy relationship with both Jim Dunn Racing and the Dunn family, and I consider myself blessed to be a part of that. I see parallels between USD’s business and my own, with their emphasis on customer service through providing auto parts to their loyal customer base. I’m hoping we’ll be able to make them proud this weekend.”
In addition to USD, INC, this weekend Hull will be partnering with local favorite Chompie’s to provide meals for the team and guests throughout the weekend. Recognized as Arizona’s New York Deli since 1979, Chompie’s has multiple locations in Phoenix, Chandler, Scottsdale, and Glendale.
“Chompie’s is proudly continuing its sponsorship for the second consecutive year, supporting Funny Car driver Buddy Hull and his team with fresh made meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” said Frank Lara, Chompie’s Marketing Manager.
USD and Chompie’s will be joined by season-long supporters Vertex Roofers and General Contractors, Solid Start/True Brand Products, Lescure Mechanical Services, Crow Safety, Blaze Exhaust Probes, Koppl Pipeline Services, Mooneyes, Good Vibrations Motorsports, KGC Construction, Powerbuilt Tools and Wiley X.
“You often see all kinds of big names on the sides of these race cars,” said Hull. “And while that’s really cool, I think it’s also fun to represent some names that you don’t hear about as often. Those companies are doing just as good of work, but they don’t always have the chance to have this kind of promotional outlet. And Big Jim and I are proud to be that outlet.”
Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team will be making one qualifying run on Friday, April 5 and two qualifying runs on Saturday, April 6 at Firebird Motorsports Park. The top 16 quickest Funny Cars in the field will advance in competition to race day on Sunday, April 7. The first round of eliminations will begin on Sunday at 11 a.m. PST. Fans can watch the finals on FS1. For tickets or more information on the NHRA Arizona Nationals visit nhra.com.
