It’s Back to the Future for Lee

Nine months ago this week Funny Car driver Paul Lee was preparing to climb into the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX/Kymco Chevy for the first time in competition as his new team, Jim Dunn Racing, prepared for the 50th annual NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.  Fast forward those nine months to the same quarter-mile facility and the season opener becomes the season finale as the NHRA Full Throttle Series makes its 23rd and final stop of the season for this weekend’s 46th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

With a degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School and two graduate degrees from Rutgers, one can see that the 53-year-old Lee is not your typical drag racer.  The start of this season marked the first opportunity for the veteran Top Alcohol Funny Car driver to drive a Top Fuel Funny Car full time after select NHRA Full Throttle Series stops over the years (10 races prior to the 2010 season including the U.S. Nationals)... (read more)

TWO LIVE CANIDAE RACING RACING BLOGS THIS WEEKEND!
Both NHRA Race Fans and Offroad Fans can catch all the action live as it happens throughout the weekend. While the CANIDAE Jimm Dunn sends in live reports and pictures from Pomona, the CANIDAE Racing Trophy Truck team begins live blogging their adventures in Mexico as preparations for the Baja 1000 continue. Log in to view reports and photos from both teams . . .  Don’t miss a second of the action!

Lee Anxious for Return Trip to The Strip

The NHRA Full Throttle Series makes its second trek of the season to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for this weekend’s 10th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, and Funny Car driver Paul Lee is looking for the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX/Kymco Chevy to fare much better the second time around.  The series returns to the track for its penultimate race after a three-week break in the schedule since visiting Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.  Lee set career bests in both elapsed time and speed there with a 4.089 seconds e.t. at 308.14 mph.

NHRA race fans can catch all the action live as it happens from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by visiting www.CanidaeRacing.com to follow the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car throughout qualifying and eliminations.  Log in to view reports and photos direct from the Jim Dunn crew and driver Paul Lee . . .  Don’t miss a second of the action!

It will be good to get back on the track," Lee said.  "It’s always nice going to Vegas with a first-class facility and a fun city to visit. What’s not to like?

"But we had a tough time here in April.  I was new to the team and it was only our sixth race together.  We were still dialing in a new clutch system, the team had to account for a driver that was a hundred pounds lighter than last year’s, so we had a lot of balls in the air to start the season.  We missed the top 12 on Friday by like a thousandth of a second..." (read more)

Reading Area Familiar Ground for CANIDAE Driver Lee

New Jersey native Paul Lee always enjoys trips back to the East Coast now that his home address has changed to the 714 area code, and this weekend will be no exception as the NHRA Full Throttle Series prepares for the 26th annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.  And it was just a little more than a year ago that the Wharton Business School graduate was the CFO for Nick Boninfante Sr. and his Pennsylvania-based Boninfante Clutches, so after a weekend off Lee is excited to get back behind the wheel of the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX/Kymco Chevy in somewhat familiar territory. 

NHRA race fans can catch all the action live as it happens from Maple Grove Raceway by visiting www.CanidaeRacing.com to follow the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car throughout qualifying and eliminations.  Log in to view reports and photos direct from the Jim Dunn crew and driver Paul Lee . . .  Don’t miss a second of the action!

“I’m looking forward to going back to Reading,” Lee said.  “Growing up next door in New Jersey, it’s still an easy drive over to Maple Grove for my family and friends.  Plus, I worked awhile for Boninfante Clutches as their CFO, and they’re headquartered just up the road in Yeadon (Pa.), so maybe I’ll get to see some old friends over the weekend.  I’ve even still got my home in the area, so it will be good to get back there.” (read more)

Lee Not Trying to be Spoiler in Countdown

Contrary to his recent on-track exploits, Paul Lee isn’t trying to play the roll of spoiler and upset anybody’s quest for this year’s Full Throttle Series Funny Car championship as he prepares for this weekend’s 25th annual O’Reilly Super Start Batteries Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex located 40 miles south of downtown Dallas.

LIVE BLOGGING ANNOUNCEMENT: NHRA race fans can catch all the action live as it happens from Texas Motorplex by visiting www.CanidaeRacing.com to follow the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car throughout qualifying and eliminations.  Log in to view reports and photos direct from the Jim Dunn crew and driver Paul Lee . . .  Don’t miss a second of the action!

