October 7, 2010
Big Jim Dunn and Five Other Iconic NHRA Crew Chiefs to be Featured During NHRA Breakfast at 2010 SEMA Show

Six of NHRA’s most iconic crew chiefs will be featured at the 2010 SEMA Show in Las Vegas during the annual NHRA Breakfast. The SEMA Show draws the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to one place, the Las Vegas Convention Center, November 2 to 5, 2010. Open to all registered SEMA Show attendees, the NHRA Breakfast will be held Wednesday, Nov. 3 at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Jim Dunn and the other legendary crew chiefs that will be featured during the NHRA Breakfast are among the best who have ever roamed the starting line in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock.

One of the sport's leading innovators having competed with drag racing’s elite for 60 years, crew chief Jim Dunn has been named to NHRA’s Top 50 drivers list and is one of the most respected car owners and tuners in the entire sport. All of us at CANIDAE Natural Pet Food Company congratulate Big Jim on this special recognition and are proud to sponsor one of the sport's most legendary icons.

September 1, 2010
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 fanfest will feature a driver autograph session including CANIDAE Funny Car driver Paul Lee, display of race cars, and live music.

“What a great way to introduce one of our new products,” said Frank Hon, CANIDAE director of operations. “We’ve been getting a wave of positive feedback from dog owners for its healthy benefits and remarkable palatability, so we’re excited to share it with our great NHRA fans.”

“CANIDAE has been a great sponsor and we enjoy a great relationship with them,” said Jim Dunn, team owner and crew chief. “We’re proud to introduce one of its new products on our Funny Car and continue to promote its message of Responsible Pet Ownership. Now we’ll have to be sure and get some Salmon Formula for our team dog, Daisy.”

Qualifying for the NHRA Full Throttle Series’ most prestigious race weekend begins on Friday, Sept. 3, with Labor Day eliminations beginning on Monday, Sept. 6.

 

February 10, 2010:
CANIDAE Driver Paul Lee Not Your Typical NHRA Rookie
Jim Dunn Racing's Driver for 2010 Fulfills Life-Long Dream with Full-Time Ride in the CANIDAE/Lucas Oil Funny Car

When Funny Car driver Paul Lee straps into the CANIDAE Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Chevy for the first time at this weekend's season-opening 50th annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, there will probably be the requisite butterfly or two that any NHRA rookie racer might feel.  Except the 52-year-old Lee with a degree from Wharton Business School and two graduate degrees from Rutgers isn't exactly your typical rookie.  Nerves or not, the New Jersey native will see the life-long pursuit of a dream realized when the CANIDAE car is rolled to the line for the first round of qualifying at Pomona.

"I've been working towards this my whole life," said Lee.  "Ever since I was 13 years old I knew what I wanted to do, and I've been drag racing ever since I was able to drive a car.  It's taken me a long time, but now I'm finally there."

Lee is a four-time national-event winner in the Funny Car category, winning once in 2008 in the IHRA Nitro Funny Car class and three times in 2004 in NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car.

Lee finished a career-best fourth in points in IHRA Nitro Funny Car in 2008 with a win at the Motor City Nationals at Milan (Mich.) Dragway and runner-up finishes at Rockingham (also No. 1 qualifier) and Martin (Mich.).  He finished ninth in the class in 2007 and sixth in the class in 2006.  He also has three wins in NHRA's Top Alcohol Funny Car class, all coming in 2004 when he finished in the top 10 in the final points standings.  Last year Lee ran a limited Top Fuel schedule in IHRA. 

Currently a resident of Anaheim Hills, Calif., Lee sat down for a Q&A discussing his circuitous path to NHRA's premier series, how he got interested in drag racing and what his goals are for him and the Jim Dunn Racing team.


Your thoughts on entering your first full season of Funny Car competition in the NHRA Full Throttle Series?  "I'm pretty excited.  Basically it's something I've been working towards my whole life.  Drag racing is my passion.  Ever since I was 13 years old I knew what I wanted to do, and I've been drag racing ever since I was able to drive a car.  I worked my way up from my mom's 15-second Duster to Fuel Funny Car and I've driven pretty much every class in between.  Most of my time's been spent in Alcohol Funny Car but my dream's always been to race a full NHRA Funny Car schedule and compete with the top cars and the top drivers.  That's always been my goal.  It's taken me a long time but now I'm finally there."

