Busy times at FHDRS! We have been running lots of classes and helping new racers earn their NHRA competition licenses this year! Our annual class after the 50th Gatornationals is always a melting pot of drivers, and this year we had people attending from all over the US, Canada, Norway and England. We followed up with a Funny Car class, hosted another Super Comp/Super Gas Competition License Class and the one-day Dragster Adventure. Then while we were getting ready to head west, we added another 2-day competition license class and Alcohol Dragster class to help more people earn their licenses to go racing.
When you receive this we’ll be running classes at Tucson Dragway. Following Tucson, we head to Auto Club Dragway and then on to Las Vegas. While our classes in Vegas have been sold out for some time, we have a few seats left at the Fontana class on April 24-25. There are also a couple seats in the Dragster Adventures on April 19 and April 26 at Auto Club Dragway. Class dates coming up: Gainesville Raceway May 14-15 (license class); Route 66 Raceway May 23-24 (license class); Houston Raceway June 5-6 (license class) and Houston Raceway June 7 (dragster adventure); Woodburn Dragstrip June 26-27 (license class with only SC Dragster seats left) and Woodburn Dragstrip June 28 or June 29 (dragster adventures); Summit Motorsports Park July 15-16 (license class); Heartland Motorsports Park July 30-31 (license class); and Maple Grove Raceway August 12-13 (license class). More fall dates on our calendar, too!
Many of our dragster adventure days are already sold out, so we thank you for your support of this program and please know we’ll try to increase the dates for these next year!
All the competition license classes include the lectures on how to “Improve your Personal Performance”. The classroom sessions cover the physiology of how your mind and body work together. You’ll learn how to mentally prepare, perform at the highest level, improve focus and block out distractions. Frank teaches how to practice more effectively whether at the track, at the shop or at home. He’ll share techniques on how to remove the emotional baggage (everybody has some) that can often disrupt good performance. People share with us they find this classroom time extremely useful in their work, at home and of course on the track!
Remember, our Alcohol class dates are scheduled on demand, so give us a call if you’re ready to take that next step in your career.
Paul Shields and Jeff Arend can answer all your questions about our programs and their contact information is below. We look forward to seeing you at a class soon!
Jeff Arend, jarend@frankhawley.com, 909-973-8279 cell
Paul Shields, paul.fhdrs@gmail.com, 904-472-6312 cell
866-480-7223
www.frankhawley.com
The Mickey ThompsonDragster Challenge days are always exciting, but this time we were fortunate to introduce some special celebrity guests to the thrill and excitement of drag racing! With Mickey Thompson distributors from Freedom Tire, Les Schwab Tire Centers and Keystone Automotive competing against special celebrity guests Doug and Brad DeBerti from the Discovery Show “Twin Turbos“, and Eric Barron who drives the Mickey Thompson Lucas Oil Off Road Race Series truck, you just knew it was going to be a fun and special day!
In the celebrity guest final Brad DeBerti had an almost perfect .001 reaction time to take out a red lighting Eric Barron. In the distributors final, Frank Hernandez had a great light to take out Scott Borden to win the trophy and bragging rights of the drivers from Les Schwab Tire Centers.
All in all, it was a great day of team building and drag racing. “Frank Hawley and his team of professionals have done it again! Said Kirk Fenn, National Accounts and Business Development from Mickey Thompson. Our guests were treated to an amazing day of learning how to drive these dragsters.”
The School has been relying on the high quality and consistent performance of Mickey Thompson drag slicks for all our race cars for many years now.” “As the premiere drag racing school in the country we travel to a lot of different locations and we see all types of track surfaces and temperatures.” “We know we can rely on Mickey Thompson slicks to give us the traction, durability and performance for all our students,” said Frank Hawley.
Contact us about a fun day for your group! The Dragster Adventure Challenge is great for team building, employee reward, customer promotion, sponsor day, etc. Call Jeff Arend x103 or Paul Shields x102 at 866-480-7223 to discuss providing a most memorable day for
your group. Private group events are scheduled on demand, as are the 200 mph class dates in the Funny Car or Dragster. Information on all the programs offered by the School, class dates & locations can be found on our website at www.frankhawley.com
The school will be offering both the Super Comp and Super Gas Licensing courses as well as their fun Dragster Adventure Program. The Dragster Adventure Program offers drivers a chance to get behind the wheel of a dragster for as little as $399 and also give folks a chance to do some ‘side-by-side racing!