But the driver of the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX/Kymco Chevy has enjoyed a late-season surge that has seen him advance to three consecutive quarterfinals (Brainerd, Indy, Charlotte), and through the first two of six races of the playoffs in the Countdown to the Championship the 52-year-old Lee has scored more points than five of the 10 qualifiers for the Countdown. (read more)

Lee Looks for Streak of Strong Runs to Continue at Charlotte

After a quarterfinals showing two weeks ago at the NHRA Full Throttle Series’ biggest race of the year, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Paul Lee is confident the Jim Dunn Racing team will continue its late-season surge at this weekend’s third annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway.  The New Jersey native has actually driven the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Chevy to back-to-back quarterfinals (Brainerd, Indy) and sees no reason that trend can’t continue in Charlotte.

LIVE BLOGGING ANNOUNCEMENT: NHRA race fans can catch all the action live as it happens from zMAX Dragway by visiting www.CanidaeRacing.com to follow the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car throughout qualifying and eliminations.  Log in to view reports and photos direct from the Jim Dunn crew and driver Paul Lee . . .  Don’t miss a second of the action!

“That was by far the best U.S. Nationals I’ve ever been a part of,” Lee said.  “I had a career-best run in qualifying on Saturday and then bettered that in our first-round win over Robert (Hight).  Not only did the CANIDAE car perform well on the track, but the weather was almost perfect and the crowds were great.  It was just an awesome weekend.” (read more)

Jim Dunn Racing to Unveil New Car at Kick-Off Party for U.S. Nationals

In conjunction with this weekend’s historic 56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, Jim Dunn Racing will unveil a special paint scheme on its CANIDAE Pet Foods / Lucas Oil / WileyX Chevy Funny Car at the U.S. Nationals Kick-Off Party on Thursday, Sept. 2.

The new colors will showcase one of CANIDAE’s newer products, CANIDAE® Grain Free Salmon Formula, made entirely without grains and featuring high quality, cold water Pacific Salmon meal.  The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Kick-Off Party will start at 4:00 p.m. (ET) at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis prior to the start of the NFL preseason game between the 2007 Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals.  The unique fan-fest will feature a driver autograph session including CANIDAE Funny Car driver Paul Lee, display of race cars, and live music. (read more)

NHRA race fans can catch all of this weekend's action live as it happens from O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis by visiting www.CanidaeRacing.com to follow the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car throughout qualifying and eliminations.  Log in to view reports and photos direct from the Jim Dunn crew and driver Paul Lee . . .  Don’t miss a second of the action!

Lee Focuses in on Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals

A well-deserved rest comes to an end for the NHRA Full Throttle Series with this weekend’s 29th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.

Competitors have had three weeks off after a busy stretch of seven races in eight weeks including the three-race Western Swing, but Funny Car driver Paul Lee is ready to get back behind the wheel of his CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Chevy.

“It was good to have some time off but I’m ready to get back to racing,” Lee said.  “It was nice to catch up on some things at home, especially at work, but now it’s time to get back on track and I’m ready..." (read more)

NHRA race fans can catch all the action live as it happens from Brainerd International Raceway by visiting www.CanidaeRacing.com to follow the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car throughout qualifying and eliminations.  Log in to view reports and photos direct from the Jim Dunn crew and driver Paul Lee . . .  Don’t miss a second of the action!

Denver Hosts Mile-High Wrap-Up to Western Swing

A busy stretch of seven races in the past eight weeks in the NHRA Full Throttle Series comes to a conclusion with this weekend’s 31st annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, the third of three races of the famed Western Swing.  Beginning with the Route 66 Nationals in Chicago the first weekend of June, the senior drag racing circuit traveled to Englishtown (N.J.), Bristol (Tenn.), Norwalk (Ohio), took the 4th of July weekend off, and now knocks off the three-race Western Swing in Seattle, last weekend in Sonoma (Calif.), and this weekend in Denver. 

Increasing the pace for Paul Lee, driver of the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Chevy, is the fact that he also pulls double-duty during the week as owner and CEO of McLeod Clutches, a California-based high-performance clutch shop.  But the race track is still the New Jersey native’s sanctuary, just as it has been for more than 25 years... (read more)

NHRA race fans can catch all the action live as it happens from Bandimere Speedway by visiting www.CanidaeRacing.com to follow the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car throughout qualifying and eliminations.  Log in to view reports and photos direct from the Jim Dunn crew and driver Paul Lee . . .  Don’t miss a second of the action!

Lee Looking Forward to Western Swing Stop at Sonoma

Infineon Raceway will play host to this weekend’s 23rd annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals, the second leg of the well known three-race Western Swing.  Starting off last weekend at Pacific Raceways in Seattle, the NHRA Full Throttle Series will next week head to Bandimere Raceway in the mountains of Denver.  But this week the straight-line series unpacks its bags in wine country, and Funny Car driver Paul Lee is anxious to get the CANIDAE/Lucas Oil/WileyX Chevy back on track.

