

Chad Green, Nitro team owner, driver investing in the future

So much about NHRA Drag Racing is focused on fierce intensity captured in a handful of seconds, and a lot of attention is placed on the past in a meaningful way that celebrates the history of the fastest sport in the world. For Chad Green, though, his focus is on living this moment while securing the future of drag racing.
“Drag racing is something I’m passionate about, and having my kids and my family involved in it makes it even better,” he said. “I want to make something lasting that we can all do together.”
Green has been a team owner since the beginning, when he wheeled a Jerry Bickel-built nitrous-powered Corvette and competed in both Top Sportsman and Pro Mod with the branding of his successful Midland, Texas-based business, Bond-Coat Inc., on the door. During Nitro Spring Training test sessions in Phoenix in both 2017 and 2018, he worked to deepen his experience, making runs in Tim Wilkerson’s nitro Funny Car with the dream of driving a Funny Car of his own one day, and in the summer of 2020, that dream became a reality.
Green made his nitro Funny Car debut at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, and on the very same weekend, he showed his effectiveness at multitasking by scoring his first career win in Pro Mod. For Green, the words “steady” and “intentional” have been the building blocks to his success. Before he made his Funny Car debut, he had made nearly two dozen runs spread out over several years. A methodical pace has served him well and also allowed him to rebound efficiently when major obstacles jump in his way – including a significant crash in Indianapolis the year prior to his official entry to the Funny Car class.
Green launched hard into Funny Car, purchasing a car and starting a team that operated initially with the help of Wilkerson and son Daniel, who tuned Green for his first few seasons. The 2024 season brought a major shift, though, as Daniel was tapped to drive Wilkerson’s Funny Car, but Green saw it as an opportunity. His crew chief from the Pro Mod days, Dean Marinis, along with longtime Wilkerson crewmember Joe Serena were tapped to tune.
“Dean is one of the sharpest, smartest guys in drag racing, and pretty soon, everybody is going to realize that,” said Green. “Joe had been with Tim [Wilkerson] for years, he’s the most tenured guy on our team, and they’ve both been big leaders for the last several years. This is our sixth year racing together now, and it was a totally natural transition for us. I was excited to do it.”
They finished in the Top 10 in their first season with new leadership, and at the first race of 2025 — the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals — the consistently solidifying team won the season opener in strong fashion. Back-to-back 3.92 passes and a final-round victory over three-time champion Ron Capps left no doubt that they could contend with the best.
In addition to bringing new crew chiefs to the nitro ranks, Green’s son, Hunter, has been on a journey of his own. Hunter worked with his dad on the Pro Mod and Funny Car teams and eventually licensed in Super Gas, then moving up to race a dragster in the alcohol class. Father and son closed out 2023 with a shared winner’s circle, the younger Green in a Randy Meyer Racing Top Alcohol Dragster and dad in his Bond-Coat Funny Car.
This year is yet another chapter as Hunter made his debut in a nitro Funny Car alongside his dad at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas. Chad Green Motorsports is rounding out as a multicar team, and not just for those with blood relations. This season it was announced that Blake Alexander would race under the banner with his Pronto Auto Services colors adorning a Chad Green Motorsports Funny Car. Alexander is planned to drive at 15 events this season, with Hunter racing the car at four.
“Our ultimate goal is to have a three-car team,” said Green, who has finished in the Top 10 the past two seasons, including a fifth-place finish in the 2023 standings. “Right now, Blake and Hunter are sharing driving duties, but the goal is to get more funding and have all three of us racing. We don’t rule out Top Fuel; Hunter would drive either one, but he’s really enjoying driving the Funny Car right now. All options are open for us. There are a lot of exciting things in our future.”