You can earn your license to 7.50 in the 2-day competition license program and classes are filling up quickly at all the venues, so don’t delay in contacting Jeff Arend x103 or Paul Shields x102 to register at 866-480-7223. During the 2-day license program novice and veteran races alike will benefit from Frank’s renowned lectures on Personal Performance.
Tucson Dragway – SC/SG/BYOC April 12-13; Dragster Adventure April 15
Auto Club Dragway – SC/SG/BYOC April 18-19; Dragster Adventure April 20 or 27
The Strip at LVMS – SC/SG/BYOC April 30-May 1
And of course there are lots more dates & locations on our website at www.frankhawley.com! Please contact our guys for information on any of our programs! Jeff Arend, jarend@frankhawley.com, 866-480-7223 x103 or Paul Shields, paul.fhdrs@gmail.com, 866-480-7223 x102.
Here at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School we’ve been helping build successful careers and making dreams come true for a number of years! Whether you have attended our Dragster Adventure program or one of our competition license classes, our grads are our best endorsement and we are thankful for you all! For those that are racing, please keep us updated with your news and we will share it on our social media.
There are only a few seats left in the ever popular Super Comp or Super Gas class between Christmas and New Years. Don’t delay if you may be thinking about attending this class!
Our very knowledgeable guys, Paul Shields and Jeff Arend, are responsive to your calls, texts and emails so feel free to contact them with any and all questions you have about the school. Whether you want to bring your own car to a class, arrange a group event, buy a gift for someone, or even treat a potential sponsor to a taste of drag racing, give them a call. Their direct contacts are listed at the end of this email.
Below is a list of confirmed class dates. Please check back as we will be confirming other dates! **Additional dates for Group Events, TD/NFC are on demand
Gainesville Raceway: December 27-28, 2017 SC/SG/BYOC, January 13 Adventure (private group), January 16-17 SC/SG/BYOC, January 18 NFC, January 22 TD or NFC, February 6-7 SC/SG/BYOC, February 20-21 SC/SG/BYOC, March 20-21 SC/SG/BYOC, March 23 Dragster Adventure, March 27-28 TD or NFC. Summer, fall & winter dates for Gainesville will be coming soon!
Tucson Dragway: April 12-13 SC/SG/BYOC, April 15 Dragster Adventure
Auto Club Dragway: April 18-19 SC/SG/BYOC, April 20 Dragster Adventure, April 26 Dragster Adventure (private group), April 27 Dragster Adventure, October 17-18 SC/SG/BYOC, October 19 Dragster Adventure
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: April 30-May 1 SC/SG/BYOC or May 2-3 SC/SG/BYOC, October 9-10 SC/SG/BYOC or October 11-12 SC/SG/BYOC
Route 66 Raceway: May 17-18 SC/SG/BYOC, May 19 Dragster Adventure
Royal Purple Raceway: May 23-24 SC/SG/BYOC, May 25 Dragster Adventure
Heartland Park: June 20-21 SC/SG/BYOC, June 22 Dragster Adventure
Woodburn Dragstrip: June 28-29 SC/SG/BYOC, June 30 Dragster Adventure, July 1 Dragster Adventure
Summit Motorsports Park: July 16-17 SC/SG/BYOC, July 18 Dragster Adventure (private group), July 19 Dragster Adventure
Maple Grove Raceway: August 14-15 SC/SG/BYOC, August 16 Dragster Adventure, August 17 Dragster Adventure
Paul Shields, 866-480-7223 x102, 904-472-6312 c, paul.fhdrs@gmail.com
Jeff Arend, 866-480-7223 x103, 909-973-8279 c, jarend@frankhawley.com
With such great locations on the schedule we hope almost everyone in the country has a chance to be a part of one of our programs. “We’ve added The Strip at Las Vegas to the schedule in addition to returning to our many of our favorite tracks at Tucson, Fontana, Chicago, Houston, Woodburn, Norwalk, Maple Grove, Topeka and Earlville” said Hawley. “The next several weeks we’ll be running classes at our home track in Gainesville, Florida and then our crew will be heading west with stops in Tucson and Fontana. We’ll be almost everywhere!”
