• • • JIM HALSEY • • • BRANDON SWITZER • • •
ahead at the next chunk of numbers that need to be recorded before the 3.40-second ,
220-mph barriers that loom in the distance can be knocked down . It seems a little realistic , especially since it ’ s still somewhat surreal that the last barriers were broken .
“ When we went . 60s , I said I wouldn ’ t be around to go . 50s ,” Switzer says . “ I said the same thing when we went . 50s . I ’ m like , ‘ Well , that was it .’ There ’ s no way when we went a . 69 that I thought I ’ d be around to go over 210 . It wasn ’ t even that much longer from the . 69 that
we went . 59 and 210 . As soon as we went the . 59 , I said , ‘ That ’ s the last one I ’ ll be around for .’ And everyone ’ s like , ‘ That ’ s what you said last time .’”
Still , Switzer doesn ’ t rule out the possibility of a nitrous car dipping into the 3.40s or reaching 220 mph in an eighth of a mile . He can ’ t accurately predict the timeline , as there are way too many variables at play , but he does believe it ’ s something the class will be chasing for quite some time .
“ It ’ s an exponentially difficult thing to try to reach those goals because what it takes to go from 4.00 to 3.90 is not even comparable to what
it takes to go from 3.59 to 3.49 ,” Switzer points out . “ I don ’ t know if a lot of people understand what it would take to go from a . 59 to a . 49 . It ’ s monumental . I ’ m not saying it couldn ’ t be done , but it isn ’ t going to be done in a couple of years . I can guarantee you that .”
Halsey is similarly bearish when it comes to the possibility of a run in the 3.40s . “ I think 3.40s is probably going to be out of my reach , career-wise . But you never know .”
When it comes to his future in racing , Halsey remains focused on eighth-mile competition , specifically in PDRA Pro Nitrous . He doesn ’ t really have any interest in quarter-mile NHRA
LOYALTY IS IMPORTANT TO HALSEY . ALONG WITH CATHY CROUSE , HIS GIRLFRIEND OF OVER 30 YEARS , HALSEY ’ S CREW INCLUDES LONGTIME CREW MEMBERS MICHAEL MCMILLAN ( LEFT ) AND CREW CHIEF ERIC DAVIS ( RIGHT ).
Pro Mod competition . That game has changed a ton since he won the 50th annual NHRA U . S . Nationals in 2004 , when 29 drivers attempted to qualify for the eight-car field .
It ’ s not the technical differences between his current eighth-mile Pro Nitrous setup and a quarter-mile NHRA Pro Mod combo that rules out the move . Nor is it the fact that he would be one of just a couple nitrous cars competing against a field of supercharged and turbocharged cars .
The scheduling differences are the main factor for Halsey . The PDRA ’ s eight stops are all within an eight-hour drive of Halsey ’ s Maryland home , while the NHRA Pro Mod schedule stretches to 12 races as far south as Gainesville , Florida , and as far west as Las Vegas . The NHRA ’ s event schedule begins with parking on Wednesday or Thursday and doesn ’ t conclude until Sunday afternoon , pushing post-race travel well into Monday . On the contrary , Halsey can win a PDRA race late Saturday night and be home in time for Sunday supper .
“ We have several businesses we run and it ’ d be hard for me to take the time off to chase the NHRA stuff ,” Halsey says . “ Is it out of possibilities ? No , never .”
So PDRA Pro Nitrous will be stuck with Halsey for the foreseeable future . But that ’ s a good thing for the class , and even Halsey ’ s biggest rival , Tommy Franklin , recognizes that . Even though he lost the 2020 world championship to Halsey in eliminations at the World Finals after leading points for most of the season , Franklin is a firm believer in the age-old notion that to be the best , you have to beat the best .
“ To lose that [ championship ] sucks , but I love racing at that level and I love the competition side of it ,” Franklin says . “ It ’ s bitter to walk away and be on the losing side , but that keeps you driving and pushing towards [ winning ]. I wouldn ’ t have it any other way .”
Franklin isn ’ t afraid to admit Halsey and his team are the best in the class going into the PDRA ’ s eighth season . Halsey ’ s performance over the last two seasons has put a massive target on his back , and Franklin is leading a pack of Pro Nitrous hitters who will attempt to prevent a three-peat .
“ That whole team , front to back , is top notch right now and they ’ re the ones we have our sights on ,” Franklin says . “ Jim Halsey is somebody who ’ s proved himself in prior years , got off a little bit and came back when he was ready and boy , he came back with a vengeance .
“ He ’ s doing good ,” Franklin continues , “ but I can also say I don ’ t feel like he ’ s unbeatable and I do feel like we ’ re going to do everything we can to beat him . That ’ s the goal of this stuff . If I was showing up without the idea that I want to be better than him , then I probably don ’ t need to show up . The truth is we ’ re going to work hard and do everything we can to dethrone him – take the teeth out of the shark .”
With the knowledge that the target on their backs is larger than ever , Halsey will continue working towards a third consecutive title . It would give him the most championships of any driver in PDRA Pro Nitrous history , as he ’ s currently tied with Franklin ( 2016-2017 ) and Jason Harris ( 2014 and 2018 ) with two apiece .
But Halsey won ’ t stop there . He ’ s showing no signs of slowing down in this second wind of his career .
“ I ’ d like to win a few more championships before I hang it up ,” he says . “ As long as I ’ m healthy and can do my job driving and enjoy doing what I ’ m doing , I ’ ll be here for a long time .” DI
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