Your perseverance has finally paid off in a full-time Funny Car ride.  What kept you going?  "It's been a real long journey.  I drove Alcohol Funny Cars for 18 years.  Of course, during that whole time I always wanted to move up but just never got the opportunity.  In 2005 I finally got the opportunity to get licensed and run a few races in Fuel Funny Car, mostly in IHRA for the last five years.  We did pretty good, I won a race and went to six final rounds.  We set a track record at Rockingham on my fastest pass which was a 4.79.  I got to drive some good cars but it's been a long road, and it's never over because the goal is to win races and hopefully some day, if it works out, to win a championship.  It's always been the goal to actually win a championship.  You can't ever give up on your goals no matter what they are.  I've been working towards this my whole life.  Since I was 13 years old this is all I ever wanted to do was drag race.  My whole life has basically been centered around drag racing.  I own McCleod Clutches which is a high-performance clutch shop.  It's obviously automotive related and my passion is cars.  My whole life has revolved around cars and racing.  When you do that, it's really not like a job.  I feel I've been pretty fortunate in that respect."    

How did you and the Dunns get together?  "I used to be the CFO of Boninfante Clutches which is the supplier of clutch discs to all of the Top Fuel and Funny Car teams, and most of the teams use the floaters as well.  The Dunns have been a customer of Boninfante for a long time, so I've known Jon (Dunn) and Big Jim (team owner/crew chief Dunn) ever since they started with the company, and then Jon and I are a lot alike and hit it off pretty good as friends.  Last year I was an associate sponsor with their team and got to hang around with them a little more, so when the opportunity came up it was kind of a natural fit for us.  I know them, I like their family, and they have a great family team which I like so I fit right in."

How did you get interested in drag racing?  "There were a couple of events in my life that really developed my dream of drag racing.  The first one was when I saw "Jungle Jim" Liberman at my local track, Atco (N.J.) Raceway.  When I saw "Jungle Jim" do a halftrack burnout, back up 50 miles per hour and then win the round, that's when I knew I wanted to drive a Funny Car.  And then after that set my fascination to the sport, not even two weeks later the movie Funny Car Summer about Funny Car driver Big Jim Dunn came out.  I remember going to the movies and seeing that movie.  I made my mom take me back four different times to the movie theater to see it.  Now, all these years later after seeing Funny Car Summer and having that be one of the things that actually got me into drag racing, who would have thought all these years later I'm actually driving his car.  It's unbelievable." 

What was your first drag racer?  "I borrowed my mom's '74 Plymouth Duster six-cylinder car as my first drag car.  I took it to Atco Raceway on Friday nights.  I even used to take my dates there.  I would tell my mom I needed to borrow the car to go out on a date, and then I would take my date to Atco which was only about 15 minutes from my house.  I would go race the car and she didn't know it.  In fact, she didn't know it for two years.  Today she loves telling that story about how I started racing by borrowing HER Plymouth Duster.  After that I just worked my way up.  I got my own car and started racing that, and then door cars that were faster and faster, and then worked my way up to race Super Pro, and then I had an eight-second car.  After that I had my first Alcohol Funny Car in 1988 and really raced them until 2005.  My best year was 2004 when I won three NHRA national events and finished in the top 10."

Your thoughts on this weekend's 50th anniversary of the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona.  "This will be my first Winternationals.  I've been to the track many years, but being from the East Coast I just never raced at any of these West Coast tracks.  Now that I live out here, the 50th annual Winternationals is going to be the first time I race at Pomona.  I have visited there many times as a spectator but I've never actually gotten to race there.  This will be my first race there and I'm looking forward to it.  It's going to be great." 

Will you be at any disadvantage racing at tracks for the first time?  "As far as the driving the car, no.  You're only going on 1,000 feet of the track.  In a Fuel car you're a high-speed jockey.  You're only as good as your horse, and Big Jim provides the horse.  The hard part of drag racing at this level is the tune-up.  The tuner has the hardest job.  Going from track to track is more the tuner's challenge than it is for the driver.  But as far as driving the car, that's really not going to have any effect on me."

What are your goals for this season?  "I want to win some races.  Big Jim's always been able to win races, and I want to win some races, win some 'Wallys' for Big Jim, CANIDAE, Lucas Oil, WileyX and all of our great sponsors. 

Will you have a learning curve driving the CANIDAE/Lucas Oil/WileyX Chevy?  "I've driven Fuel Funny Cars since 2005, so I don't see any problems.  It's a McKinney car so the fit is the same.  Getting into a team's procedures or routine is always the hardest part.  Every team has a different routine about what they do, so just getting used to Big Jim's routine will be the biggest part.  I need to get use to what HE wants me to do, so he'll let me know."               

