If there is one thing that we know about the world of drag racing it’s that once the sport finds a way to get into your blood, it never leaves. The other thing we know is that competing on a professional level and burning nitromethane while doing it can be enough to drain your heart, soul, and bank account all at the same time. That being said, there has been a growing movement over the course of the last several years of people who have decided to take the plunge and venture into the hardcore world of professional drag racing on their own. In the top fuel ranks, many of these cars are in the middle of the country and the East and in nitro funny car a half dozen or more privateer operations have sprouted on the West Coast. Well, the latest entry into the world of NHRA nitro funny car racing is coming from a machine shop about three miles (as the crow flies) from the Atlantic Ocean!

Dana Hard has operated Custom Automotive Machine in Weymouth, Massachusetts for decades and he’s been a drag racer for a longer stint than that. Over the course of years he has worked his way up through the ranks and most recently competed with a pair of nostalgia nitro burning funny cars at a wide variety of tracks in the Eastern US. The eastern nostalgia scene is not what it was and Dana was looking for a new challenge. Having always entertained the idea of taking a shot at the big leagues, a deal on a large array of engine parts was presented to him and he decided to go all-in.

As you can see, he has amassed a great collection of equipment and the construction of the car, slow and steady as it has been, is coming along great. The chassis is a car that Matt Hagan formerly raced. The body (as well as the engine parts) have all be sourced through John Force Racing. The Mustang was bought as a bare body shell and the great Murpy McKinney is the one who was hired to build all the titanium mounting “tree” and other details inside it.

Dana has been very adamant through his career burning nitro that asking questions and working with seasoned veterans have been keys to his success and his ability to have fast cars that were not murdering parts at an eye-watering rate. He plans to continue down that road with this project. He has already worked with and talked to many experienced people and you can expect that when this car begins to see the track, some very experienced nitro racers will be involved in overseeing the starting stages of the team’s development. Why? It’s far, far more fun, sensible, and financially sane to have someone that has raced one of these cars for decades looking over the organization and completion of the tasks needed to have the car running right. Way better for the wallet and the guy in the cockpit.

There is no trillion square foot shop here, there is no bank of CNC machines whittling away cylinder heads, no HR department, etc. This is a nitro funny car being assembled in the back of a machine shop outside of Boston and it’s about the coolest thing ever. Hard has no expectations of running a full season or even half a season, he wants to hit Eastern races and run the car in a competitive fashion when they are at the track. It’s the “quality over quantity” approach that we really saw the Zizzo family perfect over the years. A smaller number of races with a max effort is far more fun than trying to figure out where the money is coming from for the next tank of diesel or the next drum of fuel.

With his experience in the nostalgia nitro funny car ranks, there comes a healthy caution and realization of what a full blown pro-level nitro funny car actually is. There are no misconceptions on cost, danger, risk, or any of that stuff. Hard is well aware of every aspect because he’s been there and done that already.

With a realistic approach, a pile of fresh parts, and the experienced minds he will have working with him when the rubber starts to meet the road, there’s no doubt that Dana Hard is doing this the right way for a guy who is doing it with his own modest means. A car that can come to the track, run low 4s and keep together consistently would be a fantastic thing to see out of this group. Once that is established, the real fun of picking away at performance until the car can run 3s would be fantastic. His nostalgia cars were as fast as anyone in the country when they were out and about. They were also among the best looking, as well.

We’re sure that Dana had to listen to a lot of “experts” that said he’s never get this far, that the car would never be finished, and that he was doing it all wrong. Well, from the perspective of a guy who has witnessed people come into the sport the right way and the really, really wrong way, this is the right way by a mile. The construction of the car the gathering of the part, and other aspects of this project have not been rushed. They have been cautious, measured, and done correctly. The parts and pieces are all from JFR and are great stuff, not used up junk. The body is as beautiful as you can imagine, and best of all, the dream to get this done will be realized.

And so keep your eyes peeled for this car to make its debut in 2023. Another privateer effort in NHRA funny car is a fantastic thing and especially one being made by guys with a proven track record of success. The hometown crowd at New England Dragway will now have multiple teams based out of the region to root for at that race and as a dyed in the wool NED guy, there’s not a darned thing cooler in my book than that.

For anyone who says that “regular people” can’t run nitro cars anymore, here’s yet another example of a guy who says that you’re wrong.