The team became one of the first to design their own Funny Car body with Hughes, an avid fisherman, enlisting the assistance of friend Roark Summerford, a boat racer and design engineer familiar with composites. Later the team called on car builder Harry Glass to build their ride.

Between 1983 and 1990 a Paul Candies Funny Car with a variety of sponsor but with mostly major backing from Ford, went to 28 final-round appearances and won multiple championships including both the NHRA and IHRA in the same year. When Ford got out of nitro drag racing Paul had had enough and the team was dissolved. (www.quartermilestones.com)

The sport may never see the likes of Paul Candies again. He was truly a gentleman racer who loved to compete but never to our knowledge made any of the men and women his team raced against mad at him or his team.

RIP, Paul Candies, and thanks for the ride.