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(Updated Oct. 9, 2009)

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(Updated Apr. 22, 2009)

(Last Modified: Apr. 14, 2009)

Michael Hale first decided he wanted to race in the year of 1991.  His father, Red Hale, had just retired drag racing, and Michael had a go-kart lying around out back for quite sometime.  Michael, and Red fixed up the kart, threw in a motor, and started racing later that year.  The first season in this kart didn't go so well.  They had problems with the motor, and were busting parts on the kart as well.  In 1992, Michael and Red decided to buy a whole new kart.  This "Invader" kart, as it was called, was much more setup for racing.  The team bought two motors for local competition.  Both of which did not run as well as Michael had hoped.  Halfway through the year, Michael and Red decided to try and build their own motors.  They found out the specs they needed, exactly how to do it, and eventually they were starting to finish up front.  Michael finished 3rd overall in just his second season.  In winter, of 1993, Michael entered into the Wasatch Karters Winter Series.  Michael ran hard and fast, and through the 3 day event had performed well enough to take the overall championship.

After taking the championship in the Winter Series, Michael and his father decided to build a Mini-Stock for Bonneville Raceway.  Through the early parts of 1994, Michael, just 14 years of age, with the assistance of Scott Pearson, built his very first full-bodied stock car.  Meanwhile, his father Red was busy preparing a motor for the new car.  Once the car was completed, Michael entered his first event and was pleased to take the number one qualifying spot, a win in the main event, and the overall point’s winner for the night. The remainder of the year went well and Michael was able to take Rookie of the Year honors, and finish 3rd place overall in the point standings in his very first season.  An amazing accomplishment, considering he was only 15 years old. 

About 3 races into the 1995 season, Michael's second year in a Mini-Stock, his brother Shaun bought a Mini-Stock, and began competing in the class as well.  Michael continued his winning ways throughout the season, and about midway through, was involved in an accident with his brother.  Both cars were destroyed, and it would take almost 2 weeks before they were both back on the track.  After the two weeks of rebuilding the racecars, Michael and Shaun were once again racing.  Michael picked up where he left off, and continued his winning ways, but found the accident and missing the two races had put him too far enough back in points to recover.  He would have to settle for another 3rd place overall finish for the 1995 season.

After the events of the '96 season, Michael decided to move up a class.  Hale Racing began work on a brand new Street Stock car for Bonneville Raceway.  Hale racing competed and won the first three events at Bonneville Raceway.  However, do to softly concerns with the racetrack, the team decided to no longer race at Bonneville and began racing at Suntana Raceway, which was located about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City.  Michael competed in the Street Stock class there, and finished out the remaining 9 races of the season. Of which he won four and took runner up another three.  During this 9-race period, Michael had also set track record for the Street Stock class, and finished very well in the point standings.

In the year of 1997, Bonneville Raceway had been sold to Spencer Young.  Mr. Young tore down Bonneville Raceway and designed what is now the premier race facility in Utah.  Rocky Mountain Raceways was now the home to many of the local racers in the western region.  During winter of 1996 into 1997, Hale Racing was busy converting their Street Stock into a Super Stock car.  In 1997, Michael's first season at RMR, and his first season in the Super Stock, he completely dominated the class.  He won 10 of the 12 races, taking home the Overall Points Championship, Rookie of the Year, and the track record for the Super Stock class.  Michael had already achieved his goal, and was on his way up to yet another class.  In winter of 1997, Hale Racing began work on a brand new Modified.

McNees Enterprises, with the help of Hale Racing, designed the brand new Modified chassis.  Michael's first year was a learning experience as Michael tried to get used to the vastly different style of car.  Race after race, Michael was learning, and becoming not only a better driver, but a more knowledgeable one as well.  He was slowly figuring out the chassis, how the car works, and the way to setup the car to be more competitive.  By the end of the '98 season, Michael was beginning to finish in the top 10, and even top 5.  Michael was once again crowned Rookie of the Year, and had his eyes set on the upcoming season.

Michaels second season in the modified class proved to be a trying one. At the beginning of the 1999 season, the team once again started to finish in the top 10.  Unsatisfied with their finish, the team worked hard to get the car to handle better, but was to no avail. The frustration of an unresponsive car along with no sponsor support, the team decided to take a few races off in order to regroup and refresh the team. Once the team was convinced that the problems were repaired and the team could compete in the fashion that they had become accustomed to, they returned for the remaining races of the ‘99 season. After their break the team was able to come back and be a force to be reckoned with by qualifying well and having four consecutive top three finishes in an extremely competitive class.

