By Jeff Smith

Photos by Mike Morgan and Jeff Smith

For 28 years Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School has been the leader in drag race driving instruction and licensing.  Thousands of bracket and class racers and many of today’s Pros are on the graduate list.

This year the school has added a new program, the Dragster Adventure.  The Dragster Adventure puts drivers behind the wheel of a real competition-styled 230” wheelbase dragster and lets them race in “side-by-side” competition!

Unlike the cars in Hawley’s well-known “Licensing Programs” which require a medical and two days of instruction, the Adventure Dragsters are powered by ZZ454 Chevy big blocks which are a milder version of the school’s 572 c.i. competition engines.  However, even the ZZ454s are a little too powerful and to keep the cars away from 9-second runs, as per NHRA licensing requirements, the engines are throttled back to produce 10-second, 130 mph performances.  But don’t think for a minute that these cars aren’t fast…they’re really fast!

The design of the cars, allows students to get up to speed in a half-day course and if they choose to, enter into ‘side-by-side’ eliminations in the afternoon.  So when Frank invited me to do some racing at the Media Challenge, I jumped at the chance.

The race was at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, CA which was re-opened this spring.  I joined a number of other journalists for the one-day course offered by Hawley.  The event was to promote both the re-opening of the Auto Club Dragway and the return of Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School to Southern California.

To add a little excitement to the race and to give some folks much needed advice, Hawley invited John Force Racing driver Robert Hight and Don Schumacher Racing driver Jack Beckman (a veteran Hawley school instructor), as guest instructors.  Nitro FC racer Jeff Arend, a sales rep for Hawley, joined in to help coach the media.

It all sounded like great fun, but these are very quick dragsters and just like you wouldn’t put a neophyte in an aircraft with no instruction, the same is true with these dragsters.  First, we spent an hour or so with Frank in the classroom going over the intricacies of how to drive his dragster, then we moved outside where we were fitted with helmets and the all-important safety gear and driving suits.  Finally, we learned how to get in and out of that tight cockpit so at least we looked like a 20-year veteran.

Once we had the basic instructions committed to memory, it was time to drive the cars.  We first had to perform a burnout, stage the car, react to the ‘Tree’ and make an 1/8^th-mile pass.  Once we’d managed that successfully under Frank’s and the rest of the coaches watchful eyes, we returned to make a full quarter-mile run and prepare for qualifying, which would be based on Reaction Time.

The format for the race was a .500 Pro Tree, and a handicapped start with dial-ins.  5.0 Mustang and Super Ford magazine’s KJ Jones hit a perfect 0.000 reaction time to take the top spot in qualifying.  On the other end of the field was Car Craft’s Douglas Glad who red lighted and therefore found himself at the bottom of the ladder.  Using a Pro ladder, this placed Jones and Glad against each other in the first round.  The rest of the field also paired up based on their qualifying times.

Although we were given instructions on dialing the cars in, each participant had to choose their own dial-ins.  There were a few variables to consider including the drivers weight, the order the cars ran, temperature changes and more. Both Beckman and Hight helped their respective teams figure out how to negotiate the dial-ins based on each car’s previous best e.t.

The first matchup promised to be exciting as Glad had to take on top qualifier Jones. Both reaction times were within 0.005-second giving KJ the ever-so-slight advantage.  KJ slowed only 0.008 against his 10.62 dial-in which seemed close enough to deliver the win, but Glad nailed his, running right on his 10.78 dial to take the win.  First round also saw several racers forget to pull their shift lever back into First gear after the burnout, which meant the car left in high gear. Among the victims of this oversight were the author, Henry De Los Santos, and at least one other. Racer Alex Rogeo looked good in her first pass with an impressive 10.45 on her 10.44 dial-in. This was impressive given all the variables, but she has lots of bracket racing experience so she knows the bracket game well.

Hot Rod’s Elana Sherr transitioned to the second round as did Camaro Performers’ Nick Licata, Vette’s Steven Rupp, Speed Scene Live’s Donnie Couch, and Car Craft’s Douglas Glad.  Alex beat Elana in the all-girl race when Elana broke out after pulling off an excellent reaction time advantage, Couch put Calin Head out with a great start, and Rupp beat his buddy in an in-house duel when Licata redlighted.