“Sonoma is one of my favorite races,” Lee said.  “Infineon is a real nice facility, San Francisco is a cool city and I just love that part of the country.  Plus, living in California, it’s one of the shortest trips we have to make and after four races in a row on the East Coast, that’s awful nice.”

NHRA race fans can catch all the action live as it happens from Infineon Raceway by visiting www.CanidaeRacing.com to follow the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car throughout qualifying and eliminations.  Log in to view reports and photos direct from the Jim Dunn crew and driver Paul Lee . . .  Don’t miss a second of the action!

A New Jersey native now living in Southern California, the 52-year-old Lee hopes to build on the continuing improvement the CANIDAE car has made over the last few races... (read more)

Another Week, Another Race for Lee and NHRA Full Throttle Series

In the midst of its longest continuous stretch of racing this season, the NHRA Full Throttle Series sets its sights on the hills of Tennessee for this weekend’s 10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, the third of four consecutive race weekends for the straight-line series. Funny Car driver Paul Lee doesn’t seem to mind getting behind the wheel of the CANIDAE/Lucas Oil/WileyX for a race every weekend in June, especially when one of them was the just-completed NHRA SuperNationals at his home track in Englishtown, N.J. Now the New Jersey-born Lee and his Jim Dunn Racing teammates are geared up for the Bruton Smith-owned quarter-mile in “Thunder Valley.”

LIVE BLOGGING ANNOUNCEMENT: NHRA race fans can catch all the action live as it happens from Old Bridge Township Raceway Park by visiting CanidaeRacing.com to follow the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car throughout qualifying and eliminations. Log in to view reports and photos direct from the Jim Dunn crew and driver Paul Lee... Don’t miss a second of the action!

“It’s kind of hard on the crews, but I don’t mind having these races back to back to back,” Lee said. “In fact, it kind of keeps you sharp in the car. If we’re off a couple of three weeks I wouldn’t say you get rusty, but it can take a pass or two to shake the cobwebs off. It’s nice to know you’re going to be back in the car in five days after a race when we... (read more)

Lee Anxious to go Home for NHRA SuperNationals

When legendary drag-racing team owner/crew chief “Big” Jim Dunn tabbed veteran Paul Lee to be the driver of the CANIDAE/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car for the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Series, the lifelong pursuit of a dream was realized, and now the 52-year-old Lee gets to continue it near his hometown at this weekend’s 41st annual NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. A native of Ewan, N.J., the former CFO of Boninfante Clutches now owns McLeod Clutches, a California-based high-performance clutch shop, and resides in Anaheim Hills, Calif.

LIVE BLOGGING ANNOUNCEMENT: NHRA race fans can catch all the action live as it happens from Old Bridge Township Raceway Park by visiting CanidaeRacing.com to follow the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car throughout qualifying and eliminations. Log in to view reports and photos direct from the Jim Dunn crew and driver Paul Lee... Don’t miss a second of the action!

“I’m a New Jersey native so not only is Englishtown my home track, it’s my favorite track,” Lee said. “I pretty much grew up racing there. I got my first racing license there, I got my Alcohol Funny Car license there, and I have more laps at Englishtown than at any other drag strip. That is truly my home track and definitely my favorite place in the whole world. I’m looking forward to getting back there... (read more)

Baja 500 and NHRA Route 66 Live Canidae Blogs!

Head to CanidaeRacing.com all this Friday, Saturday and Sunday to watch the live action as it unfolds from both Baja California, Mexico for the famous Baja 500 race, and from Joliet, Illinois for the Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.

CANIDAE Racing Trophy Truck Team Takes on Baja

When the CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods Off Road team decided to compete in the Trophy Truck class for 2010, they built their tough as nails new truck with one track in mind... Baja! The Tecate SCORE Baja 500 is a magical place where legends are made and hearts are broken. Follow along with the team as they send in live reports and photos direct from Mexico. Enter Live Blog Here. Track their position and speed during the race at Ion Earth.

CANIDAE Jim Dunn NHRA Funny Car Team with Driver Paul Lee

The Jim Dunn Racing team is coming off a solid performance two weeks ago at the NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka and driver Paul Lee is looking to continue that momentum when he gets behind the wheel of the CANIDAE/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car for this weekend’s Route 66 NHRA Nationals. Follow the live action with Lee and the Jim Dunn team as they strive for the podium this weekend. Enter Live Blog Here.

