Funny Car driver Paul Lee has worked hard to achieve his dream of racing Funny Car full time, and in 2025, that hard work is paying off. (Photo: Al Saucier | The Podium Finish)
Epping, N.H. – When Paul Lee sets a goal for himself, he does not stop until he achieves it. This is bad news for the rest of the NHRA Funny Car class because the next goal he has his sights on is a Funny Car championship.
It may be Lee’s first season competing full time in the Funny Car ranks, but the Orange, California, driver is no stranger to the driver’s seat. Lee picked up his first career Nitro Funny Car win in Phoenix earlier this year, and it was the culmination of a journey that started in 1982 when he was helping work on a car driven by drag racing legend Al Segrini.
Now, Lee returns to the New England Dragway for the New England Nationals this weekend, looking for his second Funny Car win at the track where John Force won in 2024.
“It hasn’t come quickly,” he said. “It’s been 35 years. People don’t realize how long I’ve been doing this. I’ve been driving either alcohol or nitro funny cars since 1988. To people who are new to the sport, they see me doing well this year, but it’s been a 35-year journey.”
Lee’s “overnight” success has been anything but. He decided when he was young that he wanted to drive funny cars for a living, and ever since then, he has lived his life in a way to help himself reach that goal.
“I knew a long time ago that I wanted to be a funny car driver,” Lee said. “The goal has always been to be a top 5 car and contend for championships. We’re just now getting to that point, but this has been work going on, and dedication since 1988.”
Paul Lee stands behind his Funny Car on Saturday of the NHRA New England Nationals weekend in Epping, NH. (Photo: Al Saucier | The Podium Finish)
Paul Lee Forged His Path in Funny Car
Drag racing is not cheap, and Lee knew that if he wanted to live out his dream, he would have to forge his path. With his eyes still on the ultimate prize of driving a nitro Funny Car, he dug into his studies in both high school and college at the University of Pennsylvania, and he built multiple successful businesses so he didn’t need to rely on outside sponsorship money to fuel his dream.
“To be a driver, you need to bring sponsorship money or you need to supply the money yourself,” he said. “Nobody is going to let you do this without money. So I realized a long time ago that I would have to be good at business to be able to do this without having to rely on sponsors. So my idols were Connie Kalitta and Joe Amato, because those guys had successful businesses and were able to race without sponsorship. And that’s been my path. Now, if I want to race, I can race.”
Drivers have to work hard to hone their craft, and Lee has done so through the Alcohol Funny Car and Nitro Funny Car ranks in the NHRA. But unlike some driver’s he had to work incredibly hard just to get there, with his business acumen allowing him to pursue his dream, and in 2025, it is finally coming into full focus.
“I know that it’s been a lot of hard work (to get here),” Lee said. “Other people don’t know that. I don’t come from a rich family that gave me a race car. If I wanted to race, I had to do it myself. Which is fine. I don’t have any regrets about that. You play the cards you’re dealt in life, and you do the best you can. Just set your goals and go after them.”
Paul Lee’s strong 2025 season is no surprise to those who know how hard he has worked to get here. (Photo: Al Saucier | The Podium Finish)
Education is Key to Success for Lee
Lee has achieved every goal he has set out to reach so far, but he said he never would have made it this far if he hadn’t taken advantage of his education. He said if he had the chance to talk to a young aspiring driver, he would make sure they value their educational opportunities.
“Get the best education you can get,” he said. “That way, it gives you all the tools to reach your goals. If I didn’t have the education I have, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
Lee’s educational work ethic was instilled from a young age by his parents, both of whom were educators. His mother was an elementary school principal, and his father was a high school teacher. He said he didn’t always appreciate their efforts to drive home the importance of getting a good education, especially as a teenager, but looking back, he said their influence played a huge role in getting him where he is now.
“It paid off,” he said of getting his education. “And my motivation behind getting good grades was that I wanted to race someday. That’s how I can afford to race. I have successful businesses that allow me to race. I spent many years in libraries. I spent 8 years in college. That’s a lot of studying. When I was sitting at the library at 11 or midnight, I would get tired and I would look at a drag racing magazine, and it would remind me of what my goal was.”
With a wealth of knowledge and experience in his rearview, Lee continues to look ahead at his next goal, a Funny Car world championship, and if his previous track record of setting and reaching goals is any indicator, the rest of the Funny Car field should be on notice.
