For Paul Lee, it was nearly half a century of dreaming, working, and never giving up. From the time he was a teenager watching Jungle Jim Lieberman’s floppers light up the night at Atco Dragway to climbing from the cockpit in the winner’s circle at this year’s NHRA Arizona Nationals, Lee’s road to glory was anything but a straight shot. It took decades of perseverance, a life-altering health scare, and the right team at the right time to finally bring it all together.
“When I was a kid, I grew up at the racetrack,” Lee says. “I saw the funny cars of the ’70s and thought, ‘That’s what I want to do with my life.’ Since then, everything I’ve done—going to law school, building successful businesses—has been so I could race a nitro funny car on my own terms.”
Lee’s opportunity to run at the NHRA professional level nearly slipped away for good after a massive heart attack in late 2016. He had already joined the Kalitta Motorsports camp, posted some strong runs, and looked poised for a breakout. Then everything changed.
“I’m working out at home, and suddenly it feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest. That was it—I went into complete heart failure. It was a ‘widowmaker’ blockage; doctors say maybe 1 in 10 survives that. If I hadn’t been at home, right across the street from the EMT center, I probably wouldn’t be here. After something like that, racing was the last thing on my mind—I was just happy to be alive.”
Two years of cardiac rehab put Lee back on his feet, and a carefully monitored test session in J.R. Todd’s car convinced doctors that his heart could handle the strain of 300 mph passes. From there, it was a matter of assembling the right people around him. Crucially, the addition of crew chief/mentor John Medlen and rising star tuner Johnny Lindberg proved to be the turning point.
“I’d hit a spot where I was spending a ton of money but smoking the tires almost every pass. It just wasn’t fun. I was close to parking the car. Then I asked John Medlen, ‘Would you at least come take a look?’ He’d been retired, but after checking us out, he found all sorts of problems and started teaching our team. He told me, ‘I haven’t had this much fun racing in 10 years. My new purpose is giving back, teaching these young guys how to do it right.’ That’s when everything changed.”
Their progress showed at the tail end of last season with quicker, more consistent passes. But it all came together in Phoenix. Not only did Lee and company clock an early, otherworldly 4.44-second pass, they marched steadily through eliminations to set up a final-round clash with standout Austin Prock—on a date that marked the 18th anniversary of Eric Medlen’s passing. For John Medlen, whose faith and perseverance have guided so many, it was an especially emotional day.
“It was surreal,” Lee says of that final. “I prayed that Eric was with us, and I believe he was. I thought, ‘This is it—50 years of dreaming, 50 years of never giving up. Don’t leave anything on the table.’ We won with an 0.29 light in the final, and to do it on the anniversary of Eric’s passing with John Medlen tuning—there’s no way to describe that feeling.”
Lee is quick to credit his entire team, from Lindberg calling the shots to each crew member turning wrenches, for making it all possible.
“Chemistry is everything. You can have all the money, all the parts, and still not go anywhere if the people aren’t working together. That’s really been our story: the right people, all pulling in the same direction. I’ve never had a nitro operation come together like this—top to bottom. It took years, sometimes it was disheartening, but I never wanted to give up.”
That unwavering resolve, plus Medlen’s mentorship and Lindberg’s tuning instincts, has Lee looking forward to the next race instead of looking back at this one too long. He knows the celebration is short, and the next chance to prove themselves is always just days away on the NHRA tour.
“We’ll definitely remember Phoenix,” Lee says, “but like my old alcohol crew chief used to say, ‘You’re only as good as your last race.’ We’re not leaving anything on the table the rest of the year. My goal has always been to be out here, winning, after nearly 50 years of chasing this dream. And we’re not finished yet.”
This story was originally published on March 27, 2025.
The post Paul Lee Opens Up on Near-50-Year Journey to Emotional First Nitro Funny Car Win first appeared on Drag Illustrated.