So if your goal is to join the list of successful Hawley grads in one of the school’s world class Licensing Programs or just have a blast racing against your friends in one of the school’s Dragster Adventure Programs, please join us in 2017!
Go to FrankHawley.com or call 866-480-7223 to speak to Paul Shields (x102) or Jeff Arend (x103).
Click here for our calendar of dates & locations. Remember, seats are limited and pre-registration is required at all of our classes.
And here’s some footage of a SC license run during the competition program:
Lots of dates are available for the the 200 mph classes, but these dates are on request, so call us to discuss upgrading your license in the dragster or funny car!
Upcoming class dates:
Gainesville Raceway SC/SG/BYOC competition license: February 14-15; February 28-March 1; March 21-22; May 30-31; July 11-12; September 26-27; November 7-8; December 5-6; December 27-28
Gainesville Raceway Dragster Adventures: March 23; March 24 (sold out); December 1
Tucson Dragway: April 6-7 for SC/SG/BYOC competition license class and April 8 for the Dragster Adventure
Auto Club Dragway SC/SG/BYOC competition license classes: April 12-13; October 18-19
Auto Club Dragway Dragster Adventure dates: April 14, April 15, April 21, April 20, April 26, April 27
Royal Purple Raceway: May 10-11 for SC/SG/BYOC competition license class and May 13 for Dragster Adventure
The Strip at Las Vegas SC/SG/BYOC competition license classes: May 17-18; October 10-11
The Strip at Las VegasDragster Adventure dates: October 12, October 13
Route 66 Raceway: June 21-22 for the SC/SG/BYOC competition license class and June 23 & June 24 for the Dragster Adventure
Woodburn Dragstrip: June 29-30 for the SC/SG/BYOC competition license class and July 1(sold out) and July 2 for the Dragster Adventure
Summit Motorsports Park: July 17-18 for the SC/SG/BYOC competition license class and July 20 for the Dragster Adventure
Maple Grove Raceway: August 15-16 for the SC/SG/BYOC competition license class and August 17 & August 18 for the Dragster Adventure
Heartland Park: September 6-7 for the SC/SG/BYOC competition license class and September 9 for the Dragster Adventure
Tri-State Raceway: September 16 for the Dragster Adventure
Contact Paul Shields at 866-480-7223 x102, 904-472-6312 c, pshields@frankhawley.com
Contact Jeff Arend at 866-480-7223 x103, 909-973-8279 c, jarend@frankhawley.com
www.frankhawley.com
When this news goes out, we’ll be running classes at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, CA before heading back to our home track at Gainesville Raceway for the winter and spring. We’d like to feature some of our grads in an upcoming newsletter, so please send us your pictures and news! In the meantime, if you’ve already been to the school, tell people about the programs, and please “like” and review us on our Facebook page. We are grateful to continue to help people get started in racing, or help them fulfill a lifelong dream! Our grads are our best endorsement and we are thankful for you all!
The December classes between Christmas and New Years are extremely popular and this year the calendar worked out where we are able to offer TWO classes during this time. These are very popular for the up and coming racers out there as they are on school break, and also many people have this time off work. Don’t delay if you may be thinking about attending during one of these classes, as both class dates are half full already!
Our very knowledgeable guys, Paul Shields and Jeff Arend, are responsive to your calls, texts and emails so feel free to contact them with any and all questions you have about the school, what you’re trying to accomplish, whether you want to bring your own car, arrange a group event, just have some fun, buy a gift for someone, or even treat a potential sponsor or significant other to a taste of drag racing, etc. Their direct contacts are listed at the end of this email.
Below is a list of confirmed class dates. Please check back as we will be confirming other dates soon! **Additional dates for Group Events, TD/NFC are on demand
Then we’ll be heading back to our home track of Gainesville Raceway for some 200 mph action in the Nostalgia Funny Car and Top Dragster, as well as the SC/SG/BYOC class on October 4-5. Remember, the tuition is $500 less on the 2-day Super Comp/Super Gas program in Gainesville!
Mid-October we’re off to Auto Club Dragway! In addition to a special program for the Fontana Chamber of Commerce, we’ll be running our SC/SG/BYOC class on October 19-20. Only a few seats are left in this class. The Dragster Adventure on October 21 has been sold out for some time, but there are still a few spots left on October 27 and October 28.
