21-04-2025
Shelby Hall's New Racing Team Set To Debut At NORRA Mexican 1000
Shelby Hall has launched her own independent racing team called Shelby Hall Off-Road (SHO).
Shelby Hall, third generation off-road driver and granddaughter of Off-Road Hall of Famer Rod Hall, has never shied away from an adventure. By the time she was born, Shelby's father and uncle were competing, and her mom was a part of the race team. Shelby's parents ran an off-road driving school, and she and her sister tagged along. Many times, Shelby's father Josh Hall took her for a spin in the school's racing truck, his daughter urging him to go faster.
After years of driving with her grandfather and charting her own course as an off-road competitor at prestigious events like The Mint 400, the Rebelle Rally, and the Baja 1000, Shelby has launched her own racing team, Shelby Hall Off-Road (SHO). The new team is set to compete in the upcoming National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) Mexican 1000 with Shelby co-piloting a Ford Bronco DR with her teammate Brady Melin.
"Racing is in my blood," Hall says. "It's an incredible feeling to launch my own team while carrying forward the traditions my grandfather established. The Mexican 1000 is where so much of our family history was written, and I'm honored to continue that legacy on these same challenging Baja trails."
Shelby Hall and Brady Melin, co-drivers for the NORRA Mexican 1000.
SHO's Ford Bronco DR is a limited-production, factory-built, off-road racer. The 4x4 is designed for high-speed desert racing, and Shelby and Brady will be putting it to the test as the first privateer team to race one. Brady isn't just Shelby's teammate; he is her significant other, and the two have spent quite a bit of time dreaming about this moment.
'I trust him with my life, and it's just going to be so much fun to to embark on this together,' Shelby says. 'We've been in the trenches working on this for a long time.'
The SHO shop is in Huntington Beach, California, not too far from where Shelby and Brady live.
'Brady is super laid back,' Shelby says. 'I'm a little more high strung, and so I think that we compliment each other really well. We have a blast in the race car together; he feels comfortable with me and I feel comfortable with him.'
Brady is also a master mechanic, and Shelby describes him as a 'MacGyver type" fix-it person.
'If you're out the desert and something goes wrong, he will be able to put something together to get us to our next pit,' Shelby says.
Shelby Hall's off-road truck, the Ford Bronco DR.
Shelby clearly loves being off road, and she adored hanging out with her late grandfather. They raced together and he pushed her to learn and excel in their family business. When he passed away in 2019, Shelby felt lost; Rod was her best friend, her mentor, and her business partner. Above all, he was her beloved Papa.
'Now I'm launching my very own team, which is something I've been dreaming about since I was a kid,' Shelby says. 'It's something that I didn't know if I'd ever be able to do with without my grandpa.'
The back of Shelby's race truck reads 'honoring the legend Rob Hall' on the back. If Rod were still here on this Earth, he would surely be glowing with pride.
'Right before my grandfather died, I was hanging out with him and we were chatting about life,' Shelby remembers. 'He said, 'Shelby, how are we going to get you your own race team?' It would be so cool to be able to show him that I made it happen. And I think he would just be so excited to watch, follow along, and be our biggest cheerleader.'
Watch for more from Shelby Hall Off-Road. She's well on her way on her own legendary journey.
