Wade Aunger, the mastermind behind Methanol Moonshine, knows how to turn a phrase. He calls advocates for his brand of corn whiskey “am-a-bad-ass-adors,” and he nicknamed NHRA racer Buddy Hull “the Tony Robbins of Top Fuel.” 

But Aunger, an Australian motorsports announcer and photojournalist/publicist, also knows an outstanding partnership when he sees one. And he told Chris Bishop, Methanol Moonshine U.S.A’s strategic partner and founder of Racing Pro Media, he recognized “from the second that we sat down with Buddy” this past September during the U.S. Nationals that he and Hull were an ideal marketing match.  

Within three months, they had an official deal.   

Methanol Moonshine and Hull, along with the Buddy Hull Racing team, announced Thursday afternoon at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show at Indianapolis that they have entered into a partnership agreement heading into the 2023 Camping World Drag Racing Series season. 

“The excitement and sheer power of NHRA Top Fuel drag racing is beyond comparison on many levels,” Aunger said, “but when you throw a dynamic and committed individual like Buddy Hull into the mix, you have a cocktail for something completely left of center and completely wide open. The more I think about this partnership, the more I think it’s divine intervention - .Between Buddy, Chris, Methanol Moonshine and I, we all, feel we have something very explosive here . . . Hull Yeah. 

“I was so impressed with Buddy when Chris Bishop introduced us in Indy. I knew from the second we sat down with Buddy that Chris had introduced us and brought us together for a reason,” he said. “Buddy is perpetual motion. He didn’t have his Top Fuel dragster on track for the event, but I could see he was running three-second passes in his mind during our whole conversation. He has a mind like a steel trap, and he doesn’t stop thinking about ways to improve his racing program and widen his sphere of influence.”  

Hull, an Illinois native who has settled in the Dallas area, said, "I'm super-excited to work with Wade, Chris, and everyone at Methanol Moonshine. Since we started talking back at Indy, we all just hit it off and did everything possible to work together. It's an absolute perfect fit with our team, and the look of the car is something special. I can’t wait to launch this partnership into a new gear through our racing program and hopefully make that trip ‘Down Under’ to race in a dragster there, as well." 

He competed at five events last season and 12 in his 2021 rookie year. 

Bishop, who brought both parties together, said, “After working with Wade [Aunger] over the past few years and getting more familiar with Buddy over that same time frame, I knew that this was a partnership that needed to happen for both parties and would be mutually beneficial for all involved. Buddy has charisma and a level of fan engagement that is second to none, and the excitement for Methanol Moonshine is infectious.”  

Buddy Hull Racing and Methanol Moonshine will collaborate on a uniquely themed brand of merchandise available exclusively through Hull’s website (https://www.buddyhullracing.com/) and other merchandise avenues. For more information, visit https://methanolmoonshine.com.au/. 

Dallas-headquartered Buddy Hull Racing is based at Dallas and was established in 2008 at the amateur level. moved to the professional level in 2022, after Hull bought the Top Fuel operation from Tim Wilkerson Racing. Hull's drag racing roots run deep. His family has been involved in the sport since the late 1950s and has a proud history which Buddy looks to continue. In the 2023 season, Hull’s plans for 2023 will include a nitro Funny Car and a nostalgia Top Fuel car in the mix. Hull has not announced specific plans yet for either of those cars.