Help us cheer both our teams on to victory. Visit our CANIDAE Racing Facebook fan page and send in your best wishes and comments. As always, we thank you very much for your support!

Career-Best E.T. Advances Lee to Quarterfinals at NHRA Summer Nationals

In his only visit to Heartland Park Topeka in 2004, Funny Car driver Paul Lee took home a ‘Wally,’ albeit in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class, giving him positive expectations for his Jim Dunn-tuned CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car heading into this weekend’s 22nd annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Summer Nationals at HPT. Lee was unable to repeat his ‘Wally’ win in ’04, but he’ll take his advancing to the quarterfinals of today’s Funny Car eliminations by defeating No. 2 qualifier Tim Wilkerson in the first round before bowing out to Jim Head. Robert Hight defeated Jeff Arend in the finals to take the Summer Nationals crown.

“We’ve been struggling and haven’t had the best of racing luck,” Lee said, “but Big Jim (team owner/crew chief Dunn) and the guys have been working hard and we’ve slowly been sneaking up on this CANIDAE car. Right off the truck on Friday we made a good, solid pass and we made full pulls every time down the track this weekend. Big Jim put a brand new blower on the car before today’s eliminations and said, ‘Let’s go for it.’ He said it was going to run a .14 and he didn’t miss by much.” (read more)

Lee’s Lone Trip to Heartland Park a Successful One

Funny Car veteran Paul Lee will be making only his second trip to Heartland Park Topeka for this weekend’s 22nd annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Summer Nationals, but he wouldn’t mind a repeat of the performance he had the first time in 2004. Lee was competing in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class and had a near-perfect race weekend by winning the race as the No. 1 qualifier and also posting the top speed for the event. This year the New Jersey native will be looking for similar success in the CANIDAE/Lucas Oil/WileyX Chevy as he competes against the world’s best in Nitro Funny Car.

“I’ve only raced at Topeka one time, but it was just about a perfect weekend,” Lee said. “I was running in Top Alcohol Funny Car and we were coming off a win at Atlanta just a few weeks before. We pretty much made a clean sweep of the race weekend by qualifying No. 1, winning the race and posting top speed of the meet – not a bad weekend. Needless to say, I like Heartland Park. It’s a great facility.”

LIVE BLOGGING ANNOUNCEMENT: NHRA race fans can catch all the action live as it happens from Heartland Park Topeka by visiting www.CanidaeRacing.com to follow the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car throughout qualifying and eliminations. Log in to view reports and photos direct from the Jim Dunn crew and driver Paul Lee... Don’t miss a second of the action!

Lee and the Jim Dunn Racing team will be looking to rebound from their performance at last weekend’s NHRA Southern Nationals where they narrowly missed the field by two thousandths of a second... (read more)

Lee Has Fond Memories of Atlanta Dragway

When Funny Car veteran Paul Lee drives through the gates at Atlanta Dragway for this weekend’s 30th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, he can be excused if he stops for just a moment and reminisces about this race in 2004. That season the New Jersey native was driving the Allied Machine & Equipment Pontiac Top Alcohol Funny Car against class stalwarts like Frank Manzo, Bob Newberry and Jay Payne, and for that weekend he was the best of the bunch as he took home his first career ‘Wally’ by defeating Newberry in the finals. He now pilots the CANIDAE/Lucas Oil/WileyX Chevy in NHRA’s premier Nitro Funny Car class and will be looking to carry some of that positive performance with him for this weekend’s contest.

LIVE BLOGGING ANNOUNCEMENTS: NHRA race fans can catch all the action live as it happens from Atlanta Dragway by visiting www.CanidaeRacing.com to follow the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car throughout qualifying and eliminations. Log in to view reports and photos direct from the Jim Dunn crew and driver Paul Lee. And don't miss the CANIDAE Sand Team's live blogging action as well, coming to you live this Friday through Sunday from Lake Elsinore. Live updates coming from both teams all weekend. Don't miss it!

“Yea, I’ve got good thoughts when I think about Atlanta Dragway,” Lee said. “I got my first ‘Wally’ there so it’s a pretty special place to me. And now we’ve got a little bit of momentum coming off of our weekend at St. Louis so hopefully we can carry that over to this weekend.” (read more)

Lee Ready to Bounce Back at NHRA Midwest Nationals

A mere thousandth of a second kept CANIDAE/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car driver Paul Lee and his Jim Dunn Racing entry from qualifying for the NHRA Full Throttle Series’ most recent race at Las Vegas, so after a weekend off the team is anxious to bounce back at this weekend’s 14th annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway just east of St. Louis.

