No one can ever accuse Buddy Hull of lacking range, but this weekend might top the list. Hull, who has strapped into both Top Fuel and Funny Car machinery, is heading to the small-tire world with help from friend and shop neighbor J.D. Campbell.
Hull is scheduled to drive a nitrous-fed 2006 Ford Mustang in Saturday’s Clash of the Titans race at Xtreme Raceway Park. Instead of waiting on his next nitro outing, he found another steering wheel to grab.
Hull’s Funny Car operation has been regrouping since the season-opening Gainesville incident. Sitting still was never likely to be part of the plan.
“I’ve been wanting to do it for a while,” Hull said. “I want to drive a Pro 275 car and a Pro Mod. So this opportunity came up through J.D. Campbell. J.D. services the car for WS Energy Services. They basically just house it at his shop.”
That got Hull interested quickly. Then came the part racers always listen to — what kind of car is it?
“This car is a good car,” Hull said. “It was the world champion in Ultra Street last year. It held the world record in Ultra Street for over a year. It’s still the second-quickest Ultra Street car in the world. So it’s the right pedigree car and it’s the right opportunity. So I’m excited. It’s local too. It’s right here. How can you beat that?”
To someone outside drag racing, it may sound like a major change. Inside the sport, it sounds like a racer taking a shot in something proven and fast.
The Mustang carries a Reher-Morrison 588 combination, enough by itself to get attention in any pit area. Hull knows the equipment matters.
“This is an ’06 Mustang and it’s a Reher Morrison 588,” Hull said. “It’s 100% Reher Morrison powertrain.”
Campbell also has another toy nearby — his own bad-to-the-bone, Reher-Morrison-powered first-generation Camaro. For Hull, the chance to drive Campbell’s Camaro was a real temptation.
There was one problem. Hull’s answer came fast and without much room for debate.
“Well, I can only drive Fords,” Hull said. “I’m sponsored by Ford now, so I can’t drive a Chevrolet.”
That line got a laugh, but it also said plenty about modern racing. Loyalty, sponsor obligations and opportunity often show up at the same time.
“He’ll let me drive whatever I want, but I just can’t,” Hull said of Campbell. “I have to drive Ford. So it’s going to be hard. If I drive a Pro Mod car, there’s really not many Fords out there. So we’ll figure it out when we get to that point.”
This weekend works because it checks several boxes at once. Hull gets a competitive car, a local race and a place to host the people helping fund his effort.
“For me, it’s like my sponsor is local. Sam Pack Ford, FS Performance — they’re local,” Hull said. “To be able to have them out, host them and drive a really, really nice car, just a really well-performing car that we have an opportunity to go some rounds and do well for them really gets me excited.”
That is racer math in 2026. If the main car is parked, find another stage and make the weekend count.
Independent teams live there all the time. They patch schedules together, chase budgets and keep moving when bigger operations might simply wait.
Hull also made sure to point toward the people who helped put the deal together, including Campbell and a new business tied to the program.
“I think just super thankful for JD Campbell and the opportunity he gave me,” Hull said. “He has a new company he’s using. It’s called Dynamic Racing Solutions. We want to make sure we mention those folks.”
Hull said he plans to make a few test hits before eliminations. That matters because radial racing can make good drivers look average in a hurry.
Launch feel changes. Tire reaction changes. What a driver sees and when he sees it changes.
“We’re excited to go run the thing,” Hull said. “I’m going to make a couple test hits, which is going to help me get comfortable in the car. I’m all fitted in the car. And we’re ready to rock and roll.”
That quote probably tells the story best. Hull is not showing up for a photo op; he wants to race.
As for returning to the Funny Car trail, Hull gave the kind of answer racers give when they’d rather be racing than talking about not racing.
“Maryland, I think,” Hull said. “I hope. We’re just waiting on our funding, but I think Maryland.”
Until then, Hull plans to make the most of the opportunity in front of him, even if it comes on a different tire and in a different lane.
“We’re ready to rock and roll,” Hull said.
