by Sadie Floyd Thu, 2017-06-29 12:26
Pete Hanratty has made a name for himself in the world of drag racing as one of the staples in the Competition Eliminator class. Racing for over three decades, the Northeast division 1 racer still finds love in racing with his family.
“I’m about as much of a dinosaur as they come other than a couple of guys,” Hanratty laughed. “My dad had been racing our whole lives as kids and it probably helped keep us out of trouble. A little after my eighteenth birthday, my dad had gotten his license in our dragster and then asked if I wanted to give it a try. I went two tenths of a second faster than he did and that was it; he never drove it again. I’m now 52 and I’ve been racing for 34 years.”
by Sadie Floyd Wed, 2017-06-28 10:28
For Division 2 Competition Eliminator racer Van Puckett, drag racing was something he was born into. Similar to many second-generation racers, Puckett grew up and spent most of his weekends at the racetrack with his family.
“Our racing has always been a family deal,” Puckett said. “My mom and sister would come along and of course, I’d work on the car. I can remember being 13-years-old and pulling motors out of my dad’s Modified Corvette."
Although Puckett had drag racing in his blood even before he was born, he didn’t take the typical route to Competition Eliminator like most competitors do. While many racers compete in Stock or Super Stock before making the jump to Competition Eliminator, Puckett stepped right into Comp in the 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier he still races today.
by Sadie Floyd Tue, 2017-06-27 13:41
Division 3 Competition Eliminator racer James Primozic Jr. has a lot of racing experience to tap into in his family. The third-generation racer had a later start to his drag racing career but has his father Jim alongside him in Competition Eliminator and grandfather Randolph in Top Sportsman to be his confidants when in the midst of intense competition.
“My grandpa was the first one to start drag racing,” Primozic said. “He started this all off and still races Top Sportsman. Growing up, my dad raced in Modified in the IHRA and it’s something I’ve always been around. We love the small motor and high PRM stuff. We love racing together as a family.”