Frank Hawley
Frank Hawley
Rich History
They say that experience is the best eacher , and it ’ s most assuredly a big part of the magic that is Frank Hawley ’ s Drag Racing School . Having made a seemingly innumerable number of passes down an equally sizable number of drag strips - in varying conditions and in varying vehicles - Hawley ’ s frame of refrence is enormous . A two-time NHRA Funny Car world champion and one of NHRA ’ s Top 50 drivers of all time , Hawley defies any-and-all teaching stereotypes . When founded in 1985 , Frank Hawley ’ s Drag Racing School became the first-ever school for drag race driver ’ s training .
PHOTOS : FRANK HAWLEY ’ S DRAG RACING SCHOOL , NHRA / NATIONAL DRAGSTER
ers of all time . He ’ s been inducted into both the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame and the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame , has won two NHRA Funny Car world championships and nine NHRA national championships , has authored two best-selling books , and so much more . Before he began collecting accolades , though , Hawley had humble beginnings .
Growing up on a farm in Ontario , Canada , Hawley was exposed to muscle cars in the mid ‘ 60s courtesy of his four older sisters ’ boyfriends . “ One of my sister ’ s boyfriends took me to my first drag race when I was nine years old , and I thought it was fabulous . I fell in love with racing , and that was the beginning of my interest in the sport ,” reminisced Hawley of how he was inducted into drag racing .
Once he had discovered his passion , Hawley and his father decided they needed to get more involved . “ We couldn ’ t afford to pay to get in at the track , so we told them we were photographers even though we weren ’ t ,” laughed Hawley , who had heard through a friend that the facility was hiring . “ So , they gave us the job , and instead of us paying to get in , they paid us to show up .” Hawley quickly learned how to shoot , and he and his father built a dark room at home to develop their own photos . He began writing , too , and even had a three-page story published in Hot Rod magazine
when he was a young teenager .
By the time he had turned 16 , Hawley had made a lot of connections at the track . He decided to go racing , but first needed to acquire a car . “ My parents were supportive , and we bought a supercharged Hemi-powered , front-motor Top Fuel dragster . My parents had no money , but this
car cost practically nothing , too . It was a horrible idea !” laughed Hawley , who was “ on fire all the time , leaking all over the track , and constantly getting in everyone ’ s way .”
It wasn ’ t long before Hawley had found his groove . Eventually , he transitioned into an alcohol Funny Car . Wanting to pursue a career in racing , he moved to California and slept in his truck for several months before he struck gold . “ I got an opportunity to drive the Chi-Town Hustler for
Austin Coil around 1980 ,” noted Hawley , who was struck by an idea while wintering on the West Coast not long after .
Hawley attended a Formula Ford road racing session at Jim Russell ’ s racing school and enjoyed it . As other schools were popping up at the time , including Bob Bondurant ’ s and Skip Barber ’ s ,
“ I thought a drag racing school was a unique idea that no one had done before , but I knew it could also be a huge flop .”
the seed of inspiration was planted and quickly grew into a plan . Curious as to whether anyone would want to drive a dragster , he started fleshing out his plan in the early ‘ 80s . “ I thought it was a unique idea that no one had done before , but I knew it could also be a huge flop ,” said Hawley candidly . With no money to get the school started , he hit up several friends as potential investors , but nothing panned out .
Dejected , Hawley called his friend and fellow
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