It’s always a good weekend when you get your mojo back, and that’s exactly what happened for Dallas-based Top Fuel driver and team owner, Buddy Hull, at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.
“This weekend was a major success for me and my guys,” said Hull. “It was just what we needed to get our morale up and our confidence back. The crew guys feel good about working on the car now because they get to see the fruits of their labor, which is the car leaving the starting line and crossing the finish line without having rods hanging out of it. We saw major improvements in the car and working as a team, and I’m thankful we still have several races left this season to show everyone what we’ve got.”
Hull’s last race was the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago in May, where his team faced several issues with their car. But after a lot of time and energy in the shop, they arrived in Denver stronger than ever.
“We came here knowing that we had discovered and addressed a lot of problems with the car,” said Hull. “Some of them were small, and others were much larger. But we knew this weekend was going to go one of two ways: we’re either going to prove ourselves right or prove ourselves wrong. And we definitely proved ourselves right.”
After a tricky first round of qualifying, Hull put himself on the right track during Q2 and ran a 4.066 second pass at 256.70 mph. Qualifying round three was even better, where he made a clean 3.977 second run at 285.29 mph. He ultimately qualified in the No. 14 spot.
“In Q2 and Q3 the car did exactly what we told it to do,” said Hull. “This entire weekend, we moved in the direction we want to be in. And what’s even better is that we only used up some oil, spark plugs, nitro and a few pistons. We didn’t hurt a single thing on the car the entire weekend. Not a darn thing. It’s all positives going into the next race.”
In round one on Sunday, the driver of the Renegade Fuel Top Fuel dragster made another clean 4.006 second pass at 299.53 mph, but it unfortunately was not enough against driver Antron Brown, who is No. 6 in points.
“I know we didn’t advance, but the first thing I said when all the guys came down to give me a ride back to our pits is that we may not have won first round, but we won this weekend,” said Hull. “We won what we needed to accomplish. We’re going go back to the shop to build a couple of more motors, a few more sets of heads and another supercharger. And we’ll come back even better.”
Like many of his competitors, the final race at Bandimere Speedway had Hull feeling both grateful and nostalgic. This year’s Mile-High Nationals was completely sold out on all three days of racing.
“It’s a blessing to be able to do what we’re doing, and I mean that with all my heart,” said Hull. “I’m thankful that we’re able to pivot and get out here to make some respectable runs and help the Bandimere family close out a long legacy of providing an incredible facility to drivers and race fans. They’ve worked their butts off their entire lives to provide us with a sandbox to play with our fast toys.”
Hull will now turn his attention to Topeka, where he will be competing in the Menards NHRA Nationals Presented by PetArmor on Aug. 11-13. He also plans on competing in the U.S. Nationals, the Midwest Nationals in St. Louis, the Fall Nationals in Dallas and the Las Vegas Nationals.
“We’re going to regroup,” said Hull. “In Topeka we’re going to make a few more changes and see if we can continue to get as great of results as we did here in Denver, but with lower elevation. I’m confident we’re only going to keep making progress.”
This story was originally published on July 16, 2023. 
