The 2023 Bubble Up AA Funny Car continues to impress in 2023. Moving up the ladder from 10th to 3rd place between qualifying sessions one and two, before losing in the semi-finals during eliminations at the 52ndEdition of the Ignitor Nitro Opener May 5-7 at Firebird Raceway in Idaho. The AA/FC ran a respectable 5.76 ET at 229.24 MPH in round one, and then 5.89 ET at 220.87 MPH. The event allowed the team to prepare for its next race.
At the 2023 NHRA Rocky Mountain Nationals in Edmonton, July 7-9, the Bubble Up AA Funny Car, sponsored by Team Ace Racing, competed in the 1,000 foot drag race as part of a 6-car showdown Friday and Saturday.
In round one action Friday night, Ryan Hodgson, driver of the Ron Hodgson backed 3rd generation Bubble Up funny car ran a 5.0779 ET at 217 MPH. Twenty-four hours later, Ryan faced Derrick Moreira in the finals. With a strong 0.077 reaction time at the tree, the Bubble Up car ran an impressive 4.87 ET to Moreira’s 5.01 ET, getting to the 1,000-foot finish line first to capture the win and take home the NHRA Wally trophy. The ET was also the lowest time of the event.
With this performance, the ACE sponsored Bubble Up AA/FC will be in a good position for upcoming 2023 races.