Generations of racers have relied on Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School to hone their skills and improve their performance both on and off the track. Recently, Justin Arias obtained his Super Comp competition license and is poised to pursue a fast-paced future in the nostalgia racing community.
The Arias name has been well-known in the aftermarket performance industry for generations, but Justin’s legacy is even more encompassing than the piston company that his paternal grandfather, Nick Arias, founded in 1969. Justin’s maternal grandfather, Steve Gibbs, was the Competition Director for NHRA for nearly fifty years and worked directly under the late Wally Parks. “Both are in the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame and they’re tough acts to follow,” laughed Justin, 30, who had always been encouraged – but never pressured – to follow in the family’s footsteps.
Growing up, Justin raced go-karts at various tracks in southern California and often accompanied his father, Nick Arias III, to Bonneville. He has a diehard love for true nostalgia drag racing, so, when a friend offered Justin the opportunity to drive his 7.0 Pro front-engine dragster – which Justin’s father had also driven when Justin was young – he knew he couldn’t miss the chance. And, with an ultimate goal of racing in Nostalgia Top Fuel, Justin took the first steps toward making his dream a reality by attending Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 2-3, 2024.
“It’s easy to get jaded by 300 mph cars,” shared Justin, who works in sales at Arias Pistons and is surrounded by high-horsepower applications all day, “but I have tremendous respect for Sportsman racers. Letting off the trans brake in the School’s Super Comp dragster and going 160+ mph, well, it’s really fast, especially being so low to the ground.”
Although Justin felt comfortable in the car, he was careful to truly listen to Frank Hawley’s sage wisdom and sound instruction. “Frank has so much to share, even things that don’t have to do with actually driving the car, but that can be applied to the mind and life in general,” Justin said, fascinated by Hawley’s lectures. “Frank puts a lot of faith in his students, never rushes things, is always patient, and that made me want to do well and make him proud.”
For Justin, being a third-generation student at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School was definitely monumental. Growing up, he idolized Hawley and followed his racing career with passion, so, having his hero as his instructor made the entire experience that much more memorable. “This was my first time in a full-blown competition dragster and it was amazing. It felt like I had a friend teaching me and having Frank set me up and put me in the beams was so rad,” added Justin. “I’m impressed with how well the School’s cars are put together, too.”
Having a driver in his class with the iconic Arias last name was special for Frank Hawley. “I told Justin that when I was a kid, the first set of brand-new pistons I bought was from Nick Arias, his grandfather,” laughed the School’s founder. “It will be very cool to see the Arias name back on the racetrack. Justin drove well and we wish him the best!”
Having successfully completed the class, Justin was awarded his NHRA license in Super Comp which permits him to go as quickly as 7.50 seconds in the quarter-mile. To run in the 7.0 category, though, he will have to upgrade to an Advanced ET license and already has plans to do so. “I’m obsessed with nostalgia drag racing and ‘60s Top Fuel,” he affirmed. “If I can’t travel back in time, then the closest thing I can do is run in the nostalgia classes with a blown alcohol front-engine dragster, and getting my Super Comp license at Frank Hawley’s was the first step in that process!”
One of our favorite west coast race tracks in the country is The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway! It’s a great place to enjoy everything from restaurants, nightlife, Valley of Fire, mountains, Grand Canyon, and more AND lay down some fast runs at the dragstrip! Drive our Super Comp or Super Gas race cars or contact us about bringing your own hot rod to class.
Make a family trip of it and come and join us in Vegas!
Seats are limited and courses sell out quickly. To reserve, call 866-480-7223. Visit www.frankhawley.com for all upcoming class dates and locations.
Jeff Arend, 866-480-7223 x103, jarend@frankhawley.com
Paul Shields, 866-480-7223 x102, paul.fhdrs@gmail.com
Drag Racing Classes Coming to Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Sin City has always had the ability to turn big dreams into reality, and for those who have always wanted to learn how to drag race, Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School is making it happen with awesome instructional opportunities. Two-day NHRA competition licensing classes will take place at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on April 25-26 and April 27-28, 2022 as well as on September 12-13 and September 14-15, 2022.
Suitable for both beginners with no prior racing experience as well as experienced racers, the School’s 2-day licensing programs in either Super Comp or Super Gas offer a stimulating curriculum consisting of classroom lectures and on-track coaching. Upon completion, students will be eligible for their NHRA competition licenses.
The perfect blend of lecture-based education and plenty of seat time for students to implement and practice what they’ve learned, Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School teaches procedures necessary for success in drag racing to beginners while seasoned veterans focus on perfecting their techniques and mastering their competition-day focus.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a storied landmark of motorsports excellence where many of drag racing’s biggest names have competed, allows racers to push their skills and experience new levels of performance in a safe and controlled environment with expert guidance and supervision. The Hawley team of talented instructors offers personalized feedback and valuable insights to further solidify the concepts that are taught during the 2-day courses.
“Las Vegas is known for its great hotels, food, entertainment, and one of the finest dragstrips ever built. Vegas is one of our most popular destinations and we can’t wait to get back to ‘The Strip,’” affirmed Hawley of the desert hot spot for racing. “You don’t want to miss it!”