For the semi-final round, Glad met Alex the Car Girl. Glad nailed the ‘Tree but slowed against his dial-in giving Alex the win light when she ran dead on her 10.32 dial-in. That produced the closest race of the event with a 0.023-second margin of victory. On the other side of the ladder, Couch bested Rupp when the ‘Vette editor gave away a 0.063-second advantage on the starting line when he slowed against his dial-in. This gave us the final round of Alex The Car Girl versus Couch The Big Guy. Couch got the slower dial-in head start and both cut lights within 0.016 with Couch taking the advantage. Alex had been living on the edge of her dial-in all day and the gamble finally caught up with her when she broke out by a scant 0.020-second but it was enough to give Couch the win and the champion’s trophy.

Hawley’s Dragster Adventure program is an absolute blast.  It is the only place where you can learn how to drive a 130 mph dragster and race it in competition in one single day.  Hawley takes this program around the country to various tracks and it’s the perfect way to spend a day with your friends or for a company outing.

Check the school’s website www.frankhawley.com and see when they’ll be in your area.

Thanks to the Hawley’s and the staff for a great day!

NHRA Nitro Funny Car driver Jeff Arend has joined Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School team as a Program Sales Representative.  Jeff will be working with 18 year school veteran Paul Shields in a position for which Jeff is uniquely qualified.  Jeff’s entire career has been devoted to drag racing.  He has worked as a mechanic, instructor, sales rep and race car driver…a position he currently holds as driver for the “Grime Boss” NHRA Nitro Funny Car campaigned by drag race legend Jim Dunn.

Jeff Arend and Frank Hawley go way back.  Both natives of Ontario, Canada, Jeff and Frank grew up racing at the same drag strips in Southern Ontario and both fulfilled their childhood dreams of one day getting a shot in the “big show”, driving NHRA Nitro Funny Cars.

When Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School opened its west coast program back in 1996 Frank needed experienced, skilled drag racing mechanics and drivers to maintain the school cars and instruct the classes.  Jeff Arend was one of the first people he called.

“I had known Jeff for many years and was very familiar with his skill set,” said Hawley.  “I needed someone that could tune and maintain our Alcohol cars as well as instruct our drivers.  Jeff could do it all,” continued Hawley.  “I met with Jeff, offered him a position and he accepted.”

About the same time Jeff signed on, another “up and coming” driver came to work for the school.  Current Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car driver Jack Beckman joined Jeff.  “We had quite a staff,” said Hawley!

When the School’s lease at Pomona was not renewed several years ago the west coast staff continued building their own individual drag racing careers but the relationships and friendships stayed intact.

“We are enjoying a time of growth at our racing school,” said Hawley.  “We have new programs we are offering and new race tracks we will be attending.  Jeff will be a great asset to our team and a great help to our customers.  He understands every aspect of our business and of course everything about drag racing.  Jeff will be able to help answer anyone’s questions and guide them to the perfect program,” said Hawley.

“I’m excited about working with the school again,” said Jeff.  “I love talking with folks about drag racing and my job is wide ranging.  On one call I’ll be talking with a guy that wants to come out and race his friends in our “side-by-side” Dragster Adventure, the next call I’ll be helping a future racer decide on the right direction he or she should take with their racing career and then I’ll be talking with a company executive or owner about a corporate day for their sales force,” said Jeff.

“The fact that I’m currently racing a Nitro Funny Car on the NHRA Mello Yellow series is a real bonus for me and our customers.  I’ll be at every major drag strip in the country this year and although I get very busy sometimes helping the crew with the car, it will provide a great opportunity for folks to stop by our pit and talk about their racing plans and how Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School may help them achieve their goals or fulfill their dreams,” said Jeff.

Contact Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School at www.frankhawley.com or 866-480-7223!

Paul Shields x102, pshields@frankhawley.com

Jeff Arend x103, jarend@frankhawley.com

Click on the link below to read about what we’ve been up to so far this year!  It’s been very busy indeed!

Frank Hawley School News – March 2014

We have lots more exciting things going on! More updates coming soon!

Contact us to schedule your Adventure or License Course!

866-480-7223

www.frankhawley.com

Frigid temperatures across the country didn’t stop students at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School from bringing in the New Year with a roar at the school’s annual “New Years” class held in Gainesville, FL.  Blue skies and warm temperatures greeted the drivers that made the trip south.  Following two days of tire smoking action and over 70 quarter mile runs, a new group of NHRA competition licensed drivers will start the 2014 season on the right track. 

Classes will continue here at Auto Plus Raceway in Gainesville for the next several weeks and then we’ll be headed west for Phoenix, AZ.  This will be the school’s first trip ever to the Phoenix track.

Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park is the new name for the facility in Phoenix, previously called Firebird Raceway.  The raceway is under new management.  I’ve been talking with the folks there just this week and I think racers, fans and our students will be quite impressed when they see the racetrack.  They have a new concrete racing surface, new state of the art Compulink timing system and many other improvements.  Our Phoenix class will run Feb 25/26, just after the National Event and before the Division event which will give our students the chance to take in some NHRA racing action in addition to driving our cars.

The school will be back in Gainesville after our Phoenix trip with classes in March following the Gatornationals.  This class is always popular with students looking to escape the long winter, travel south to watch the Gatornationals and enjoy some race car driving at the school.

Then it’s off to Fontana, California for the school’s debut at Auto Club Dragway.  We are so excited about the re-opening of the drag strip at Fontana!  Our classes begin at Fontana in April with our competition licensing courses and our new Adventure Dragster course which offers ‘side-by-side’ racing.  The Fontana, California track will be a regular visit on our 2014 tour.

In the next few weeks watch for updates on our new race cars and new transporters!

Frank

Beginning in April of 2014 Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School will begin classes at The SoCal Auto Club Dragway in Fontana! It’s been several years since the school has offered classes in California but the re-opening of the drag strip at Fontana will give those on the west coast the opportunity to attend the best drag race programs in the country.  Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School will be conducting Super Comp and Super Gas classes at the world class facility as well as the school’s new Dragster Adventure  program where you can Drive A Dragster for $399!  How would you like some Side-by-Side racing?  You can do that too in the Dragster Adventure Challenge.  Take a look at the attached flyer…………. Dragster Adventure

While we’re on the topic of new locations… consider visiting us at the new Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Phoenix AZ.  We’ll be there in February following the NHRA national event with classes in Super Comp and Super Gas for the ‘door car lovers’!

Maybe the mid-west next spring will be a good time for you to do some driving.  Then you’ll want to drive with us at Gateway Motorsports Park in St. Louis. But if you just can’t wait and you want to get out of the cold weather and do some driving this winter come and visit us at our home in Gainesville Florida.  We’ve got a busy schedule all winter long in Gainesville Florida where the weather forecast is hot and fast!

Please remember that a trip to Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School is a great Christmas Gift no matter what program or location you choose!

So give us a call or email and let’s get ready for some High Speed Excitement!

www.frankhawley.com

866-480-7223

“Like” Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School on Facebook and watch videos of our grads on YouTube!

Attached are two stories from the July issue of MoparMax Magazine – the first one is by one of our grads, Alex Rogeo. Alex attended our class in Las Vegas this spring and we thank her for the very nice and detailed article she wrote!

The second link will take you to an interview with Frank by Richard Kratz, Editor/Publisher of MoparMax. Enjoy!

http://moparmax.com/features/2013/viii_7-hawley-1.html

http://moparmax.com/features/interview/viii_7-hawley-1.html

Contact us for information on all our classes at 866-480-7223! Or visit our website at www.frankhawley.com

We’re heading to Houston, then on to Las Vegas for classes!   This will be our last road trip of 2013.  There are still some seats left, so contact us soon…we’d love to see you at one of our classes!  Bring your own car, drive one of ours or get a “tune-up” during our classroom lectures.  Click on the link below for information.

Houston Pre-Release 2013

866-480-7223

www.frankhawley.com

A great time was had by all in attendance at the Mickey Thompson day at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio!  Check it out below!

Mickey Thompson Entertains Their Customers at FHDRS 2013

If you or your company would like to discuss having the school put on a day for your company or group, please contact us – lots of options are available from having Frank come and speak to your folks, to a private class, to a ride-along program.  Many options are available.  Contact us at 866-480-7223 and we’ll look forward to helping you with your plans.

www.frankhawley.com

                        Audiences, students and racers agree, Frank’s lectures have provided them with some of the most insightful and useful information they have ever received!

Please click on the link below for information on having Frank speak to your group at any location !

Frank Hawley Speaking Engagements 2013

  We’ll look forward to speaking with you at 866-480-7223.

We hope you enjoy this short update from our recent class at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH!

Just click on the link below to access the story:

Norwalk Class News

Contact us at 866-480-7223 to answer your questions or schedule a class. We hope to see you soon at one of our upcoming classes!

SC and SG Class Dates: Gainesville July 9-10, Denver July 24-25, Seattle August 7-8, Maple Grove August 27-28, Gainesville Sept 10-11, Houston September 24-25, Las Vegas Sept 30-Oct 1 & Oct 2-3, Gainesville October 17-18, Gainesville November 4-5, Gainesville December 9-10.

PSB Class Dates: November 21-22 and December 19-20

Dates for TAFC, TAD, TD and TS available on request