Have you ever raced to 1,000 feet?  Will that make a difference?  "No, I've only raced at a quarter-mile.  In IHRA the last five years it has been a quarter-mile.  It's no big deal; the race will just be shorter.  I understand why they do 1,000 feet, but that extra 300 feet sure is a lot of fun."

Tell us about your hobby of skydiving.  "I haven't done that for a little while but I'm getting ready to start up again.  I kind of stopped for about five years, but I'm thinking about starting up again now that I live in California.  But I did it for more than 18 and I have over 1500 jumps, so I did it for a long time.  It's an adrenaline rush, just like drag racing.  Racing's always been my passion and then skydiving was something to do when I wasn't at a race to get that excitement.  My uncle owned the second commercial skydiving center in the country back in New Jersey, so it's kind of been in the family."            

You have a business degree from the Wharton Business School at the Univ. of Pennsylvania and an MBA and your law degree from Rutgers.  Not exactly a racer's resume, is it?  "No, but I look at that as a compliment.  Everybody always asks me about that.  Someone with that educational background is not the stereotypical racer, but to each his own.  My passion has always been drag racing.  But college and education have helped open doors because drag racing at this level costs money and the only way you can really do it is to be successful in business.  My education has enabled me to do that, and it's all been towards the one goal of being able to race.  My parents were big into education so I was influenced by them, and I'm happy for that.  I went to college and graduated and I have two graduate degrees, and I don't regret one bit of that.  It was the best thing I ever did.  Everybody has a different path, but that's the path I chose."


A two-hour telecast of qualifying coverage for the NHRA Winternationals Finals can be seen on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD on Saturday, Feb. 13, beginning at 11:00 p.m. (ET).  Coverage on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD continues on Sunday, Feb. 14, when NHRA Race Day kicks off eliminator coverage starting at 10:00 a.m. (ET), and concludes with three hours of final-eliminations coverage beginning at 8:00 p.m. (ET).

December 10, 2009:
Jim Dunn Racing Announces Paul Lee as Driver in 2010

Jim Dunn Racing has announced that Funny Car veteran Paul Lee will drive the CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods/Lucas Oil/WileyX Chevrolet for the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season.

Lee is a four-time national-event winner in the Funny Car category, winning once in 2008 in the IHRA Nitro Funny Car class and three times in 2004 in NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car.

"Paul is an experienced driver with the same kind of passion for drag racing that I have," said team owner and crew chief Jim Dunn. "He's been competing a long time and his experience will serve him well as he gets up to speed in the CANIDAE/Lucas Oil car. His company (McLeod Industries) was actually a sponsor of ours last year, so Paul is no stranger to the team and we're excited to get him behind the wheel."

The 52-year-old Lee finished a career-best fourth in points in IHRA Nitro Funny Car in 2008 with a win at the Motor City Nationals at Milan (Mich.) Dragway and runner-up finishes at Rockingham (also No. 1 qualifier) and Martin (Mich.). He finished ninth in the final standings in IHRA NFC in 2007 and sixth in the class in 2006 on the strength of runners-up at San Antonio, Epping (N.H.), Toronto, and Budds Creek (Md.). Last year Lee ran a limited Top Fuel schedule in IHRA.

The New Jersey native also has three wins in NHRA's Top Alcohol Funny Car class, all coming in 2004 when he finished in the top 10 in the final points standings. That year Lee took home the Wally at Atlanta, Topeka, and at his home track at Englishtown (N.J.).

"I've known the Dunns business-wise for some time," Lee said, "but to get to drive for 'Big Jim' is an honor and a dream come true. He is a living legend in the sport so I'm looking forward to working with him and the team."

As a businessman Lee was formerly CFO of Boninfante Clutches before purchasing McLeod Industries and its Weber Clutch brand last year. His impressive resume includes a BBA from the Wharton Business School at the Univ. of Pennsylvania and an MBA and JD from Rutgers University. Currently residing in Anaheim Hills, Calif., Lee is also an expert skydiver with more than 1,500 jumps in 18 years.

In addition to its driver announcement, Jim Dunn Racing will partner with Morgan Lucas Racing in the Team Lucas Corporate Hospitality pavilion allowing the team and CANIDAE to entertain guests, customers and regional employees at all 23 NHRA Full Throttle Series races in 2010.