“The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is one of the most iconic dragways in the world. We hold drag racing at every level from pros to juniors,” added Chris Powell, LVMS President. “We take great pride in hosting race fans from around the world and students of Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School.”
Other than a stop in Tucson, Arizona, in May, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s April and September dates are the only chances that West Coast-based racers will have to easily obtain an NHRA or IHRA license on Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School’s 2022 schedule. Don’t miss the opportunity to get certified on April 25-26, April 27-28, September 12-13, and September 14-15, 2022!
Seats are limited and courses sell out quickly. To reserve, please call 866-480-7223! Visit www.FrankHawley.com for all upcoming class dates and locations.
Jeff Arend – 866-480-7223 x103, jarend@frankhawley.com
Paul Shields – 866-480-7223 x102, paul.fhdrs@gmail.com
Hey everyone! We have the majority of our 2019 class dates published on our website, so check them out! We also wanted to let you know that due to a delay with construction of our home track at Gainesville Raceway, our December 2-day Super Comp and Super Gas competition license classes will be held at Bradenton Motorsports Park. The original dates of December 4-5 and December 27-28 remain the same. As those classes are nearly full, we have added an additional class date on December 11-12, so we hope to see you in Florida in December!
We will be visiting many of your favorite tracks in 2019, as well as running classes in Florida. Clink on the following link to see all the upcoming dates and locations! https://frankhawley.com/class-dates-locations/
Remember, the Funny Car and Top Dragster classes are scheduled on demand, at Gainesville. So if you’re ready to upgrade your license, give us a call and we can arrange some one-on-one time on the track for you with Frank Hawley and crew.
You can contact us by calling 866-480-7223 (Paul Shields x102 or Jeff Arend x103), or by emailing us through our website at the following link: https://frankhawley.com/contact/
If you haven’t had a chance to watch the video below, we hope you’ll take a few minutes to view it, as it is a great inside look at the 2-day competition license class. We think you’ll enjoy it, from our friends at Cars Illustrated Magazine.
We’re looking forward to seeing you at a class soon! 866-480-7223, www.frankhawley.com
Come and join us for what many of our clients call a “life changing experience”. Not only will you get the best drag racing instruction available anywhere but Frank’s lectures cover a broad range of topics on how we think, act and behave and how to retrain your mind, allowing you to perform at a highter level in both your professional and private life.
Since so many of our competition license classes have been sold out this year, we wanted to get the word out about our fall and winter class dates! First, we added a NEW class on October 1-2 at Gainesville Raceway! The October 11-12 class at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway only has a few spots available. And there are a few seats left in the class at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, CA on October 17-18 so we added a second class on October 24-25.
We’ll be running classes all winter at our home track in Gainesville, FL and currently have classes on December 4-5 and December 27-28 to finish out 2018. We’ve added a few dates for the competition license class in 2019 too in Gainesville – January 22-23, February 5-6, February 19-20, March 19-20 and March 26-27.
Drive well in this program and you can earn your license to 7.50. The competition license course includes classroom, in car and on track instruction. Drivers will make progressively longer runs down the strip, enjoy video review of all runs and learn from Frank Hawley’s lectures on improving personal performance. Those new to drag racing will learn basic techniques and procedures and those currently racing can improve their skills.
Please contact Paul Shields x102 or Jeff Arend x103 at 866-480-7223 for information on any of the classes and to register. Pre-registration is required in all the programs and the seats are limited so don’t wait. Group event dates and the 200 mph classes are scheduled on demand.
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
We hope you enjoy this story about some of our grads from the spring 2013 Las Vegas Super Class.
Please click on the link below to access the story.
Contact us at 866-480-7223 to answer your questions or schedule a class. We hope to see you at one of our upcoming classes!
SC and SG Classes include: Indianapolis – May 21-22, Gainesville – May 29-30, Norwalk – June 10-11, Houston June 25-26, Gainesville July 8-9, 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 Classes include: November 21-22 and December 19-20
Dates for TAFC, TAD, TD and TS available on request
Please click on the link below to see the dates and locations available for 2013!
More dates are available and/or on request for corporate groups, Top Dragster, Top Sportsman and TAD/TAFC! This is only a partial list of our upcoming class dates. So whatever your reason – whether you are new to the sport, a seasoned racer or need to cross something off your bucket list…please contact us to schedule some time!
Generations of racers have relied on Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School to hone their skills and improve their performance both on and off the track. Recently, Justin Arias obtained his Super Comp competition license and is poised to pursue a fast-paced future in the nostalgia racing community.
For Justin, being a third-generation student at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School was definitely monumental. Growing up, he idolized Hawley and followed his racing career with passion, so, having his hero as his instructor made the entire experience that much more memorable. “This was my first time in a full-blown competition dragster and it was amazing. It felt like I had a friend teaching me and having Frank set me up and put me in the beams was so rad,” added Justin. “I’m impressed with how well the School’s cars are put together, too.”
