INTERVIEW WITH HOT ROD FULLER

The Former Super Comp Racer Gears Up For Another Season With David Powers Motorsports

Drag racing success on the professional level has usually come about after a long, often arduous climb up through the ranks, and few epitomize this scenario more than Las Vegas resident “Hot Rod” Fuller. The winner of 13 NHRA national events, 28 points meets and numerous Division championships in the Super categories, while few remember it now, Fuller actually competed in Top Fuel back in 1995 and ’96, qualifying six times in 15 outings. He never made headlines primarily because the cars he was driving weren’t the most competitive, but all that changed when he was tabbed by David Powers to handle his new Top Fuel operation in 2005. Fuller’s selection followed multiple face-to-face interviews and extensive personality testing in which the recreational weight lifter outshone the other prospective drivers.

While the Powers team competed in only 15 races in ’05, Fuller and tuner Richard Hogan amassed a significant record that included three final round appearance with one victory. That’s an impressive final round appearance percentage of 20% -- a mark that many veterans would be envious of.

At the end of Fuller’s first season with Powers Hogan jumped ship to rejoin mentor Alan Johnson at Don Schumacher Racing with driver Melanie Troxel. While that kind of departure might have slowed some teams, Powers reacted by quickly signing two proven veterans, Lee Beard and Rob Flynn.

Last year the team competed in all 23 races with Valvoline livery on the car in the appearance of a major sponsorship, although behind the scenes it became apparent that there was more flash to the sponsorship than actual cash. While the team may publicly deny this, Torco’s Competitionplus.com sources report that Valvoline was only funding the operation in major sponsorship trim for a limited number of outings, although they were on board as an associate for the full season. It’s also been reported that some team members managed to convince Powers they would be better off appearing as if they had major sponsorship support regardless of the true monetary picture. That may help explain this year’s initial team press release indicating that Valvoline will be the team’s major sponsor for the first two POWERade Series events, and will then revert to associate support for the balance of the season. Although there’s been talk of another major sponsor opportunity in the works, that remains to be seen.

The biggest news from Powers came late last year after Matco Tools declined to renew with Don Schumacher Racing, this after the Illinois team owner – ironically enough an acquaintance of Powers’s from his days of competition on the match race and UDRA circuits throughout the Midwest – had fired driver Whit Bazemore. Within weeks Matco announced that the sponsorship would go to Powers’ team, with that announcement shortly followed by the word that Bazemore would be the driver.

With plans for the Matco car moving forward, and the Valvoline situation appearing to be in limbo, Fuller’s future with the team seemed uncertain, but those uncertainties now seem to have been erased, with the former All American soccer player having been assured that he’ll have a ride for the entire 23-race POWERade season.

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We caught up with Fuller as he was getting ready to head out to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to take in the first official pre-season test session, although he won’t climb behind the wheel of his own car until the Firebird Raceway session in Arizona on January 26th.

COMPPLUS: Was last season everything you thought it would be, or less, or more?

FULLER: It was more. You know, you always think in the back of your mind that you can fight for the championship, but sometimes reality sets in, and the reality was that we were a one-car team without a primary sponsor, with a driver that hadn’t run a full season in Top Fuel.

COMPPLUS: When you say “without a primary sponsor,” clearly, visually, it appeared that you had a major sponsor with Valvoline. Was that not the case?

FULLER: No, it was not the case. Valvoline was the primary sponsor on the car for three races and an associate sponsor for the rest. We felt that, as a team, because Valvoline had been such a good supporter of me personally, and of the team and drag racing in general, that we would carry them on the car until we found a major sponsor, or until Valvoline was in a position to step up and help us.

COMPPLUS: What’s your attitude about adding a second car to the team?

FULLER: I’m all for it from the aspect that the more knowledge and records those crew chiefs have, the better off you are. I’ve watched Melanie Troxel go down the track, and she’d run good and I could see Alan Johnson and Richard Hogan talking to each other and Alan would go back (in the lanes) and make the necessary changes to the car to make sure that Tony (Schumacher) ran good. With us, you can watch other people, but you don’t know what their clutch settings or their fuel system settings are. For us to have that (additional input) is critical.

I do think a one-car team can win the championship, but I think it’s a lot harder than having a two-car team because basically you’re getting twice the amount of information and twice the amount of runs (to look over).

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COMPPLUS: What’s the crew chief plan for this year? Who’s going to be tuning each car?

FULLER: Lee Beard will be assigned to Whit Bazemore’s car and Rob Flynn will be assigned to me, but those two are going to be working hand-in-hand with each other. It’s going to be kinda like the Force deal, where they all talk to each other and share information. All the information from each car will be “piped” to each trailer. We also have a new technology trailer, and I think that’s where (Lee and Rob) will be working from.

COMPPLUS: What about the guys working on your car. Do you have the same people as you did last year?

FULLER: No. My whole team, minus one guy, is now on Whit Bazemore’s team.

COMPPLUS: Where are your crew people coming from?

FULLER: That’s kind of interesting because people have been asking me if I’m bummed because I have a whole new crew, but I’m not. I’ve got guys from world championship teams working on my car, really a lot of good guys. I’ve got guys that worked with Gary Scelzi, I’ve got Mike Guger, who worked for Kenny Bernstein. I think we’ve got quality people working on this car. I think the guys are really excited about this year because it’s all new for all of us. Everyone’s really looking forward to this. I think everyone forgets that in my first year of Top Fuel I had three different crews, and we did okay with all three crews.

