STACY HALL
STACY HALL HAS JUST RETURNED HOME from another hectic Monday at Fulton Competition Engines , the engine shop where he ’ s worked since he was a teenager . It ’ s a little after 6 p . m ., but Hall isn ’ t entirely done for the day . He ’ s planning on loading up his ‘ 63 Corvette and the pair of dragsters he and his daughter , Brooke Hall-Gary , race in Top Dragster so the family
can head up to Virginia Motorsports Park for the PDRA Summer Shootout after work on Wednesday .
Racing consumes Hall ’ s life , and it ’ s been that way for as long as he can remember . The 52-year-old sportsman racing veteran first met Gene Fulton when he was three years old , as his father , Tommy , started working for and racing with Fulton before Hall was born . When Hall was old enough , he started helping in the engine shop . That led to a nickname that he still holds . It ’ s one of multiple nicknames , but we ’ ll get to that later .
“ They called me the floor sweeper because back in the day , I was just going around there sweeping the floors and cleaning up machines ,” Hall says . “ And matter of fact , Bob Harris calls me the floor sweeper to this day , and they tell everybody , ‘ We want the floor sweeper to build my motor .’ It ’ s just a running joke .”
Working at Fulton Competition was a launch pad for Hall ’ s illustrious yet understated career . As a driver , he ’ s set small-block records and notched numerous wins , as well as the 2020 PDRA Top Sportsman world championship . As one of the lead engine builders at Fulton Competition , he ’ s been a behind-the-scenes part of some of the most significant moments in Pro Modified history , like Jim Halsey ’ s recent three-year stretch of PDRA Pro Nitrous world championships . It all started in that legendary little engine shop in Spartanburg , South Carolina .
“ Gene was racing , my daddy was racing , and Daddy quit racing . He built a house and he quit racing and I kept on racing bracket cars , and I started driving a grudge car for some guys up North , and they let me run their car in Top Sportsman for a little while ,” Hall remembers . “ Then I quit driving the car for them and I built this car I got here . Well , I had another car in between that one . Had a ‘ 41 Willys , too , but I sold it . That ’ s pretty much how I got here , to make a long story short .”
But we ’ re not here for a short story . We ’ re here for the long story , and with a bit of coaxing , it ’ s a story Hall will gladly tell .
Hall ’ s driving career began before he was old enough to drive on the street legally . He still vividly remembers his first pass behind the wheel of his father ’ s Nova .
“ I made my first pass down the dragstrip when I was 14 at Shuffletown Dragway ,” Hall says . “ I was . 01 on the tree , went 7.11 . I can remember that to the day .”
While Hall was getting into driving , he had also already spent time in the engine shop getting familiar with the parts , pieces , tools , and machines used to build engines and refine parts . It was an early sign that Hall ’ s life would be consumed by all things racing .
“ When I was in school , I didn ’ t want to be at school . I wanted to be at that shop ,” Hall says . “ I was that stupid kid that kept bringing pistons and rods and rocker arms and stuff to the school for a show-and-tell deal . I was that kid .”
He was so up to speed that he essentially
WHILE HALL ALSO RACES IN TOP DRAGSTER , HE ’ S PRIMARILY KNOWN FOR HIS CLASSIC ’ 63 CORVETTE TOP SPORTSMAN RIDE . tested himself out of high school auto shop after the first day . Like his first pass down the track , it ’ s a moment Hall quickly recalls decades later .
“ There ’ s a place here where I live called Swofford Career Center ,” Hall begins . “ When I was in school , 11th- and 12th-grade year , I went up there going to take auto mechanics . The first day I walked in , the auto mechanics guy set us down at a desk and he gave us some paperwork thing to do .
“ Well , the next day , he comes in there and he asked us what this was , which was a micrometer . Nobody raised their hand but me . I told him what it was . Well , then he said , ‘ You know how to use it ?’ I said , ‘ Yes , sir .’ He said , ‘ Well , come up here and measure this for me .’
“ So I measured it for him and told him what it was ,” Hall continues . “ Well then , I got home that evening and thought , ‘ I don ’ t really know
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