- 16 sept. 2009
Hull first purchased a sprint car from legendary Hall of Famer Sammy Swindell.Early success in the sport fueled the passion as Jerrod quickly found his nichein racing. Success has come easy at times, but there have been difficult timesas well. Never once has Jerrod Hull Motorsports had the capabilities of bigdollar sponsorship. It has been Jerrod’s determination to run the front, but atthe same time, he has carried a philosophy to know when to call it a good runand end a night early. “I catch a lot of grief sometimes when I pull in (to the pits or infield) whenthe car isn’t handling right,” explains Hull. “I take it in stride becausewithout some of the funding as these other guys have, I have to make things lasta little longer. We don’t necessarily have the top-level equipment in ourprogram; we have the best equipment that will last while still beingcompetitive. If I can load up the car at the end of the night in one piece andhave to make a small repair versus blowing a motor, I am happy.” There have been many tracks across the country where Hull has found success overthe years, but only one stands out in everyone’s mind, and that is Morgan CountySpeedway in Jacksonville, Illinois. Hull won his first and only trackchampionship in 1997 at the venue. His philosophy of running an “outlaw-type”schedule throughout the Midwest has kept him from repeating that performance.Jerrod wins 41 percent of the time he races at Morgan County Speedway, with anastonishing 90 percent rate of 5th place or better over his career.
Jerrod Hull in his sprint car.
Hull has won 12 events at nine different racing venues making for an already extraordinary 2009 season.
“Jacksonville has always been a great place for me to race. It was one ofthe first places we went when we first got started, and I quickly fell in lovewith the track and the fans, says Hull. “Winning the Herb Barlow race theretwice in my career has got to be one of my biggest highlights personally. It’san annual race that a lot of guys want to win in this area, and I have beenblessed to win it two times. I hope for a couple more before I am done.”
Hull is the all-time winningest driver with not just one, but two sanctioningbodies; the Midwest All Star Series and the Sprint Invader Association. He isalso the only champion the Midwest All Star Series has ever had takingchampionships in 2007, 2008, and positioned to claim the title in 2009considering his substantial lead in the points.
The 2009 season started out with a bang. But before we can begin talking about2009, we must reflect on how the 2008 season ended for the Sikeston, Missourihot-shoe. In early October at the Queen’s Royale, one of the area’s biggestevents at Farmington, Missouri, Hull utilized a brand new chassis and instantlyshot to the lead in his heat race. He was leading the field by more than ahalf-track when disaster struck. A faulty fuel line pumped fuel into the co*ckpitsoaking Hull’s driver suit, which quickly ignited.
He brought the car to an abrupt halt and made an attempt to get out of theemblazed sprinter. While trying to alight, he twisted his leg and fell to theground. The car was out of gear, causing it to roll over part of Hull’s leg.Injuries sustained included minor burns, a torn ACL, torn MCL, and a tornmeniscus, which put him on the shelf for the remainder of the year. He wasparticularly dismayed to miss the trip to the Short Track Nationals, as well ashis annual trip to Florida Speed week.
The rebound would begin in the first event of the 2009 season. At a USCS eventin Malden, Missouri, Hull picked up where he left off, ahead of the pack in hisheat race. With just two laps left in a dominating performance, Hull brought hissprint car to a stop in the infield, concerned about motor issues. Once backinto the pits, the diagnosis was a broken setscrew, which was quickly remedied,and Hull was sent out for the night’s feature event starting in 22nd position.He methodically passed each car on his way to the lead, and as the laps wounddown, he lapped the field up to 9th position for the win.
The relationship with Hull and his crew chief Scott Bonar has been welldocumented, but one win has always alluded the duo; a victory together at St.Francois County Raceway in Farmington, Missouri. That all came to an end in avery emotional evening. Just days before the 2009 event, a close friend of theteam passed away. Hull rose to the occasion, pulled off the win selflessly, anddedicated the win to their fallen friend.
To date, Hull has won 12 events at nine different venues making for an alreadyextraordinary season. Recently, Hull led the charge in two exciting events inTennessee with the Midwest All Star Series. Taking a bit of revenge on the statefrom the 2008 season, he came out of the weekend further ahead in the seriespoints than anticipated. The weekend would set the tone for an exciting event atParagon Speedway in Paragon, Indiana. In a field stacked with higher financed,former World of Outlaw travelers and bigger horse powered power plants, Hullcommanded the night’s event leading the competition to the checkered flag.
Hull is quick to give the credit for the success of the 2009 campaign to God,his crew, and his newly developed product support program. In the offseason,Hull takes time to assess product supporter expectations to be sure he ismeeting them all. K&N filters was one of the biggest additions to the programthis year, bringing with them the best air filters and oil filters on themarket. Hull connected with K&N thanks in part to hiring long time supporter andmarketing advisor Robert Cortum, of Got Dirt Racing Promotions, who negotiatedthe partnership.
“I have personally seen through my own business how Jerrod Hull shares thebenefits of partnering with his team,” commented Cortum. Without my involvement with Jerrod Hull Motorsports, Iwould not be where I am today.”
“The best thing I can do for my sponsors, supporters, and advertisers is to givethem back more than they expect,” added Hull. “If they just expect their name onthe wing, I am going to show people the product benefits. We are alwayslooking for the opportunity to under-promise and over-deliver. The addition ofK&N Filters to our program this year has made a world of difference. We wouldnot have had as much success without their support.”
To find K&N products for your vehicle go to KNFilters.com and use theonline product search.
