Jim Dunn Racing 2026 (27 Viewers)

[J]

The Dunn M.O. for many years has been to use a buy-a-ride driver to help fund the operation. I doubt that would change now. I don't think Lindberg would want to pay for a ride.

Id be pissed if i paid for that ride,1st round runner up almost every race...

 

[Axman]

Yeah, me too. They don’t go many rounds.
I believe Tony Bartone was the last driver to win in the Dunn car back in the early 2000’s

 

[J. S.]

Id be pissed if i paid for that ride,1st round runner up almost every race...

But everyone knows that is the deal going in. You get the thrill of being a part of the Big Show. They run on a tight budget and no doubt could turn up the wick and go a few rounds if they had more funding. It is a unique approach for sure, but they are able to stay out there year after year.....

 

[stitcherbob]

Classy

Jim Dunn. -
“[Son] Mike worked on all of my cars probably from the time he was five years old. He got his license in my car, running on alcohol. He was like me, pretty mechanically inclined right from the get-go. He got pretty good and started asking to get paid for working on the car. I told him, ‘I don’t pay anyone,’ and turned him over to Roland [Leong]. I said, ‘Hey Roland, do you want a crew guy who’s 17 but has 20 years’ experience?’ He said, ‘Send him over.’
Mike Dunn -
“I licensed in my dad’s car, which at the time was the Dunn & Velasco Satellite,” he said. “We actually ran it on alcohol first the year before; we had a 6-71 blower and a small injector, and my dad blocked off the port nozzles and bought an alcohol barrel valve. My dad had a spare two-speed, so I spent $600 of my own money to buy a kit that was out there that you could use to bolt together two two-speeds to make a three-speed. My dad was messing around with the Donovan then, but he didn’t want me to ruin his good parts, so he found an old steel Hemi. Pisano gave me a set of pistons and a camshaft, and Valvoline gave me a drum of alcohol. I ran 7.38 at 178. We switched to nitro for a race at Orange County, where I got my nitro license and even qualified for the show. It was kind of funny because he actually was struggling at the time with that Donovan, and I went quicker than he’d run in a while.”

​

The fun ended there, though, as he broke a rod on his first-round burnout against Dale Pulde, and after “Big Jim” made it clear that Mike wouldn’t be handed a race car of his own, he left to crew for Leong through the end of 1979 before landing his first ride, in Bill Schifsky’s Beartown Shaker"

I have never seen the two of them together anywhere, at the drags or at an interview....

 

[BOO BOO]

Jim Dunn. -
“[Son] Mike worked on all of my cars probably from the time he was five years old. He got his license in my car, running on alcohol. He was like me, pretty mechanically inclined right from the get-go. He got pretty good and started asking to get paid for working on the car. I told him, ‘I don’t pay anyone,’ and turned him over to Roland [Leong]. I said, ‘Hey Roland, do you want a crew guy who’s 17 but has 20 years’ experience?’ He said, ‘Send him over.’
Mike Dunn -
“I licensed in my dad’s car, which at the time was the Dunn & Velasco Satellite,” he said. “We actually ran it on alcohol first the year before; we had a 6-71 blower and a small injector, and my dad blocked off the port nozzles and bought an alcohol barrel valve. My dad had a spare two-speed, so I spent $600 of my own money to buy a kit that was out there that you could use to bolt together two two-speeds to make a three-speed. My dad was messing around with the Donovan then, but he didn’t want me to ruin his good parts, so he found an old steel Hemi. Pisano gave me a set of pistons and a camshaft, and Valvoline gave me a drum of alcohol. I ran 7.38 at 178. We switched to nitro for a race at Orange County, where I got my nitro license and even qualified for the show. It was kind of funny because he actually was struggling at the time with that Donovan, and I went quicker than he’d run in a while.”

​

The fun ended there, though, as he broke a rod on his first-round burnout against Dale Pulde, and after “Big Jim” made it clear that Mike wouldn’t be handed a race car of his own, he left to crew for Leong through the end of 1979 before landing his first ride, in Bill Schifsky’s Beartown Shaker"

I have never seen the two of them together anywhere, at the drags or at an interview....

The Rob Reiner post was in poor taste period. If it was a attempt at humor, it failed.

 

[Just Paul]

​

The fun ended there, though, as he broke a rod on his first-round burnout against Dale Pulde, and after “Big Jim” made it clear that Mike wouldn’t be handed a race car of his own, he left to crew for Leong through the end of 1979 before landing his first ride, in Bill Schifsky’s Beartown Shaker"

I have never seen the two of them together anywhere, at the drags or at an interview....

They reunited in 90 and 91 working for Ed Abel on the Snickers car and did well together. Not much after that though.

 

[Under_Pressure]

But everyone knows that is the deal going in. You get the thrill of being a part of the Big Show. They run on a tight budget and no doubt could turn up the wick and go a few rounds if they had more funding. It is a unique approach for sure, but they are able to stay out there year after year.....

If you're bringing the kind of money that justifies a car that can go rounds, you're probably going somewhere else. Like Alexis- she buys her rides with top teams because the checks she brings are big enough to make that happen. She has no need to settle for a team that struggles. If the sponsorship money you can bring only gets you a seat that lets you have some fun making qualifying passes and maybe a round 1 once in a while, it's either that or nothing. If sponsors want better results, then bring more money. Unfortunately the way it is.

Dunn is like Dale Coyne's team in Indycar- for 30 years his business model has been mostly providing teams for ride buyers. The drivers and sponsors know going in that it's unlikely they'll run up front, but frankly many of the drivers in a pure ride buy situation like that (often from wealthy families with business connections to their "sponsors") wouldn't be that competitive no matter what they're in. So it's pretty much just an expensive fantasy camp where you get to be part of a high level racing series.

 

[ch streetcars]

They reunited in 90 and 91 working for Ed Abel on the Snickers car and did well together. Not much after that though.

They even had K-mart as an associate sponsor, well funded and super-competitive car until Abel's construction business was hurt by the slow economy in '91. Short lived,was supposed to be a 5 year deal. Just think what could have been. Happiest I ever saw Big Jim at the races. For a great re-cap on Jim and Mike Dunn ,watch Bobby Bennett's Competition Plus Legend's series on You-Tube. Heck, watch every episode this winter to really get to know the drivers.

 

[Nitro79]

They even had K-mart as an associate sponsor, well funded and super-competitive car until Abel's construction business was hurt by the slow economy in '91. Short lived,was supposed to be a 5 year deal. Just think what could have been. Happiest I ever saw Big Jim at the races. For a great re-cap on Jim and Mike Dunn ,watch Bobby Bennett's Competition Plus Legend's series on You-Tube. Heck, watch every episode this winter to really get to know the drivers.

I don't think the CP Legends series goes into the rift between Mike and Jim. It's a shame and curious to know what caused it.

 

[Nappy]

There have been other Father and Son Teams with "differences" that went their separate ways. Nothing that unusual about it.

 

[Axman]

I don't think the CP Legends series goes into the rift between Mike and Jim. It's a shame and curious to know what caused it.

I’ve heard it was a step-mom and son rift