The 2000 season was amongst us, and the expectations of a great season were high.  Michael once again consistently finished up front.  His goal of taking home a feature event win was still close, finishing second many times halfway through the year.  It was near mid season when Michael got his first feature win, but it definitely would not be his only.  Michael, again, kept himself in the top 3 in points throughout the entire season.  He had even peaked at first place a few times too.  The 2000 season was the building of what is now a great rivalry between Michael and the other top finishing cars.  Michael and fellow competitors would battle for wins throughout the rest of the 2000 season, often trading places for the top spot in the overall points championship race.  Right near the end of the 2000 season, Michael had some car troubles, and a stroke of bad luck, that would take him out of contention. Merely 50 points separated the champion and Michael Hale for the runner up spot in the 2000 season point’s race. The season was a good one, but the team knew that had bad luck not struck, a championship could have been achieved.

Michael's fourth season in the modified class was yet another one with high expectations.  He was coming off his best season as a Modified driver, and had his eyes set on winning his first Modified championship.  The first few races went quite well.  Michael had been finishing inside the top 5, and winning a few races. Through consistent finishes and pole position qualifying, the team had built up a 150-point lead by the middle of the season. Suddenly the unthinkable happened… Michael had again qualified first, finished 1st in his opening heat race, and then 3rd in the feature event… further increasing his points lead, when his motor had been claimed for 500 dollars.  The season then took a 180-degree turn around.  His motor had basically been taken from him, and a possible championship almost stolen.

Hunter Machine had a back up motor, but the car was not ready for the new power plant.  The car would not hook up out of the corners, and Michael would just spin the tires coming out, which hurt him at not only the beginning of the straightaway, but the end as well.  Michael’s luck continued to run out as he was then involved in two different minor incidents in two different weeks.  Michael's point’s lead diminished, and before anyone knew it, he had been passed in the point standings, and sat in second place.  Not even two weeks later, Michael was then involved in a horrible accident that completely destroyed his racecar.  Through the team's determination and help from friends, Hale Racing team was able to borrow, and then purchase another car.  The car that they had purchased was almost 12 years old and extremely out of date.  However, under the circumstances, the team had no choice but to take the out of date car, put it together, and make the following race.  They did just that.  Michael was back out on the track, and even though he had problems, he was still able to turn lap times under 16 seconds.  Even with all the trouble Michael had experienced this season, he was still able to finish in the top 5 in the final point standings. Taking home fourth place, and even though disappointed, they were still pleased that they didn't give up, and proved to everyone their love for racing, and how well they support, and appreciate their sponsors.

The 2002 Season for Michael was an EXTREMELY limited schedule.  Without any big sponsors, the team was planning to run only a few races during the year.  However, that all changed the first time Michael ran the brand new chassis.  Michael was running in 5th position when the car directly ahead of him dropped oil... Michael was unable to avoid it coming out of turn 2, and struck the wall... injuring his brand new chassis, and ending the season much earlier than the team had hoped.  Nearing the end of the 2002 season, Hale Racing decided to rent a fellow friend's Late Model.  Michael ran one race in it, and competed fairly well.  It was his first race in a Late Model, and he qualified 5th, it took some getting used to, but Michael was able to place 7th in the main event later that night.  This was with the car running on fairly worn tires, and with very little setup work done at all.  Michael planned to run another Late Model race later that season, but weather cancelled the event.

Michael finished up running the Modified throughout the 2003 season in September, and, as always, was very competitive.  Since the halfway point of the season, Michael had gone only one way through the point standings... and that was... UP.  His consistent finishes, and the teams hard work had moved him from the 7th place position, into 5th. Michael closed out the 2003 season with a main event victory on Saturday, the 6th of September, and, yet again, finished the year with another top 5 finish in the final point standings... quite close to a 4th place finish.  In Michael's 4 full seasons as a modified driver, he finished out of the top 5 in points only once... that being his rookie year.

