Where is Jungle Pam Hardy now? Untold Facts About Jim Liberman’s Girlfriend

Jungle Pam Hardy is known as the sidekick of drag racing sensation ‘Jungle’ Jim Liberman. Not only this, but she also got the spotlight for her relationship with her later boyfriend Liberman. Hardy was given the name ‘Jungle Pam’ because of her achievements and love for drag racing sports.

Before meeting Liberman, Pam knew nothing about drag racing. Many drag racing fans around the world want to know more about the famous sidekick. So, who is Jungle Pam Hardy? How did she get into the drag racing world? Where is she now? There are many curious minds and unanswered questions that revolve around it.

So in this article let’s find out more about Jungle Pam Hardy’s career, age, net worth and her life in drag racing.

Jungle Pam Hardy Wiki: Early life, her age

She was born Pamela Hardy on March 19, 1954 in West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2022, she will be 68 years old. She was born into an ordinary middle-class family, but until now she has kept details about her father and mother a secret.

Speaking of her ethnicity, she is of mixed ethnic background and is of American nationality.

Speaking of her education, she has a decent academic background. After graduating from high school, Hardy planned to earn a degree in business and was admitted to West Chester State until she decided to drop out of college and pursue a career in drag racing.

Jungle Pam Hardy’s Career as Jim Liberman’s Sidekick

She is known as the sidekick of drag racing star Jim Liberman. So, how did her journey begin?

Pamela Hardy was walking down the road when Lieberman saw her driving a yellow Corvette in May 1972. Hardy was then 18 and had two weeks away from her high school. Before meeting Liberman, Hardy lived a normal and ordinary life and knew nothing about drag racing.

In fact, she learned all about drag racing on the job. The aspiring Master in Business left her degree and joined Lieberman in his competitive racing tour. She later recalled:

I graduated college that took me on, and it drove my mom crazy.

Jim initially hired Pam to get attention on the track. She was mostly braless and wore a tank top or skimpy halter and jeans. Her extraordinary performance attracted a lot of audience and attention. She appeared with Liberman in Pious!, (a 16 minute documentary directed by Ken Rudolph). The pair also appeared in several magazines; she was on the cover of Hot Rod magazine in February 1973.

Palma Hardy earned the nickname “Jungle Pam” Hardy when she staged the car, checked for fluid leaks before the run and filled the car with water and eight liters of 70W oil. Not only that, but she also helped pack the parachutes and helped Jim move his vehicle after each burnout.

Because of her performance on the track, she was reported as “a stroke of genius”; help to raise the profile of Liberman along with his team and Funny Car Racing as a whole.

Pam Hardy’s reign only lasted four years

As we’ve discussed before, Lieberman hired Hardy to grab the attention of the crowd. Likewise, as drag racing boomed, the sport added more rules and regulations, eventually leading to a situation where Jungle Pam no longer had a place on the team. After the death of her lover, she never worked with another driver again.

But even after she left the sport, she hasn’t gone away completely. Hardy’s love for the sport is seen to this day. She occasionally makes appearances at sporting events.

On the other hand, she has spoken openly about her dislike for modern drag racing. According to her, modern drag racing lacks the factors of entertainment. She talks about the time Jim was there and how it used to be fun.

Who was Jim Liberman, Jungle Pam’s partner?

Russell James Liberman, also known as Jungle Jim, was born on September 12, 1945. He was known as an American funny car drag racer. He started his career in drag racing in the Stock division at Fremont Raceway in the year 1964 and later made his way into funny cars in 1965.

Jim placed 17 on the list of the Top 50 NHRA drivers of all time in 2001. He is also known for driving backwards at 160 km/h after his burn-outs. His success in 1967 helped him lead a two-car team in 1968.

Jungle Jim died at the age of 31

Liberman would no doubt have had more success in the industry, but sadly he passed away September 9, 1977, in a traffic accident. Pam Hardy’s ex-boyfriend drove his Chevrolet Corvette in West Goshen Township.

He collided with a transit bus while cornering at high speed. The two vehicles collided and Jim’s car became wedged under the bumper of the bus and died instantly. It took more than 45 minutes for rescuers to remove his body from the crash site.

Jungle Pam Hardy admires her late partner Liberman

Being Jim’s sidekick for four years. Pam had great respect for her ex-boyfriend, Jim. He was the one who brought her into the world of drag racing. She admires him and also said:

“All that showmanship was his true personality. He just didn’t turn that on on the track and then became normal like everyone else at home. ”

She added:

He had that kind of flair even when we were home alone or going somewhere. You could always feel his presence wherever he was.”

Is Jungle Pam Hardy in a relationship? Her marital status

She was in a relationship with her then-boyfriend and famous American drag racer Jungle Jim Liberman. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long, as Jim was killed in a tragic traffic accident on September 9, 1977.

Hardy was devastated after hearing the news, but she later had a marital relationship with Funny Car owner Fred Frey. The husband and wife lived happily until they decided to separate due to some problem.

Later, Jungle Pam Hardy walked down the aisle with her second husband Bill Hodgson. Unfortunately, their whereabouts are currently unknown in the media.

Although she has been married twice, there are no details about whether she had children with her husbands.

Jungle Pam Hardy Net Worth

Jim Liberman’s famous sidekick is estimated to have a net worth of $1.85 million which she has amassed from her time in drag racing.

While her then boyfriend Jim Liberman had an estimated net worth of $2.5 million.

Where is Jungle Pam Hardy now?

Since the death of her ex-partner Jim, Pam gradually avoided appearing in the media. She has not appeared in the media for a long time since 2022. In addition, she is also not on social media, which makes it further difficult to track her life at the moment.

However, we hope that she will make an appearance in public soon in the future.