Interview by Mary Lendzion
Summit Motorsports Park
When Hayden Proffitt II was growing up, he loved listening to stories about his grandfather, Hayden Proffitt, a successful racer who spent a lot of time in the spotlight.
They were stories of his grandfather’s experience and expertise, and they compelled Hayden to follow in his famous footsteps by climbing into the 1957 Chevrolet-bodied truck that Les Shockley was selling several years ago. With two J34-48 engines, afterburners and 25,000 horsepower, he has been bringing the heat in the truck appropriately named Hot Streak II ever since.
Fans will get to see Hayden in action at the 17th Annual Stainless Works Cavalcade of Stars presented by Budweiser, June 2-4 and the Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire, Aug. 5, two of this year’s most highly anticipated events at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
Read on for more about Hayden, who lives in Burnet, Texas, with his wife, Abbi, and their daughter, Catherine, whom they call CJ. He has been as quick and fast as 7.78 and 211 mph in the quarter-mile, and he always puts on a sensational show for fans.
WHAT WILL YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY’S RICH RACING HISTORY?
My grandfather, Hayden Proffitt, started drag racing in the early 1950s, and he raced in everything from Factory Stock to Nitro Funny Car, and the last thing he drove was a jet dragster. He was a six-time national champion. He had four championships in the NHRA, and two championships in the AHRA. He was inducted into four Drag Racing Hall of Fames. Unfortunately, we lost him last August. Another family member who raced was my uncle Brad, who had a rocket-powered dragster.
WE WERE SORRY TO SEE THAT YOUR GRANDFATHER PASSED AWAY. HOW DID HE INFLUENCE YOUR RACING?
I heard so much about his racing heritage when I was growing up, and I got to watch my grandfather inducted into the Drag Racing Hall of Fame in Bakersfield, California. I always wanted to pursue some sort of racing, and after I graduated from high school and spent nine years in the United States Air Force, I was given the opportunity to acquire my jet truck from Les Shockley in 2015. I have been driving it ever since.
WHAT WAS INVOLVED IN LEARNING HOW TO DRIVE THE TRUCK, AND PERFORM IN THE TRUCK?
My first time down a dragstrip was in the jet truck. You have to make 12 licensing runs, and two currently licensed racers have to sign off on your runs. With Les Shockley going through things on the truck with me, I made passes to get used to it at Neosho Airport in Missouri. I started out small and then made 1,000-foot passes and then full quarter-mile passes, and then I made my licensing passes at Thunder Valley Raceway in Oklahoma. Casey Jones and Tammy Gatlin signed off on my license. The whole experience, and going that fast, was definitely eye-opening. It was an adrenaline rush.
IN ADDITION TO DRAGSTRIPS, YOU PERFORM AT AIRSHOWS. HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE THEM?
We do a handful of dragstrips, and the bulk of my season is air show-related. At dragstrips, we start the truck up, do a fire show and starting line show, and we can’t stay in the fireball too long because we don’t want to heat up the asphalt too much. Then we do burner pops, and that’s where the rpm are up in the engine, we put it in the beams and make the run. At airshows, it is very different, especially when we are performing with an aerial performer. We will taxi on the runway and do a little fire and smoke and a little song and dance with the aerial performer. The pilot will come down and buzz over my truck, and I try to do a disappearing act by laying down smoke and pulling through the smoke. It is a little more intricate and we go through detailed briefs with the pilots. I love the dragstrip performances and the airshow performances. They are equally exciting for me, and I get to compete and perform.
WHAT MAKES YOU LOVE COMPETING AND PERFORMING IN YOUR JET TRUCK?
Knowing my family history of racing, mainly my grandfather’s history of racing, makes me want to do this even more. I’m passionate about all motorsports, but drag racing is close to my heart. I like traveling to the tracks and airshows across the country, seeing different things and meeting different people. I love strapping on a helmet and getting an adrenaline rush. With that adrenaline rush, I have to remember to respect my vehicle and what it is capable of, and I have to keep my head on a swivel, mind my P’s and Q’s and watch for things that could be a concern. We are not driving on a tire. We are just using thrust to move the vehicle, and the tires are just there to roll. The exhaust gasses off the engine are moving the truck.
SUMMIT MOTORSPORTS PARK FANS ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE 17TH ANNUAL STAINLESS WORKS CAVALCADE OF STARS PRESENTED BY BUDWEISER AND THE 46TH ANNUAL CORNWELL TOOLS NIGHT UNDER FIRE.
I’m super-excited to come to Summit Motorsports Park. I have been there twice. The facility is one of the best in the country, the fans were amazing and I’m looking forward to seeing people I met when I was there last time. Hopefully we can make everyone excited year after year.
