Jim Liberman

Russell James Liberman (September 12, 1945 – September 9, 1977 ) was an American funny car drag racer, nicknamed "Jungle Jim." In 2001, he was named #17 on the list of the Top 50 NHRA drivers of all time. Liberman was known for driving backwards at after doing his burnout. In 1967, he went on a tour that established him as a household name within drag racing circles across the country. The team went on to include a Steve Kanuika-owned and sponsored nine-second heads-up '69 Camaro and a Dutch Irrgang-driven '72 Vega Pro Stocker. Instead, she became Liberman's girlfriend and toured with him for four years. "I ditched the college that had accepted me, and it drove my mother nuts," she later recalled.

Liberman, eager to get fans' attention at the track, initially hired Hardy to stage his funny car on the line. Hardy was well-endowed and was always braless. She usually wore a tank top or skimpy halter and jean shorts with "zero-inch inseam". Her enticing performance gathered a lot of attention. Liberman and Hardy briefly appeared in Vrooom!, a 16-minute documentary directed by Ken Rudolph about a day at a drag race track. They also were featured in several auto magazines with Hardy typically wearing go-go boots, short-shorts, and titillating tops. She appeared on the February 1973 cover of Hot Rod magazine.

She earned the nickname "Jungle Pam" Hardy. She not only staged the car and checked under the vehicle for fluid leaks before a run, but filled the block with water and eight quarts of 70W oil, packed parachutes after each run, and helped Liberman reposition his car on the line after his burnouts. Her presence on the track was described as "a stroke of genius" and raised the profile of Liberman's team and Funny Car racing in general.

She said of Liberman, "All that showmanship was his true personality. He just didn't turn that on at the track and then became normal like everyone else at home. He had that sort of flair even when we were just at the house or went out some place. You could always feel his presence wherever he was." She later married Funny Car owner Fred Frey and after they divorced, Bill Hodgson, who tunes George Reidnauer's Excalibur Corvette Nostalgia Funny Car.

Liberman drove a Vega funny car, in three distinct incarnations. The first Vega, painted candy blue, appeared in August 1972, was on the cover of Hot Rod.