Four races into the 2014 NHRA season and Jim Dunn Racing will debut a fourth body design highlighting a new sponsor. Koppl Pipeline Services, Inc., will be front and center on the Grime Boss Funny Car at the 2014 SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals March 28-30.
Jim Dunn Racing will be celebrating a major milestone at the Las Vegas race: “Big Jim’s” 80th birthday. The escape hatch on the Dodge Funny Car will feature a special design paying tribute to Jim and his passion for racing. A pioneer of the sport, Dunn has dedicated his life to drag racing since 1950. Since retiring from driving in 1990, Dunn’s career has continued to flourish as a respected crew chief, technical adviser and car owner.
Fans will be able to meet Dunn and get his autograph Thursday, March 27, at the NHRA Fanfest on the Brooklyn Bridge of New York, New York Hotel & Casino. The event goes from 5-7 p.m. with the first 200 fans receiving a free Summit Racing hat.
Jim Dunn Racing Business Manager Jon Dunn hopes this will be a special weekend for his dad. “I’m so proud of Dad and all contributions he’s made to NHRA Drag Racing,” he said. “The team would love to bring home a Wally for his birthday.”
Koppl Pipeline Services, Inc., based in Montebello, Calif.,specializes in hot tapping, line stopping, pipe freezing and valve inserting. The family-owned and -operated company started back in the 1920s, and takes pride in providing years of expertise, strong family values from their founding fathers and using the latest technology to best serve its customers.
“Koppl is proud to be affiliated with the Jim Dunn Racing Team and want to thank them for putting our company name on their race car for the Vegas event,” said Doug Coker, Vice President at Koppl Pipeline Services. “It means so much to our family to have the company our grandfather founded on the side of the car.”
Also excited by the special edition car is Chuck Lehtonen, VP of Marketing & Sales at Koppl Pipeline. “I’m a life-long drag racing fan and I’ve known Jon for a few years. To see Koppl as a primary sponsor on the Jim Dunn Racing Funny Car is a dream come true. I look forward to future projects with the team.”
