ABOUT JOHN HALE
How My Race Career Began
“My first encounter with a race car: My parents were gone for the night and my sister was watching me. My older brother came over with some of his friends with their Camaro race car. I remember them starting it up and my sister took me out in the garage and I asked why it was so loud. She said it was because it was fast.
Fast forwarding a year or so and my dad had an lawn edger that was loud, while it was running I asked him “is it fast?.” Later on I would come to love these sounds that startled me as a youngster.
The second time I went to a drag strip I was 22 years and old drove an ET roadster. From there on I continued driving it on weekends when time and money allowed. Wanting to have my own race car I shopped around for chassis kits and considered building a race car myself, but was talked out of by friends and a local chassis builder and wound up building a top alcohol dragster.
Changing directions during the build, I decided to experiment with nitro and put a blown big block Chevy in it. I ran it a few times locally before a split with my business partner forced the sale. After establishing my own hot rod business nostalgia funny cars caught my eye. I knew I had to have one.
I had the resources and the personnel to run the car, so I said “why not.” We had a lot of success and my first full season I won the championship. We carried the championship over to the next year as well, winning races in all three sanctioning bodies.
While I’m a full time driver for Jim Dunn on the NHRA Mello Yellow Series, I continue to enjoy driving my nostalgia funny car when time allows. I enjoy seeing all my friends I have met and look forward to meeting new ones.”
STATS
Date of Birth: April 19, 1965
Hometown: Addison, Texas
Career Wins: 0
Career Final Rounds: 1
FC: 1
Career Best E.T.: 3.956 (Q3 Seattle 2016)
Career Best Speed: 317.87
PERSONAL
Wife: Karen
Height/weight: 5’10”, 190 lbs.
Hobbies: Offshore boating and fishing, flying, shooting sports, anything outdoor life and grilling
Notable: Two-time Nostalgia Funny Car race winner and competitor on the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series
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2016 Career Highlights
- Presented with a Wally for best appearing car
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2015 Career Highlights
- Raced to a runner-up finish at Gainesville
- Reached the quarterfinals on five occasions
- Ran career-bests in time and speed at Topeka
- Nominee for Road to the Future Award -
2014 Career Highlights
NHRA
- Competed at one national event
Nostalgia
- California Hot Rod Reunion Runner-Up
- Tulsa Nitro Nationals Runner-Up
- Presidents Cup Nitrojam Winner
- 2nd Member Legends of Nitro 260 mph Club (261.14) -
2013 Career Highlights
NHRA
- Earned Nitro Funny Car license; qualified in debut in Seattle Nostalgia
- California Hot Rod Reunion Winner (2nd in 3 years)
- DRO 1/2 mile MPH Record (261.14)
- Inaugural Texas Nitro Shootout Winner
- DRO 1/8 mile ET Record (3.818)
- DRO 1/8 mile MPH Record (196.07)
- Boise Nightfire Nationals Low Qualifier
- Boise Nightfire Nationals Winner
- Texas Raceway Track MPH Record (200.50)
- Texas Raceway Track ET Record (3.746)
- DRO Texas Raceway Winner -
2012 Career Highlights
Nostalgia
- Tulsa Nitro Nationals Runner-Up
- Reset DRO MPH Record (253.42)
- Reset DRO ET Record (5.711)
- US131 Funny Car Nationals Winner
- Cedar Falls Night of Fire Winner
- Rockabilly Rod Reunion Winner
- Boise Ignitor Runner-Up
- San Antonio Nitro Jam Winner -
2011 Career Highlights
Nostalgia
- DRO AA/FC Challenge MPH Record (251.72
- DRO AA/FC Challenge ET Record (5.777)
- California Hot Rod Reunion Champion
- Drag Racing On Line AA/FC Challenge Champion
- World Series of Drag Racing Champion
- World Series of Drag Racing Top Speed
- World Series of Drag Racing Low ET
- Boise Night Fire Nationals Runner-Up
- Geezers at Maple Grove Runner-Up
- Kansas City Muscle Car Reunion Champion
- Bakersfield Track ET Record (5.589)
- Cordova Track MPH Record (251.72)
- Cordova Track ET Record (5.673)
- Las Vegas Track ET Record (5.698)