HARTLEY'S OVERWHELMING EXPERIENCE
Mon, 2007-06-04 14:41
Part-time competitor Joe Hartley said being
Top Fuel’s No. 1 qualifier in front of his hometown crowd with his 4.518-second
elapsed time at 323.12 mph is “overwhelming.”
Hartley, born and reared in Omaha, lives in Portland, Oregon, where last summer he earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Portland State University and works as a design engineer. The team originally was based in Nebraska but moved to Wichita, Kansas, for a few years, then moved back to Omaha.
And the performance increase, he said, “comes from never giving up.” But he said clutch and oil changes the crew made to the car in the offseason have been “significant to the tune-up.” He also said that the return of Kent Urban from a stint at Kalitta Motorsports has made a huge difference and contributed to the improved stability of the team.
Part-time competitor Joe Hartley said being
Top Fuel’s No. 1 qualifier in front of his hometown crowd with his 4.518-second
elapsed time at 323.12 mph is “overwhelming.”
Hartley, born and reared in Omaha, lives in Portland, Oregon, where last summer he earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Portland State University and works as a design engineer. The team originally was based in Nebraska but moved to Wichita, Kansas, for a few years, then moved back to Omaha.
And the performance increase, he said, “comes from never giving up.” But he said clutch and oil changes the crew made to the car in the offseason have been “significant to the tune-up.” He also said that the return of Kent Urban from a stint at Kalitta Motorsports has made a huge difference and contributed to the improved stability of the team.
“We feel good about our tune-up,” he said.
Hartley and his team decided before the start of this season that they could be competitive at 10-12 races, so he isn’t a fixture on the 23-event circuit. “Getting some of the money from qualifying No. 1 will help. But until we get some sponsorship, we’ll have to stick to our 10-12 races,” he said.
He said he plans to run next weekend at Joliet, Illinois, then sit out eight races until the Brainerd, Minnesota, event. His schedule also includes Indianapolis, Dallas, Las Vegas, and the season finale Pomona, California. He said his father’s Nebraska-based software company, Pro Data Computers, funds the race team.
The announced agreement of NHRA’s sale to HD Partners Acquisitions this week, Hartley said, made him optimistic that a fresh set of operators will “open a lot of doors” for the sport and that, consequently, will filter down to the teams and help the smaller-budgeted racers.
But for right now, he said leading the field -- “something we always hoped for but never thought we could pull off” -- feels pretty good. We’ve tried long enough. It’s about time it paid off.”
Hartley, born and reared in Omaha, lives in Portland, Oregon, where last summer he earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Portland State University and works as a design engineer. The team originally was based in Nebraska but moved to Wichita, Kansas, for a few years, then moved back to Omaha.
And the performance increase, he said, “comes from never giving up.” But he said clutch and oil changes the crew made to the car in the offseason have been “significant to the tune-up.” He also said that the return of Kent Urban from a stint at Kalitta Motorsports has made a huge difference and contributed to the improved stability of the team.
Part-time competitor Joe Hartley said being
Top Fuel’s No. 1 qualifier in front of his hometown crowd with his 4.518-second
elapsed time at 323.12 mph is “overwhelming.”Hartley, born and reared in Omaha, lives in Portland, Oregon, where last summer he earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Portland State University and works as a design engineer. The team originally was based in Nebraska but moved to Wichita, Kansas, for a few years, then moved back to Omaha.
And the performance increase, he said, “comes from never giving up.” But he said clutch and oil changes the crew made to the car in the offseason have been “significant to the tune-up.” He also said that the return of Kent Urban from a stint at Kalitta Motorsports has made a huge difference and contributed to the improved stability of the team.
“We feel good about our tune-up,” he said.
Hartley and his team decided before the start of this season that they could be competitive at 10-12 races, so he isn’t a fixture on the 23-event circuit. “Getting some of the money from qualifying No. 1 will help. But until we get some sponsorship, we’ll have to stick to our 10-12 races,” he said.
He said he plans to run next weekend at Joliet, Illinois, then sit out eight races until the Brainerd, Minnesota, event. His schedule also includes Indianapolis, Dallas, Las Vegas, and the season finale Pomona, California. He said his father’s Nebraska-based software company, Pro Data Computers, funds the race team.
The announced agreement of NHRA’s sale to HD Partners Acquisitions this week, Hartley said, made him optimistic that a fresh set of operators will “open a lot of doors” for the sport and that, consequently, will filter down to the teams and help the smaller-budgeted racers.
But for right now, he said leading the field -- “something we always hoped for but never thought we could pull off” -- feels pretty good. We’ve tried long enough. It’s about time it paid off.”
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