The Chi-Town Hustler is without a doubt one of the most famous and prominent Funny Cars of all-time, and one of it’s most noted drivers was the one and only Frank Hawley. And for one night only, Hawley, will return to the drivers seat of the Chi-Town Hustler at the largest single-day drag racing event in the country – Norwalk’s “Night Under Fire” – at the Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park on August 13th.

“Last winter Bill Bader contacted me with the idea of not just bringing together these nostalgic, or historic as he refers to them, nitro funny cars, but to also have many of the actual drivers behind the wheel,” said Hawley, Founder of Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School. “Bader was hoping that Troy Martin, who currently drives the Chi-Town Hustler, wouldn’t mind relinquishing the driving duties for one special night and get me to come back and match race all these other historic funny cars.”

Troy Martin's recreated Chi-Town Hustler flopper, which Hawley will pilot at the "Night Under Fire" in Norwalk. Photos courtesy: Mike Garland/Magic Photos

“Troy has been doing a very good job match racing the Chi-Town Hustler across the country for the last several years,” Hawley continued. “The car that Troy has is the 1973 Chi-Town Hustler and I actually didn’t start driving the car until the 1980 season. I met with Troy last week and since he is taller than I am, we made several modifications to the car. We are really looking forward to competing for the fans during the Night Under Fire.”

“It’s just going to be an incredible opportunity,” Hawley added. “It’s going to be a chance for me to see some guys I haven’t seen in many years. It’s one thing to just see these guys in the pits after all these years, but to be able to jump back in the car and compete against them again is something that I never really imagined I would get to do.”

Adding to the nostalgia of the evening will be Dale Pulde’s War Eagle, Raymond Beadle’s Blue Max, Mike Savage’s Candies & Hughes Plymouth, Jon Capps in the “Jungle Jim,” the “Mr. Chevrolet” Dick Harrell Camaro Tribute Car, and Doc Halladay in his iconic “Telstar” flopper.

“You don’t have to be a drag race fan. You don’t even necessarily need to be a John Force Fan. The “Night Under Fire” is about pure entertainment,” explained Bill Bader III, President and Co-Owner of Summit Motorsports Park. “From the pre-race ceremony and all of the pageantry, presentation and emotion that goes into that where it is scripted right down to the end. It is a very special event.” “One of the things I think our sport has lost is it’s rivalries. Everyone wears a ‘white hat’ and there are no ‘black hats’ any longer,” he stated. “In the old days, we had many more colorful drivers and rivalries that you could really sink your teeth into. These cars of today have become rolling billboards, and I understand that. But to reach back in time and grab the Blue Max, the War Eagle, the Chi-Town and so on is going to be great. Because when you think about it, back then it was about the personalities and the rivalries. It was about the good guy and the bad guy. It was back when our sport was getting its legs, so to speak, but I can tell you it was a pretty cool time for our sport of Drag Racing.”

“For the 34th Annual Night Under Fire, we have reached back and grabbed eight historic funny cars, which were all part of the foundation of the modern day fuel funny car class,” he continued. “They have been assembled from all over the US. I didn’t stay just in the Midwest. I personally am very excited to see all of these cars.”

Hawley, who didn’t begin driving the Chi-Town Hustler until the 1980 season, recalls competing in an eight-car Funny Car show at the Ohio racetrack that season, where he defeated Pulde’s War Eagle for the title.

“Now I heard, through Bill Bader, that Dale told him that he beat me in the final,” Hawley pointed out with a smile. “I’m pretty sure I won that race, I know we were both in the final. Guess someone needs to pull up some documentation from somewhere, but wow, how neat would that be to think that some thirty-one years later we have the opportunity to possibly repeat all that. Dale and I have always had a friendly rivalry. Well I always thought it was friendly. I think that Dale Pulde is one of the best funny cars drivers ever and to get a chance to get out there and race against Dale again is going to be amazing.”