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It’s one thing to make an impression in one form of drag racing and quite another to make it in two distinctly different areas, as was the case with Al Hanna, who passed away Feb. 8 at age 82.

The Connecticut-based racer was an early adopter of the Funny Car class in the late 1960s and rose to national fame with his Eastern Raider entries throughout the 1970s and early 1980s before he and his family transitioned to jet-car racing, where they not only thrived but helped revolutionize the flame-throwing exhibition category with numerous technological firsts.

The Hanna family, with Al, wife Ellen, and sons Rich and Scott, were mainstays of the East Coast for decades, entertaining fans at national events and match races alike with their signature flair and zeal for performance and showmanship.

Hanna's journey in drag racing began with a '66 Ford Stocker then took the plunge into nitro racing with the Phantom 'Cuda, running low nine-second passes at 150 mph. The next year he was behind the wheel of the altered-wheelbase Phantom Charger, his first tube-chassis nitro Funny Car, running mid-eights at more than 160 mph. The following year, with Bill Flynn, he ran the Rollie Lindblad-built Yankee Peddler Charger, a car that made history as one of the East Coast’s first true flip-top Funny Cars.Ìý

The first Eastern Raider debuted in 1970 as a Dodge Charger, with later Pinto, Mustang, and Thunderbird versions throughout the mid-1970s with partner Joe Mundet as ran as part of the Coca-Cola Cavalcade of Stars.

Hanna's finest moment behind the wheel may have been the 1972 Manufacturers Meet at Orange County International Raceway when he won all four rounds and helped Team Ford win. Most people remember that race for Billy Meyer winning, but the moment really belonged to Hanna.

This beautiful 1980 Mustang was Hanna's pride and joy and the first car that was all him.

"It's just the most beautiful car we ever had," said his son Rich. "It had a chrome cage, ivory steering wheel, and ivory brake handle. Anyway, because of seepage through the track at Epping, water, the car took a right and it took a right and went through the guardrail and destroyed the car, but my dad rebuilt the car within two weeks -- front-halved half the car from motor plate forward, put a new body on it, mounted, painted and lettered --Ìý and was back at Epping, and set the track record two weeks later, which is like unbelievable. We ran the car for a couple of weeks at Byron and Thompson and went back to the Summernationals and the car was stolen. so that really changed my dad's career."

Hanna had a degree in marketing and was hoping that the new car would lead him to big sponsorships, but the hope of that happening in a nitro car went away that weekend.

In 1977, Hanna briefly expanded into Top Fuel dragsters, fielding an Eastern Raider Top Fuel machine driven by Bob Beaulieu, a longtime contributor to Hanna’s early efforts who later was the owner/driver of the "Jazz" Jet Funny Car.

While Hanna’s name was known up and down the East Coast as a standout match racer, he also ran the national event trail, and, perhaps most famously, played a crucial role in helping Shirl Greer win the 1974 Funny Car championship.

Greer and Hanna had raced one another for years and were great friends on the match race trail, so when Greer, who was leading the points entering the 1974 season finale at Ontario Motor Speedway, had a terrible fire in qualifying, Hanna was the first to leap in to help in his battle to stay ahead of Paul Smith and Don Prudhomme.

Led by Hanna, a group of other teams took the burned wreckage of Greer’s Mustang to Steve Montrelli’s nearby engine shop and rebuilt the car overnight, fashioning a crude sheetmetal rear end to replace what had been burned away on the original body.

Greer’s firesuit and helmet had been badly burned, so Hanna, who was of the same stature as Greer, loaned his equipment to Greer, who had talked his way out of the burn center to return to the track Sunday morning.

Greer’s first-round victory over Leroy Chadderton secured the championship for Greer.

Hanna continued to race nitro Funny cars up through 1981 when a devastating break-in at his shop just about put him out of the business. That and the continuing rising cost of fielding a nitro car led him and his family team, consisting of wife Ellen and sons Rich and Scott, to switch to jet Funny Cars.Ìý

Hanna immersed himself in learning the complexities of jet engines and fuel systems. His first jet-powered machine debuted in 1981, and by the mid-1980s, he had revolutionized the category. Hanna's Eastern Raider Jet Funny Cars became some of the most advanced and successful in the sport.

"My dad brought his racing mentality to jet cars, which guys maybe just wanted to be an exhibition driver, to make laps, and my dad wanted to have a fast car," said Rich. "We innovated body angle and the dual-element wing on the back of the Funny Car, and the aerodynamics and all sorts of different innovations. My brother Scott had a degree in engineering, which really helped us a lot. My dad used to refer to him as the Alan Johnson of jet racing and, after I started driving, he called me the Blaine Johnson of jet cars. I mean, there's not much higher praise than that. The first time we ran alongside each other I got out of the car and hugged him and told him I'd been waiting for that moment my whole life. I raced with him and against him and I always looked up to my dad and his ability; to me, he was the greatest driver I ever saw.

"My dad tried to raise the whole category of jet racing. We developed an organization called Pro Jet Association to get jet cars more recognized and to get them on TV, and try to market for sponsors and to raise the whole category. And actually, that led to the plan for a television series called Ultra TeamsÌýthat ran on CBS Sports but the project ended when my dad's partner, Vincent Barletta, passed away."

(Hanna did return to his nitro roots briefly in 1989, when he formed a partnership with Don Marshall of the famed King and Marshall Top Fuel team to run an "Eastern Raider" Top Fueler powered by a Don Garlits-brewed combination. That Mike Kase-built car was later sold to Kenny Koretsky.)

Over the years, the team fielded more than 40 different jet cars. Hanna’s commitment to safety and performance led him to develop groundbreaking innovations, including the first center-driver jet Funny Car and the extended bell-mouth intake, which helped improve speed and efficiency.

"I just think back in the day what a lot of guys did in the '70s to cross the country with nothing but a black book of addresses and directions and no cellphones; they didn't think that there was anything that they couldn't do," added Rich.Ìý "I was always amazed that my father did that in a ramp truck, going from race to race with a nitro Funny Car. It's just amazing. All they had was their passion and to live their passion, and he was always striving to have a great Funny Car."

Son Rich Hanna first raced alongside his father then became the primary driver and built one of the most successful and well-respected teams in jet-racing history, securing major sponsorships with companies like Auto Palace, Bic Lighters, GOJO Industries, and Bicycle Playing Cards.

Even in the later years of his career, Hanna continued to push the envelope. In 2015, his Queen of Diamonds II became the first jet-powered drag racing vehicle ever tested in a wind tunnel. In 2019, he revived the Eastern Raider name with a new jet dragster driven by Josh Graham, ensuring that his legacy would live on for future generations of racers and fans up through last season. You can find a ton more photos and history from Team Hanna on their website .

The life and successes of Al Hanna and his teams have left an enduring mark on our sport that won't soon be forgotten.

Phil Burgess can be reached atÌýpburgess@nhra.com

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