COMPPLUS: What’s your sponsorship situation for this year after the Valvoline major sponsorship program ends.

FULLER: The Valvoline sponsorship is for two races, but it’s an associate sponsorship for both cars for the full season.

COMPPLUS: What happens after the first two races in terms of what name is going to appear on the car?

FULLER: You’d have to talk to David Powers or Ted Yerzyk (team PR director) about that, because I don’t know. It will either be a David Powers Homes car, or I know we’re really close on some other sponsorships.

COMPPLUS: What about the level of competition you’re going to face this year as opposed to last year.

FULLER: I think it’s going to be pretty comparable to last year. You know, with Melanie (Troxel) not being with Schumacher, I don’t think her car’s going to be as strong as it was last year. Hopefully, with Kenny (Bernstein) coming back it doesn’t take anything away from what Brandon is doing. You just never know about stuff like that.

Tony Schumacher’s going to be every bit as strong as he’s been, and so is Doug Kalitta. I predict that Hillary Will is going to be a lot better this year. That’s a Top 5 car. I think that the year of experience Hillary has had will be very good for her. To me it didn’t make sense last year that that car was a 4.50 race car that was running 4.60s most of the year. Ya know, you hear stories that they slowed that car down to bring it more towards her, and that makes sense. Don’t get her over her head, but I think she did a fine job, and I think she’s definitely ready to go out there and win races and fight for a championship herself.

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COMPPLUS: What do you think we’re likely to see this year in terms of all out performances?

FULLER: I think you’re probably going to see a best of ‘forty-two, and speed-wise around 334, 335.

COMPPLUS: Where do you think the best numbers are going to come from in terms of tracks?

FULLER: I would say Pomona, Chicago and probably Dallas.

COMPPLUS: What’s your attitude towards the new points system?

FULLER: It doesn’t bother me one way or the other. I kinda like the idea of being proactive and trying to make our sport more exciting. I mean, who’s interested in a Tony Schumacher thing where he runs away with it and it’s all over by Indy? I know last year that wasn’t the case, but in past years it’s been like there, where John Force or someone else has run away with it early on. Now I think it’s going to be exciting no matter what because it’s going to put people in the mix that might not have had a chance otherwise. You could dominate all year, and with the old point system you would have won the championship and now, you could still lose if you’re not the best at the end. I think it will all work itself out.

COMPPLUS: It’s easy to say that at the beginning of the season when no one has any points, but what’s your attitude going to be like if you make the final eight coming in to Indy, but you don’t make the final four coming in to Las Vegas?

FULLER: I’ll be fine with it because I had the opportunity, and that’s all you can ask for, the opportunity. That’s all anyone wants, a level playing field. If you don’t step up and do it, then you don’t deserve to be there, no matter what your points were like before (the cut-down). I think there’ll be some adjustments (to the system) because there always are adjustments when they make major changes like this, but not matter what, coming in to Indy there’s going to be plenty of excitement because there’s going to be a real points battle. And there’s also going to be a real points battle after Indy.

COMPPLUS: In terms of event wins, what do you think the best Top Fuel racer will do in 2007?

FULLER: I’d say six races.

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COMPPLUS: What would you personally consider to be a good season in terms of wins?

FULLER: Four.

COMPPLUS: What do you see for yourself in the future?

FULLER: I consider myself somewhat of a purist in terms of drag racing. I’m one of the younger guys in Top Fuel, and I want to help make this sport move forward. You know, you’ve got the greats who got us to where we are today, the John Forces, the Kenny Bernsteins, the Joe Amatos, Don Garlits and Shirley Muldowney. Those are the people who brought our sport to where it is today.

Sometimes it bothers me because I talk to these new guys, and they don’t have the background on the sport and they don’t respect the people who brought us to where we are now. I grew up in drag racing. When I was a little baby I was at the drag strip, so I grew up with this, and I want to help continue our sport, and I’ll do everything I can to take the torch from the guys who will some day retire. I know that John Force and Kenny Bernstein are going to have to retire some day, and I want to be among that next level of drag racers who help promote our sport.

COMPPLUS: Do you see yourself as a team owner some day?

FULLER: Some day I could see myself as a team owner, but for the foreseeable future I see myself as a driver, but a driver that has a serious interest in the sport. Even as a driver you can have an important impact on the sport. In my mind I’m trying to do things that are outside the box in terms of marketing. I’m trying to get myself in TV commercials and be out there with the public in promoting our sport.

COMPPLUS: Who’s going to surprise people in Top Fuel this year?

FULLER: As I said, I think it’s going to be Hillary Will. I think she’s really going to come on this year. I think she’s going to surprise some people. She’s not going to surprise me, ‘cause I think it’s coming!

Personally, I’m very comfortable coming into the season. I feel very comfortable as a driver. I think I’ve reached the point where I don’t have to think about everything as I get into the car. Its all becoming instinctive. I feel like I’m jumping into my Super Comp car when I jump into the Top Fuel car now. That gives me a lot of confidence.

I want to do everything I can to help my team win races. If that means pedaling the car, or fighting to keep it in the groove, or trying to win on a holeshot, that’s what I’m going to do.

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INTERVIEW WITH HOT ROD FULLER