July 17, 2009:
CANIDAE Funny Car Team is Lead Story at NHRA.com

"Days after Major League Baseball’s annual All-Star Game, Jim Dunn, team owner and crew chief of the Canidae/Lucas Oil Funny Car, doesn’t mind paying homage to one of the game’s greats, Hall of Fame New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra, when he says he hopes this weekend’s NHRA Northwest Nationals is déjà vu all over again for his Jim Dunn Racing team. Last year at this race at Pacific Raceways, Dunn tuned the CANIDAE car all the way to the winner’s circle and presented driver Tony Bartone with his first Professional victory in the Funny Car class. This year, Bartone returned to his racing roots in Top Alcohol Funny Car and Dunn has a different driver in Jerry Toliver, but the Hall of Fame owner and tuner obviously wouldn’t mind the same result for his team in Seattle and adding a sixth win to Toliver’s Funny Car résumé...." Continue reading CANIDAE Jim Dunn coverage at NHRA.com

March 24, 2009:
NHRA Hall of Famer Jim Dunn to Celebrate
75th Birthday at Houston's Spring Nationals

Team Owner/Crew Chief Participating in his 60th Year of Drag Racing

Where else would you expect a man in his 60th year of drag racing to celebrate his 75th birthday? At a drag strip, of course, and that's exactly what NHRA legend Jim Dunn will be doing this weekend as the team owner/crew chief takes his Canidae Racing Funny Car team to Houston for the 22nd annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park on March 27-29.

On his actual 75th birthday on Saturday, Dunn will be turning the wrenches on the Canidae/Lucas Oil Chevy trying to qualify Jerry Toliver for his fourth race of the season. The Jim Dunn Racing team will feature a "75th Birthday" logo to commemorate the special day and historic season.

"I enjoy the races and the spectators are great," Dunn says. "That's my home away from home. I'm just glad that I'm still walking and still have the opportunity to tune this Canidae/Lucas Oil Funny Car. Anytime we go to the starting line we say we can beat the guy. I've always said that the day I go up to the starting line and say I can't beat him, I'll quit. Racing is racing."

Toliver and the Jim Dunn Racing team continue to make strides and are coming off of their best race weekend of the young season. Toliver made four full passes in qualifying the Canidae/Lucas Oil Chevy 12th at Gainesville and defeated Mike Neff in Round 1 for his first round-win of the year. Toliver looks to carry that momentum into Houston where he was runner-up to Tim Wilkerson in 2004 and runner-up to Bob Gilbertson in 2000.

"I think our performance at Gainesville was definitely a step in the right direction and gives us some momentum going into Houston," Toliver said. "I don't care who you are, going rounds in Funny Car is tough. It was good to get a round-win there, and for this team with a new car and new driver to do it in such a short amount of time is impressive. We're starting to put the pieces together and we're getting closer."

Dunn, a pioneer in this sport as a driver, team owner and tuner, started his career as a competitor in 1950 when the popularity of drag racing was starting to move from the streets and began to take hold on local strips throughout Southern California. Over the years, he has accumulated numerous wins and performance records including a victory at the 1972 Supernationals in Ontario, Calif., a win at the 1981 World Finals in Irvine, Calif., and a runner-up finish at the 1981 U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Dunn is also the only driver to win the prestigious March Meet at Bakersfield in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.

Since retiring from driving in 1990, Dunn's career has continued to flourish as a respected crew chief, technical advisor and car owner. He wrenched cars to numerous victories throughout the '90s including the 1997 Big Bud Shootout in Indianapolis, the 1998 Pontiac Excitement Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, and the 1999 U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis. His most recent win as an owner/tuner came last July in Seattle with Tony Bartone behind the wheel of the Canidae/Lucas Oil Chevy. In 2001 Dunn was voted No. 27 on NHRA's list of the Top 50 Drivers of its first 50 years, and in 2006 he was given the great honor of induction into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame.

"Everybody asks how you can do this for 60 years," Dunn says. "I must just really love pain or I'm just really stupid (laughs). It's been good for me because I enjoy working on the cars. I enjoy listening to them and hearing them. I do it for myself because I enjoy it. When the car starts and does what you ask it to, that's the whole emotional trap right there."

A one-hour telecast of qualifying coverage for the NHRA Spring Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 on Saturday, March 28, beginning at 8:00 p.m. (ET). Coverage on ESPN2 continues on Sunday, March 29, when NHRA Race Day will kick off eliminator coverage starting at 11:00 a.m. (ET), and concludes with three-and-a-half hours of final eliminations coverage beginning at 4:30 p.m. (ET).

