Most firsts do not come easy, and that includes the first time attempting four-wide competition in a Funny Car for Buddy Hull, driver for Jim Dunn Racing. This weekend’s Vegas NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway posed many unexpected hurdles for the Jim Dunn team, but Hull is confident that it was an opportunity to shake off any first-time jitters in preparation for the second four-wide race in Charlotte in a couple of weeks.
“No one is harder on me, than me,” said Hull. “I was super excited going into this weekend to show off all the progress we have been making with the car, and we unfortunately did not deliver. I must remember that it is rare that progress is linear. We were able to collect several rounds of data this weekend. We’re going to take a hard look at it over the next two weeks and come back to Charlotte an even stronger team. I know we can, and will, do better moving forward.”
The fourth round of qualifying was the strongest for Hull. He made a 4.236 second, 294.31 mph pass, finishing second behind No. 12 qualifier Chad Green.
“If we could have made a few more passes like we did in Q4, we would have been in much better shape,” said Hull. “But we are in Vegas after all, and that is just the luck of the draw sometimes. It was great to be out there on Friday and Saturday, running four-wide in a Funny Car for the very first time. I’m getting more and more comfortable in the car. By the time we get to Charlotte at the end of this month, and make four more four-wide passes, it will be second nature.”
Despite the tough weekend, morale is still high for Hull and Jim Dunn Racing. The Charlotte four-wide race will officially mark four years since Hull made his professional debut.
“Four years into this crazy experience, I couldn’t be more thankful for where I am now,” said Hull. “I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, both in my Top Fuel dragster, and now driving a nitro Funny Car for Big Jim. But the lows make me appreciate the highs that much more. I have a good feeling going to Charlotte, that we’ll have a really positive weekend to mark my professional anniversary. This weekend will ultimately just be a steppingstone to bigger and better race weekends in the near future.”
Reflecting on the weekend, Hull said that the highlights included representing sponsor KGC Construction on the side of his car, driving a Lamborghini Huracán GT race car at new Vegas attraction Dream Racing, and interacting with Vegas fans.
Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team will be back in competition in two weeks at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Concord, North Carolina on April 26-28 at zMAX Dragway. There will be two qualifying sessions on Friday, April 26 and two qualifying sessions on Saturday, April 27. For tickets or more information on the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals visit nhra.com.
This story was originally published on April 16, 2024.
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