While the American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals may seem like it’s the middle of the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season for most, for Buddy Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team, it was a new beginning. Hull debuted a new car, with a new Blaze Exhaust Probes livery to match. After three runs made over the course of two days, it’s safe to say that this new car will help launch Hull in the right direction for the rest of the season.
“The car is completely different,” said Hull. “It drives so much better. The car does exactly what I tell it to do. I turn right, it goes right. I turn left, it goes left. So it’s a really nice car. We accomplished what we needed to this weekend. The car showed great promise for the rest of the year.”
Two weeks ago in Bristol, Hull had a trip in the sand trap that pushed the Jim Dunn Racing team to pull out a new car. This weekend was Hull’s first time making passes in it, but he adapted quickly. With each run that he made in the car, his elapsed time and speed improved. Coming into race day, Hull was competing out of the No. 14 qualifying position, going up against recent New England Nationals winner J.R. Todd. His first-round run was his best of the weekend, a 4.171-second pass at 294.56 mph. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get past Todd’s 4.115-second, 307.86 mph pass.
“That last run was a bit of a gas-off, which is what happened to us in Q1 and Q2, too,” said Hull. “I have to do my job better, I was dead-late at the starting line, and I’m never late like that. I don’t know what was wrong with my head, but I’ll fix that. Other than that, I think the team did exactly what we were supposed to do this weekend.”
All teams battled the crippling heat this weekend, making it nearly impossible to perform personal bests. Knowing that those were the conditions that this new car faced, Hull is optimistic about what it is capable of at future races. He is also even more confident in his abilities to control his new ride.
“The car dropped a hole out there probably around 600 or 700 feet, and I caught it right away,” said Hull. “I kept it right in the middle of the groove and gave us our best shot. I could see him the whole time, but I wouldn’t give it up. I will always give it my best race.”
The heat tested drivers, team and fans alike during the two-day event. Hull is grateful for everyone who stuck it out and provided a fantastic environment for him and his competitors to still put on an exciting show.
“NHRA fans are the most loyal, most badass fans on the planet,” said Hull. “It doesn’t matter if it’s 95 degrees or 55 degrees out. They show up to the racetrack. They want to see a show. And it’s really cool as a driver to see that level of support. Virginia is a beautiful racetrack and a beautiful area. We always love coming out here. We’re looking forward to hopefully slightly cooler conditions next weekend in Norwalk.”
Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team will be back in competition next weekend at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals on June 26-29 at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. There will be two qualifying sessions on Friday, June 27 and two more qualifying sessions on Saturday, June 21. For tickets or more information on the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, visit nhra.com.
This story was originally published on June 23, 2025. 
