Craig “Sully” Sullivan’s passion for drag racing started at a young age by helping his dad, Tom Sullivan, work on racecars at the drag strip. At eight years old, you could find him in a garage, sitting in his dad’s 1967 Ford Mustang, shifting gears and making engine noises. Fast forward to 1981, Sully spent most of his weekends at the local drag strip behind the wheel of his 1969 Ford Fairlane, the first of many race cars. Almost 50 years later, Sullivan has developed into one of the most respected, talented, and well-known racers in the United States. His desire to be behind the wheel of any beast with a motor has led him from being a local bracket racer all the way up to the owner and driver of one of the most sought after and recognized Pro-Modified cars.
After continued successes in Top Dragster and Super Stock, one of which includes setting the National Record in Super Stock FGT/F and dedicating it to his late friend Brian Olsen on the day of his funeral, Sullivan decided to set his eyes on a new adventure. In December of 2015, Sullivan debuted his Vanishing Point Race Cars built, 1969 Dodge Daytona. By collaborating with Kryptonite Kustoms, Sully was able to make his dream of a Richard Petty barn find come true and the Barn Burner was born. Since its introduction to racing in the 2016 season, the Barn Burner has made a big splash. Over the past 4 years of racing in the NMCA VP Racing Fuels Xtreme Pro-Modified category, Sullivan and team have finished 6th, 5th, and 4th respectively and are excited to see where the 2020 season takes them. Not only has the car been a hit on the track, it has also been a fan favorite with an extensive number of merchandise sales throughout the four seasons. The Barn Burner has also been the car of choice on the infamous Door Slammers 2 video game, which has led to the creation of custom slot cars and diecast model cars.
In 2019, Sullivan opened Wild Irish Engines, which is a full-service engine and machine shop based out of Craig Sullivan Motorsports. Sullivan’s new business venture has opened a lot of doors in the racing world from drag racing to tractor pulls. Wild Irish Engines is not Sullivan’s first rodeo in entrepreneurship. He is the current Owner and President of Sullivan’s Equipment, Inc . Over the past 27 years, his business has grown from being based out of a two-car garage to being one of the top suppliers of auto-body equipment across Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Sullivan cites his team at Sullivan’s Equipment, Inc. as being one of his biggest supporters of his racing career and considers them a part of the team.
Craig Sullivan Motorsports success in the Pro-Modified category has created a new opportunity in 2020 as Craig Sullivan takes on a driver position with Mark Woodruff Racing piloting Woodruff’s 2010 ZR1 Corvette. Both Woodruff and Sullivan are looking forward to taking on Pro 275 class together with Sullivan behind the wheel and Woodruff behind the keyboard.
Craig Sullivan currently resides in Avon, IN with his wife. Outside of racing, he enjoys cruising in his 1961 Lincoln Continental, exploring restaurants and bars around the Indianapolis area, and spending time with family and friends.
