Nostalgia Funny Car Racer and AA/FC National Champion John Hale Wins at Rockabilly Rod Reunion
- Sep 6, 2012
But again, what would you expect from a Dallas, Texas native who got bit by the drag racing bug by his first employer, local drag racer Mike Burkhart - for whom his current funny car was named. While working at Mike's truck accessory shop, Hale got a first-hand education in cars, trucks and engines. Cherishing his time at Mike's shop, Hale went on to work for the well-known drag racer, Larry LaDue, building custom trucks and other hot rods. Crewing on Larry's dirt cars opened up new opportunities for Hale, leading to the world of NHRA superstock with a "wrench position with Division 4 racer Kim Barr," as Hale recounts. While working with Barr's team, Hale helped to reset the B/Altered Competition Eliminator E.T. record. Of course, Hale wasn't satisfied "turning wrenches" as he put it, so he first climbed behind the wheel at age 22 driving an E.T. bracket roadster. That led to building his own blown rear-engine dragster. Meanwhile, Hale continued driving other owners' cars and crewing on teams. Eventually attending drag racing school, Hale earned his Top Alcohol Dragster license and tossed his hat into the Nostalgia Funny Car ring. Recently, Hale dominated the AA/FC final round of June's Rockabilly Rod Reunion. Up against fellow AA/FC National Champion Jason Rupert. Despite Hale's slower-that- .200 reaction time, he still won for the second Eliminations with a .245 RT compared to lightning-quick Rupert's .148. Nonetheless, Hale pulled around Rupert with a 5.737-second pass at 251.81mph, .100-second faster than Rupert. Hale, who has been using K&N Filters long before becoming sponsored by the company, accredited his win to his Camaro's superior performance and thanked K&N for building "the best product in the market today. None other delivers performance, horsepower and superior quality than K&N Filters." There's still plenty of racing left in Hale's season, so look out for more from this champion. Of course, when Hale isn't at the track, he's operating his own hot rod shop he started in 2002. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
