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Buddy Hull has never been the type to sit still. Whether it was youthful hustle to overcome his meager upbringing, a fast-growing construction business, or his tireless efforts to promote NHRA Drag Racing, Hull is always moving forward, and the NHRA is just the latest beneficiary.

NHRA fans know Hull as the driver of the Jim Dunn Funny Car and as the larger-than-life former powerlifter whose gregarious nature makes him a hit from the pits to autograph sessions to his own YouTube show, but few know the story that drove him to never settle for less than the best.

Even Hull’s journey into NHRA Drag Racing certainly wasn’t traditional. The third-generation drag racer started in one of the wildest machines possible: a Fuel Altered. “Everybody told me I was crazy,” Hull laughed. “They said, ‘You should probably start in a dragster.’ But I said, ‘No, I can’t afford two race cars, and I want this one.’ ”

That fearless mindset has been his calling card since childhood. Hull grew up in a working-class family, knowing that success wouldn’t be handed to him. “I always understood that, in a lot of ways, I was at a disadvantage,” he said. “My family had no money, so I knew that my best way to get what I wanted out of life was to work my ass off and have a really good attitude.”

That started as a teen, doing jobs no one – even his best friend whose father hired him – wanted to do, whether that was cleaning up after hours at a bar or mowing lawns. His entrepreneurial spirit was evident in school, where Hull would sell candy to his classmates out of his locker. He’d buy it in bulk, then sell individual pieces at a markup. It was a small hustle, but it showcased his natural ability to identify opportunities and capitalize on them.

“I was always looking for a way to get ahead,” he said. “I didn’t want to wait for someone to give me an opportunity; I wanted to create one.”

Born into a large frame, he took up powerlifting and for two years was one of the top-five-ranked power lifters in the world. That led him into the world of health clubs, where his first job was helping build the largest Gold’s Gym in the world, which later led to an executive vice presidency at LA Fitness, which led directly to his contracting business.

“I helped build more than 200 gyms,” he said. “I was shuffling all the paperwork and supervising, and after a while I realized that the people that were reporting to me were making more money than me, so I decided it was probably best that I do my own thing.”

Hull built his company, Vertex Contractors, from the ground up. What began as a small roofing company nine years ago has evolved into a nationwide general contracting powerhouse specializing in fast-food restaurant remodels.

Hull’s ability to seize opportunities has defined his professional drag racing career, beginning with when he purchased Tim Wilkerson’s Top Fuel car, along with all the necessary equipment to compete. 

“If I hadn’t used my own money to buy that car, the semi, the tools, and the motors, I would have never raced Top Fuel,” he said. “That got me in the game. I front-loaded it — put in my own money at first — because I knew if I did things right, the sponsors would come.

“Life has taught me one thing: Whether you’re winning or losing, if you stay focused, you’re going to get more of what you want long term,” he added. “Look at John Force. Like me, he grew up poor, and early in his career, he probably failed more than anybody who has had massive success. My philosophy is if one guy did it, another guy could do it. I’m never going to be John Force, but if he can do it, I can do it.”

One of Hull’s latest contributions to drag racing promotion is his YouTube show, Talking Funny Cars with Buddy Hull. The show, whose genesis came after a television news appearance where the director complimented him on his stage presence, takes fans behind the scenes, offering them access to the personalities, stories, and excitement of the sport. Guests on the show have included Ron Capps, Cruz Pedregon, Paul Lee, Dan Wilkerson, Austin Prock, Matt Hagan, J.R. Todd, Jack Beckman, and Billy Meyer, and the views on YouTube and NHRA’s FAST channel have skyrocketed.

“I knew that we needed to create more engagement with fans,” he explained. “People don’t just want to see a race; they want to know the people behind the wheel. Fans come up to me all the time at the races and tell me that they really learned something.

“I just love this sport, and I want people to feel what I feel when I’m out there racing,” he said. “I’ll do every autograph session, every Fan Fest, every interview. It’s not about me; it’s about growing the sport.”