Call on our knowledgeable staff if you’re looking to earn your license, upgrade your license or get started in racing. They will answer any questions you may have or help you reserve your seat in any of the programs we offer. The Super Comp/Super Gas class has proved to be an incredibly good starting point for so many people who are racing! The competition license classes are taught personally by Frank Hawley and include the popular Personal Performance Development lectures. We have so many grads competing in everything from the NHRA Pro classes, NMRA, NMCA, IHRA, Jet Dragster, and local racers!
Dates for the 200 mph cars are on request and previous fast car experience is required.
Remember, pre-registration is required in all our classes and seats are limited.
Paul Shields, pshields@frankhawley.com, 866-480-7223 x102, 904-472-6312 c
Jeff Arend, jarend@frankhawley.com, 866-480-7223 x103, 909-973-8279 c
Here’s a list of all our upcoming class dates/locations that have openings:
December 6-7, 2016 Super Comp/Super Gas/Bring Your Own Car, Gainesville Raceway – Call us to book
December 27-28, 2016 Super Comp/Super Gas/Bring Your Own Car, Gainesville Raceway – Call us to book
December 29-30, 2016 Super Comp/Super Gas/Bring Your Own Car, Gainesville Raceway – Call us to book
www.frankhawley.com
866-480-7223
By Brandon W. Mudd
The Frank Hawley Drag Racing School, led by the two-time NHRA Funny Car champion, has announced the continuation of its relationship with the Mickey Thompson Tire Company, an organization built by an equally-important figure in racing history. Mickey Thompson Tires and the school first worked together in the mid-1990s when Hawley was based in Pomona, Calif., and has spent 20 years creating the top drag racing school in the world.
Begun when Mickey Thompson Tires Vice President of Sales and Marketing Ken Warner joined forces with Hawley at Pomona, the partnership has evolved into a pairing that has seen incredible benefits for both sides. Kirk Fenn of the Mickey Thompson National Accounts Business Development Department, said the relationship has had incredible rewards for them.
“Frank was looking for the best products when he was going through his suppliers with his cars for the school and it was the perfect fit for us and for Frank,” Fenn said. “It allows anyone who’s going through for certification to be exposed to the best tires that are out there for drag racing for those classes and those categories. “
“Not to mention it works very well for us for when we’re doing relationship building with clients or customers. It really helps give them some hands-on experience to better sell and speak to the product when they’re marketing it out there.”
Hawley, an NHRA Nationals winner in both Funny Car and Top Fuel as the pilot of the legendary Chi-Town Hustler, said Mickey Thompson Tires has been an amazing partner for the school.
“It’s always important to have great traction and a good handling race car but it’s even more important when you are learning to drive. We’ve trusted Mickey Thompson Tires at our school for years!”
The most successful display for the two entities has been the Mickey Thompson Dragster Adventure. The program provides training at various drag strips across the country with the students racing in a Frank Hawley Drag Racing School dragster at the end of the day.
“We usually do two a year and I’ve been doing that for almost eight years and managing it for the last year and a half,” Fenn said. “We have nothing but rave reviews. People coming into it kind of skeptical in some cases, kind of ‘What is this all about?’ and after they make their first pass, they get out and get their helmet off…they’re like a little kid who’s just had their first exposure to a roller coaster.”
The Adventure has seen some amazing highlights, from its most recent winner Floyd Carter at Fontana, Calif., April 21, to a group of Navy SEALs last spring. While working with the SEALs is an unforgettable experience for both parties, the primary goal for Mickey Thompson is to provide education to customers and staff. The company also has a sizable involvement in off-road racing and provides an all-new experience to staff members who are unfamiliar with drag racing, although that’s not always the case.
”Floyd was a great example because he runs a speed shop so he was very in touch with the product on the drag racing side,” Fenn said, “but yet, was still absolutely floored by the experience. We go into it with a high-level objective, but we fine tune it based on what we want to get out of it and how the partnership is going to grow together.”
At the end of the day, success is measured in profit and the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School has definitely provided the opportunity for the Mickey Thompson Tire Company to expand both its reach and its customer loyalty.
