The love of driving a nitro Funny Car is what continues to fuel Jim Campbell.
That’s why he’s returning to the NHRA circuit to drive a limited schedule in 2024.
“I’m stoked to be driving the 2024 season with Mark Herzhauser’s car, and Mark is a super cool dude, and his team is so fun to work with,” Campbell said. “And I just love driving a Funny Car.”
Campbell said the Funny Car will be tuned by veteran Jimbo Ermalovich who has worked for drivers Al Hoffman, Mitch King, Ike “Oscar” Maier, Paul Lee, Dale Creasy Jr, and Terry Haddock.
“I love Jimbo and I ran this car in Reading (Pa.) last year and I ran a 4.08, and it went right down the middle and the thing drove like a Cadillac,” Campbell said. “We are trying to get some more bodies and stuff so that way we can rotate wraps and I’m trying to bring in as many sponsors as I can.”
Campbell said he drove around 4 or 5 races for Herzhauser last season and he’s looking to increase that number in 2024.
“Our plan is to run at least half of the (21) races this season,” Campbell said. “We are hoping to start the season at Gainesville (Fla.). I definitely want to run the West Coast races, Pomona, Phoenix, Vegas, and we are going to run Charlotte (N.C.), Reading, Richmond, Va., and Bristol, Tenn.”
Campbell obtained his nitro Funny Car license in 2015 and began his nitro Funny Car career driving for Del Worsham and Haddock.
Then, Campbell began driving Big Jim Dunn’s Funny Car at the start of the 2017 season and competed in six consecutive full seasons through the end of the 2022 campaign. He achieved his career best 3.92-second elapsed time during qualifying at the 2022 Auto Club NHRA Finals at Pomona. He also has made it to the semifinal round three times in his career.
“I’m really looking forward to the 2024 season,” Campbell said.
