Houston, TX. (March 5, 2018): Justin Hutto launched his 2018 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) campaign at the NHRA Divisional event in Belle Rose, Louisiana in his Champion Powered 1969 Corvette. Coming into the season, Hutto was ready to redeem himself after losing by .003 seconds at the 2017 NHRA Fall Nationals. Hutto also battled with a lingering misfire at the event which left him with some work to do over the offseason.
After three months of work, Hutto came out swinging with a Semi-Final finish in Saturday’s gamblers race. In final eliminations of the main event, Hutto snagged the first-round victory over Tim Bartlett with a 9.98 run. In the second round, Hutto paired up against Phillip Giles- a rematch of the final round of Hutto’s first Stock Eliminator win. Hutto left the starting line with a solid .028 reaction time, but slowed a bit too much giving Giles the room he needed for victory.
“I just dropped way too early for the strategy I chose”, Hutto said. “It was a silly mistake that I know better not to make. I literally have the rule I broke in this round written down in my strategy binder. I just got caught up in the moment.”
Hutto’s next race will be on his home turf of Houston Raceway Park for the second NHRA Division 4 race of the year.
About Hutto Racing: Hutto Racing is a multigenerational Houston based NHRA team with a rich history within the sport of drag racing. Starting with Jimmie Hutto Sr.’s founding of Hutto Racing in the mid 1960’s, we have been a successful drag racing team for the past 50 years. Although Hutto Racing spans through multiple eras of the sport, the constant theme throughout the three generations of racers is a devotion to their passion and a resolute work ethic for consistent success.