“It certainly provides more of a hands-on takeaway,” Fenn said. “The more familiar our customers, dealers, and the end users become with a product, the more receptive they are to talk about it and essentially, sell it. That tends to be a positive take away and going back to the Fontana event, we had customers there who have since ramped up there overall volume of Mickey Thompson product.
“That’s an easy metric to see that we’ve accomplished our goal.”
Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School is coming to Woodburn Dragstrip in Woodburn, OR June 7-10! “This is the first time we’ve ever brought the school to Woodburn and the response has been fantastic!” said school founder Frank Hawley. “There are only a few seats left in the Super Comp/Super Gas competition license course on June 7-8 as well as the Dragster Adventure program on June 9. The folks at the track have been very helpful in welcoming the school to Woodburn.”
“There are different reasons drivers attend our courses,” said school founder Frank Hawley. “Some are looking to get a competition license while others just want to drive a fast dragster and check another item off their bucket list. Every class has a combination of experienced racers and folks that have never been down a drag strip. The course is designed to work for drivers with various levels of experience.”
The two-day Super Class allows drivers of all backgrounds the opportunity to earn their NHRA competition driver’s license in the school’s Chevy Performance 572/720R equipped Super Comp Dragsters or Super Gas Firebirds. For drivers that already have their own car, the school offers a “bring your own car” program that gives drivers the opportunity to enjoy the same driving course behind the wheel of their own race car. No experience is necessary to take the course.
In addition to on-track time, students will learn from Frank’s classroom sessions which cover the physiology of how the mind and body work together. Participants will learn how to mentally prepare, perform at the highest level, improve focus and block out distractions. Frank teaches how to practice more effectively, feel more confident about pulling up to the starting line and he shares techniques on how to remove the emotional baggage (everybody has some) that can often disrupt good performance.
For those that are simply looking for the thrill of blasting down the quarter mile, the Dragster Adventure is offered on June 9th and 10th. The Dragster Adventure starts at just $399 for the half day program, or $599 for the whole day program with SIDE-BY-SIDE racing.
Seats are limited and advance registration is required, so call now to reserve your seat for the June 7-8 competition course, or book on-line for the Dragster Adventure on June 9 or 10.
For additional information, please call 866-480-7223 and speak with Jeff Arend (x103) or Paul Shields (x102) at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School. Also visit the school’s website at www.frankhawley.com.
Check out all the great locations we’re holding both our 2-day Super Comp/Super Gas competition license class, as well as the Dragster Adventure in the next couple months!! In addition to our regular stops at Royal Purple Raceway in Houston (May 18-20) and Bandimere Speedway in Denver (June 1-3), this will be the first time we’ve ventured to Woodburn Dragstrip in the Pacific Northwest (June 8-10), as well as Route 66 Raceway near Chicago (June 30-July 2)!
So, if you want to earn your competition license, improve your skills, crossgrade or upgrade your current license, entertain friends or employees – give us a call!
Pre-registration is required in all programs and space is limited, so contact Paul Shields, pshields@frankhawley.com or Jeff Arend, jarend@frankhawley.com at 866-480-7223 for complete information on all our classes or to sign up!
Visit our website for lots more class dates and locations too!
Busy times at FHDRS! We have been running lots of classes and helping new racers earn their NHRA competition licenses this year! Our annual class after the 50th Gatornationals is always a melting pot of drivers, and this year we had people attending from all over the US, Canada, Norway and England. We followed up with a Funny Car class, hosted another Super Comp/Super Gas Competition License Class and the one-day Dragster Adventure. Then while we were getting ready to head west, we added another 2-day competition license class and Alcohol Dragster class to help more people earn their licenses to go racing.
the Dragster Adventures on April 19 and April 26 at Auto Club Dragway. Class dates coming up: Gainesville Raceway May 14-15 (license class); Route 66 Raceway May 23-24 (license class); Houston Raceway June 5-6 (license class) and Houston Raceway June 7 (dragster adventure); Woodburn Dragstrip June 26-27 (license class with only SC Dragster seats left) and Woodburn Dragstrip June 28 or June 29 (dragster adventures); Summit Motorsports Park July 15-16 (license class); Heartland Motorsports Park July 30-31 (license class); and Maple Grove Raceway August 12-13 (license class). More fall dates on our calendar, too!
Remember, our Alcohol class dates are scheduled on demand, so give us a call if you’re ready to take that next step in your career.