February 3, 2009:
NHRA Opening Weekend in Pomona. Jim Dunn Celebrates 60th Year in Racing.
Toliver Will Drive CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods Chevrolet Funny Car.

POMONA, CA -- The year was 1950.  Harry Truman was President of the United States.  "All about Eve" won the Academy Award for Best Picture.  A civil conflict between North and South Korea escalated into what became known as the Korean War.  The New York Yankees won its second consecutive World Series against the Phillies (sorry, Bob Frey).  And Jim Dunn embarked on a six-decade journey by competing in his first drag race. 

Flash forward to 2009 and Dunn, one of the original pioneers of NHRA Drag Racing, will be celebrating his 60th year in the sport.  The legendary team owner/driver/tuner began his career as a competitor in 1950 when the popularity of the sport was starting to move from the streets and take hold on local strips throughout Southern California.  Over the years, Dunn has accumulated numerous wins and performance records including a victory at the 1972 Supernationals in Ontario, Calif., the 1981 World Finals in Irvine, Calif., and he was runner-up at the 1981 U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.  He is also the only driver to win the prestigious March Meet at Bakersfield in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.

Since retiring from driving in 1990, Dunn's career has continued to flourish as a respected crew chief, technical advisor and car owner.  He wrenched cars to numerous victories throughout the '90s including the 1997 Big Bud Shootout in Indianapolis, the 1998 Pontiac Excitement Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, and the 1999 U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis.  In 2001 Dunn was voted No. 27 on NHRA's list of the Top 50 Drivers of its first 50 years, and in 2006 he was given the great honor of induction into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame.

Last year with Tony Bartone behind the wheel, the Dunn-tuned Canidae All Natural Pet Foods/Lucas Oil Chevrolet Funny Car won the Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals at Seattle.   This year Jerry Toliver, a five-time national-event winner in Funny Car, slides behind the wheel of the Jim Dunn Racing nitro-powered Chevy.  Toliver, a California native, has two top-10 points finishes with his best season coming in 2000 when he won three national events, advanced to seven final-round appearances and ended the year third in the points standings.  Toliver was also named the Car Craft magazine "Person of the Year" in 2000 for his contributions to the sport of drag racing. 

Dunn sat down for a Q&A before heading to Auto Club Raceway for this weekend's 49th annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals on Feb. 5-8, the first of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

Your thoughts on starting your 60th year of drag racing.  "I didn't even think I'd live to be 60, let alone be involved with something for 60 years.  I've seen drag racing going from good to bad, and back to good again.  But it's hard to do it now.  The fun days were when we'd go to a little match race for four days.  Now you've got to have 10-20 guys on the team just to get it started. 

"Everybody asks how you can do this for 60 years.  I must just really love pain or I'm just really stupid (laughs).  It's been good for me because I enjoy working on the cars.  I enjoy listening to them and hearing them.  Everybody gets caught up winning and is hurt if they don't.  If you win a race, that's a bonus.  Just getting there and getting them started is the fun part.  For example, I won 20 local races one year in my dragster at Irwindale, Orange County and tracks like that, and thought, man, I'd like to win a big race and see how excited I'd be.  Well, I won the Bakersfield fuel meet, which was the biggest fuel race of the year, and I was disappointed because I got to the other end and I was no more excited than I was when I won a little race.  A win's a win.  I do it for myself because I enjoy it.  When the car starts and does what you ask it to, that's the whole emotional trap right there."          

Do you remember your first car?  "My '40 Ford was the first car I had.  I was 14, and my dad asked me what I wanted for my 15th birthday.  I said new carburetors; he said okay but you've got to do all of the work, and since then I've been doing all my own work.  But everybody did their own work in those days because nobody made anything.  You had a manifold and carburetor, and that was it.  If you wanted to try something else you had to build it yourself.  It was more fun then, too, because you had to put more thought into it.  Today, with the rules in place, we're almost like a Pro Stock car.   

"The '60s were probably the best as far as a favorite given time period for drag racing.  My favorite car was the Dunn-Merritt-Velasko Altered.  We ran it two years and only got beat once.  We won the Winternationals twice in Gas and then switched it over to Fuel in March and won the March meet in Altered."

