‘ Mean Dean’ Goes Nitro Racing
Longtime nitrous racer Dean Marinis finds a new challenge as Funny Car co-crew chief
By Nate Van Wagnen Photographs by Chris Sears
Dean Marinis has always stayed busy. He’ s always had a full-time career outside of racing, but drag racing has also been more than just a hobby for him. What started as grudge racing outside New York City has progressed into a wide-ranging venture driving and tuning some of the quickest and fastest nitrous cars in drag racing history, from X275 to outlaw Pro Mod. When one of his tuning clients, Chad Green, started making the move to nitro Funny Cars, Marinis jumped at the opportunity to add yet another skillset to his repertoire. Now, Marinis is a new level of busy as the co-crew chief for Green’ s championship-contending Bond- Coat Funny Car team.
Marinis, who still holds the record for the world’ s quickest quarter-mile nitrous pass with his 5.572-second pass set in 2019, led Green to his first NHRA Pro Mod victory before Green decided to dive head-first into NHRA Funny Car racing. He first partnered with
DEAN MARINIS, WHO TUNED CHAD
GREEN’ S NITROUS-FED NHRA PRO MOD, TRAINED FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS TO TAKE ON THE CO-CREW CHIEF ROLE ON
GREEN’ S NHRA FUNNY CAR TEAM.
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