He was the kid many watched grow up at the drag strip.

The kid, Mike Dunn, a winner in two professional categories, was a record-setting driver who took his career in the sport to a one-of-a-kind level.

Before he became a pro drag racer, he turned wrenches on those cars. He was a national event-winning driver in Top Fuel. Ditto behind the wheel of a Funny Car, with a ledger that includes a U.S. Nationals crown. He had top-five points finishes in both classes.

Dunn traded his firesuit for a business suit with a stint as an NHRA drag racing analyst on ESPN. He then set himself apart from others who reached those goals before him by serving a year-plus stint as the president of the rival IHRA.

The son of "Big" Jim Dunn, a nitro legend from the 1960s and 70s who remains a team owner and tuner, Dunn has been there, seen it all, done it all. Hear his unique perspective on where the sport has been, is and is heading in the Season 6 season opener of Legends: The Series.