LIVE BLOGGING ANNOUNCEMENT: NHRA race fans can catch all the action live as it happens from Gateway International Raceway by visiting www.CanidaeRacing.com to follow the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car throughout qualifying and eliminations. Log in to view reports and photos direct from the Jim Dunn crew and driver Paul Lee... Don’t miss a second of the action!

“I think that’s the second time this season we’ve been that close,” Lee said. “Sometimes the qualifying format taking the top 12 on Friday works against you and sometimes it works for you. Unfortunately, this year it has worked against us, but next time it might work in our favor, so we just have to go out there and qualify. (read more)

Lee Looking for Better Fortune at The Strip

You won’t find Funny Car driver Paul Lee complaining about the early-season back-to-back races with Houston last weekend and this weekend’s 11th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In fact, the 52-year-old pilot of the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Chevy is anxious to get back on track and continue moving in the right direction.

LIVE BLOGGING ANNOUNCEMENT: NHRA race fans can catch all the action live as it happens from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by visiting canidaeracing.com to follow the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car throughout qualifying and eliminations. Log in to view reports and photos direct from the Jim Dunn crew.

“I probably sound like a broken record, but we’re really not that far off,” Lee said. “We had a couple of qualifying runs at Houston that weren’t spectacular, but they were solid and we learned from them. Every lap we make we learn something, even the bad ones.

“Our new clutch tune-up has shown some promise so we just need to keep putting laps on this CANIDAE car until we get it right – and we will. I think the quick turnaround can actually help us by taking what we learned last weekend and getting right back up to the starting line.” (read more)

Lee, CANIDAE Team Look to Continue Moving Forward at NHRA Spring Nationals

NHRA race fans can catch all the action live as it happens from Houston Raceway Park by visiting www.CanidaeRacing.com to follow the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car throughout qualifying and eliminations. Log in to view reports and photos direct from the Jim Dunn crew and driver Paul Lee. Don’t miss a second of the action!

Funny Car driver Paul Lee and his Jim Dunn Racing teammates are taking the positives from the inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals two weeks ago at Charlotte and looking to build some early-season momentum at this weekend’s 23rd annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park. Lee drove the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Chevy to its first round win of the season and his .891-second 60-foot time was the quickest of the second qualifying session.

“You never make gains on the car as fast as you’d like, but I think we’re definitely moving in the right direction,” Lee said. “We’re moving forward, not taking a few steps back. We know the race is longer than 60 feet, but it’s encouraging to have consistent numbers off the line as we continue to get better on the rest of the track. (read more)

CANIDAE Pet Foods/Jim Dunn Racing Announce Live Blogging and Updates from NHRA Charlotte

CANIDAE Pet Foods/Jim Dunn Racing NHRA Fuel Funny Car Team unveils live updates and photos from the Inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte, North Carolina.

Nearly 32,000 horsepower in the Funny Car and Top Fuel classes will roll up to the starting line for each round of qualifying and eliminations in the NHRA’s first race in history to compete in four lanes instead of the traditional two. NHRA Legend and team owner Jim Dunn along with driver Paul Lee and team manager Jon Dunn will be posting photos and adding their insights as racing progresses throughout the weekend. Race fans can head to the live blog now to see the reports and photos and stay tuned for more.

CANIDAE Trophy Truck Live at The Mint 400 on Saturday

On Saturday the CANIDAE Off Road Trophy Truck Team will take to the line as the infamous Mint 400 in Las Vegas, NV blasts off around 7:00 am PST. The team continues to post live blog reports and photos as they prepare the truck for competition and participate in all the activities leading up to race day. Fans can also follow the team's progress in real-time by visiting www.ionearth.com. Click the “Race Tracking” tab on the main page then click directly onto the Canidae Racing tracking page. Watch the speed and position of the Canidae Truck during the race. Don't miss a second of the action!

Lee Both a Racer and a Fan when Talking about Gatornationals

It is easy to forget that most drivers in all disciplines of racing not only enjoy competing on the track, but are also big fans and historians of their sport. Such is the case with Paul Lee, driver of the CANIDAE/Lucas Oil/WileyX Funny Car, when it comes to this weekend’s 41st annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

A native of New Jersey, the Gatornationals always represented the first chance for Lee and most other East Coast racers to dust off the cobwebs and hit the track for the first time of the race season.

[read more]