Hunter Green, the son of NHRA Funny Car and Pro Mod driver Chad Green, will make his NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster debut this weekend at the 4-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It’s the first of two planned races driving one of Randy Meyer Racing’s nitro-injected A/Fuel dragsters to get seat time for an eventual move up to Top Fuel.
Green earned his Top Alcohol Dragster license with Randy Meyer Racing during a preseason test session at Phoenix before upgrading his license in a Tim Wilkerson-tuned Top Fuel dragster.
“Getting in that A/Fuel car really helped me out a lot and boosted my confidence to get back in the Top Fuel car,” said Green, 27, who made his first Top Fuel runs last fall. “I haven’t had a lot of track time. I went to Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School and I jumped from Frank Hawley’s Top Dragster into the Top Fuel car. That was quite a difference. Making those runs in the A/Fuel car really helped me out a lot.”
Green started working with Meyer at the Phoenix test session after Wilkerson suggested he get some seat time in Meyer’s A/Fuel car. Green was all for it, as he’d previously considered the Top Alcohol Dragster path with Meyer.
“There’s no one better to work with,” Green said. “He’s easy to work with, they have the fastest cars, and he’s a good teacher too. He taught me a lot about how to be relaxed in the car and how to get it down the track. That all transferred over when I made my runs in the Top Fuel car. He’s been a good coach and teacher, along with Tim. Both those guys have really helped me a lot on this journey.”
While Green doesn’t have any grade points from regional event competition, his Top Fuel license will allow him to make his debut at a national event.
Green believes his experience in Phoenix has prepared him for his competition debut in Las Vegas. He’ll also have the added challenge of racing four-wide for the first time, but it’s a challenge that intrigues him.
“My goal is to look like I know what I’m doing out there and to look like I’ve done it before, even though I haven’t,” said Green, who will race with support from the family business, Bond-Coat Inc. “I’m pretty confident. It should be no different from making runs in testing, but we’re not just going to have one car in the other lane, we’re going to have three cars in the other lanes. I know that can throw a lot of people off, but I’ve been around it a lot now with my dad in the Pro Mod and in the Funny Car. I don’t think it will be a problem. It’s going to be fun and exciting.”
Beyond this weekend, Green’s goal is to get enough seat time to be fully prepared when the time comes to move up to Top Fuel competition. After the 4-Wide Nationals, Green plans to run the NHRA SpringNationals, April 22-24 at Houston Raceway Park with RMR.
“Top Fuel is the ultimate goal,” said Green, who works on his father’s Funny Car team full-time, handling anything from marketing and social media to packing the ‘chutes. “I’d eventually like to do some races in Top Fuel, possibly as soon as later this year. But I definitely think it’s smarter to get some seat time in the A/Fuel car with Randy first. We have these two races planned, but I could end up doing more races.”
Green and RMR teammate Julie Nataas will take to the track for 4-Wide Nationals qualifying sessions at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday, as well as 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday. Eliminations are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Sunday.
