Sun, 1 Jun 2003, 09:23 AM Hartman Motorsports Hires Consultant For Two-Car Top Fuel Team

Courtesy of Tara Healy Lance Larsen To Aid Team With Tuning Responsibilities

WILLIAMSTON, S.C. -- Hartman Motorsports, a family owned and operated automotive race team competing on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series tour in the Top Fuel category, hires drag racing veteran Lance Larsen as a team consultant for two races.

Virgil Hartman, team owner/tuner for Hartman Motorsports, will resume tuning responsibilities on both team-owned Top Fuel Dragsters driven by Hartman’s daughter, Rhonda Hartman-Smith, and Hartman’s son-in-law, John “Bodie” Smith. Hartman will rely on Larsen’s technical expertise for two races and will evaluate tuning responsibilities for the two-car team after the two races are completed.

“Now that we have a two-car team and John (Smith) is focusing on his role as a Top Fuel driver and has limited tuning time, we need to make some adjustments in order to progress into the next stage of performance,” comments Virgil Hartman. “Lance and I worked together back in the 1980s when my son, Richard Hartman, and I were running an Alcohol Funny Car and made the leap into the Nitro Funny Car category. Lance was a great resource back then and I feel confident that his knowledge and expertise will help both Dragsters run quicker and more consistent during qualifying and elimination rounds.”

“I am looking forward to working with the Hartman family again,” comments Larsen. “We developed a great working relationship that has grown over the past 18 years. I’ve known John for 20 years and have a lifelong friendship with Paul Smith, John’s father. This team has the desire and skill to win and I am excited to be working in tandem with Virgil to step up the level of performance on both cars.”

Larsen previously served as the Crew Chief for Skuza Motorsports and tuned the team-owned Funny Car to two victories and 10 runner-up finishes during his eight-plus years with the team. He worked with a variety of seasoned NHRA drivers including Joe Amato, Bobby Baldwin, Richard Hartman, Art Hendy, Chris Karamesines, Eric Reed and Del Worsham. His most memorable season was in 1981 when he tuned Top Fuel driver Jeb Allen to the NHRA Top Fuel championship. Larsen, a California native, currently resides in Litchfield, Ohio.