Michael closed out his 2004 season with 3 wins, 13 top-5 finishes, including one at the Bullring in Las Vegas, NV during "The Fall Classic" on October 30th, and 17 top-10's in 18 starts.  He finished the year in 2nd place overall in the points race at Rocky Mountain Raceways, and the team is looking forward to another successful season in 2005.

Michael and team put together a brand new 2004 "Lefthander" chassis modified for the 2005 racing season at Rocky Mountain Raceways.  Unfortunately the 2005 season was full of bad luck.  Two wrecks, a trip to the hospital, and many missed events pretty much sums up how the '05 season went for Hale Racing.

The 2005 season was definitely a wild one.  After an accident during the 4th event of the season that totaled the brand new "Lefthander" chassis, Hale Racing returned to the track with the back up race car from last year.  Just a few days after Michael picked up his first win of the season, on July 9th of the 2005 season, Michael got into another horrific accident; this time going upside down and destroying the back up car. (click here for video)

At this point it looked as if the season was pretty much over.  As far as points, it was over.  But this team was not about to give up.  Michael and team went back to work.  The team was able to weld the back half of Michael's back-up car from last year, his McNees chassis and the front half of his brand new "Lefthander" chassis.  Michael competed in the final two events of the season, and even with little testing on the new "creation," Michael was still very competitive.  Hale Racing finished the season 12th in points.  Not too bad considering the amount of events missed and the history of the 2005 season.

After finishing the official point season at the local track, Hale Racing traveled to the Bull Ring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and competed above and beyond what anyone probably would have expected.  Michael was one of the fastest cars all three days and was able to not only qualify first but run away with the victory in the A-Feature.  For more information on this event, please see our article titled "Practically Perfect Weekend At Vegas."  It was a much deserved ending to a long 2005 racing season.

2006 was a rather short season for Michael Hale but in it he experienced his first ever shot at dirt track racing, and did fairly well in the few events he competed in.  The team made another trip down south for the big meet in Las Vegas as well.  Once again the team was competitive and scored another top 5... their third in a row at the event.  A fitting ending to a rather short 2006 race season.

Wow, 2007 was awesome!!  Michael once again piloted his Lefthander asphalt Modified and his newly rebuilt dirt Modified.  During the 2007 points season at Rocky Mountain Raceways, Michael finished outside of the top 10, only once.  This earned him a 2nd place finish in the overall points standings and showed yet again that Hale Racing is still a championship race team.  Michael closed out the 2007 season by making the trip to Las Vegas' famous "Fall Classic" event and was able to lead pretty much the entire event, but ran out of tire on the last lap and ended up finishing second.  Michael's last 4 visits have equaled one fourth place finish, a win, a fifth place finish, and a second place finish.  Not too bad.  As for the dirt car, Michael made quite a dirt track visits during the 2007 campaign.  Trips to Price, UT; Vernal, UT; Las Vegas, NV; & Rock Springs, WY were all on the 2007 schedule.  Michael faired extremely well in each event.  Even the largest of all the events, Las Vegas' "Duel In the Desert" proved a good learning experience as Michael got a lot of track time with some of the biggest dirt track drivers in the country.  Watch for video footage of some dirt action later this year as Michael plans to once again make some visits to dirt tracks during 2008.

2008 came and went as fast as any race season has gone by for Hale Racing.  The result?  Well if you read the above paragraph, and read this one as well, the two could almost be the same with just a slight change in the year.  2008 closed out at Rocky Mountain Raceways with Michael Hale and Hale Racing finishing up the final point standings in 2nd place.  Two tough nights made the difference in the point standings, and with the champion having an almost flawless season, it was too difficult to make up the difference in the end.

Out of town visits were once again a busy part of the 2008 schedule.  The dirt car saw plenty of action and Michael got more and more seat time behind the wheel... learning more and more with each race.  It shouldn't be long before Michael earns himself a victory on the dirt.  The team closed out 2008 much like they do most race seasons by making a visit to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the "Bullring."  Hale Racing had the fastest car of the weekend for the most part as Michael blistered the track record with a whopping 15.2 second elapsed time.  Unfortunately engine trouble got in the way of a victory and within 15 laps of the main event, Michael pulled off to save the motor from grenade'ing itself... a smart move by a smart driver.  It wasn't the way the team would have liked to have ended the season, but overall it was indeed a success and Hale Racing once again showed why it is still one of the West Coast's most competitive race teams.

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