What have you done to prepare for the 2009 season?  "We bought a brand-new Murf McKinney car and we're hoping that will put us back in the chase.  But I always say it's kind of like grabbing at straws.  There's no proven car out there, but I walk down through the line and see 18 McKinney cars sitting there, so there must be a reason everybody's got one.  So we've got a car coming, we've upgraded with new heads, we've got a new driver.  You've got to keep up with the guys.  It's not hard if you've got the money, but obviously this year with the economy the way it is it's a little harder to get the money.  But we've got enough to go racing and that's all that matters.  I used to always say if I've got half as much as John Force, then I can run as good as he can.  But now it's about five times more and that's hard to compete with."   

How does your experience help your team keep up with the other teams?  "I still tune mostly by feel and the computer tells me if I'm right or wrong.  That's my back-up tool.  The new guys do it just the opposite way; they tune by computer and then maybe check it out by feel to see if they're right.  The new guys are a lot better with the computers than I am, but I think I'm better than they are with just gut feeling.  They haven't had the experience.  You don't know until it happens." 

Are you excited about the start of another race season?  "I enjoy the races and the spectators are great.  That's my home away from home.  I'm just glad that I'm still walking and still have the opportunity to tune this Canidae/Lucas Oil Funny Car.  You've got to know where you are to set your sights.  You count your budget, and it takes this much budget to be a champion, it takes this much budget to be in the middle, it takes this much budget to qualify.  Anytime we go to the starting line we say we can beat the guy.  I've always said that the day I go up to the starting line and say I can't beat him, I'll quit.  Racing is racing.  If you're racing the No. 1 qualifier and you're 16th, in your mind you're thinking if he runs his perfect race and I run my perfect race, then he'll kick my butt.  But that doesn't happen very often side by side."

You've got Canidae All Natural Pet Foods returning as a sponsor on the car and Lucas Oil stepping up its involvement with the team for 2009.  "The Canidae folks are all really nice people and the owner's a racer.  It's more like a family deal than a business.  But he's a smart business man and we've helped them with their message of Responsible Pet Ownership.  We talk with them quite a bit and it's a pretty close deal.

"And I've always appreciated the strong support from Forrest and Charlotte (Lucas) over the years.  Great sponsors like Canidae and Lucas Oil allow us to keep racing in an increasingly tough and competitive Funny Car class.  We've got a great group of sponsors that support our racing efforts." 

What are your goals for 2009?  "We're going to try to win 24 races this year, but that doesn't happen very often (laughs).  Every year there's one of the little independent underdogs that are in the top 10.  We had (Jim) Head one year, we had (Gary) Densham last year, (Del) Worsham was No. 2 one year, so I hope it's my turn to get up in the top 10.

November 15, 2008:
Jim Dunn Racing Announces Jerry Toliver Will Drive The
CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods Chevrolet Funny Car in 2009

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA -- Jim Dunn Racing announced today that Funny Car veteran Jerry Toliver has been named the driver of the CANIDAE® All Natural Pet Foods Chevrolet for the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle season.

"Jerry is a terrific competitor who races for the same reason I do, and that's because he loves it," said team owner and crew chief Jim Dunn. "He's been competing a long time and does everything he can to get the car to the end of the track in one piece. We think a lot alike when it comes to racing the car, and everyone on this team is looking forward to welcoming Jerry aboard for 2009."

Toliver is a five-time national-event winner in the NHRA Funny Car category. The California native has two top-10 finishes with his best season coming in 2000 when he won three national events, advanced to seven final-round appearances and ended the year third in the points standings. Toliver was named the Car Craft magazine "Person of the Year" in 2000 for his contributions to the sport of drag racing. His last victory was in 2004 when he won the NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club of Southern California Raceway. Toliver's very first career victory was at this event, the Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, in 1999.

"I've known Jim for a long time," Toliver said. "He is an icon of the sport and someone that is respected by everyone in the pits. Working with Jim is something I've wanted to do for a long time."

Toliver will be replacing Tony Bartone, who is leaving the team to spend more time with his family. The well-liked Bartone, who has raced nearly everything on four wheels, and was the 1996 Lucas Oil Alcohol Funny Car champion, gave the CANIDAE Racing team one of its 2008 season highlights when he won the Schuck's Auto Supply Nationals at Seattle on July 20.

"I've truly enjoyed working with Jim Dunn and the entire CANIDAE Pet Foods team and wish them nothing but success next year," Bartone said. "We've had a great run here, and a lot of good times and Jerry's going to do a terrific job in the car."

Pictured from left to right: Tony Bartone, Jerry Toliver, Jim Dunn
PHOTO ON RIGHT COURTESY OF JAMES DREW PHOTOGRAPHY