This is a story unlike any other you may have read about Ed “The Ace” McCulloch.  It is the last time we’ll ever reference McCulloch’s early days in the sport, when his physicality wrote the headlines, not his exceptional driving skills.  He is so far removed from that younger, wilder McCulloch as to be a completely different individual in 2010 than he was during that long-gone era.  As McCulloch himself says, “When the guys working on the car (the Ron Capps-driven NAPA Auto Parts Dodge) hear those stories about me they don’t believe ‘em.  They say they can’t be true because I’m not like that.”  If they only knew, really knew.  But we’re finished making those references, for this is indeed, a markedly different McCulloch.

As a driver few could match McCulloch’s intensity and desire.  As a crew chief he’s retained those same traits.  It’s just far less openly evident as were his emotions some years ago.  When the race car doesn’t do what he expects it to there’s no head-shaking, no wrench-throwing, no shouting.  There’s only the vision of McCulloch turning to head back to the rig with his head down, determined to figure out what happened and why, and to fix it.

Team owners are under a lot of pressure these days, whether they show it or not.  Obtaining a sponsor is far more difficult in 2010 than it was even in 2005 – and it’s likely to get more difficult in the months ahead.  Knowing this, team owners show far less patience with a recalcitrant race car today than they did yesterday.  They ask more questions and make more demands on their employees than they ever have in the past, sometimes with good cause.  It’s a cold, cruel world out there, and they know it.  And they also know that one of the two conversations they never want to have with their sponsor begins with, “How come the car’s not running better?  We’re getting killed out there by our biggest business rival!”  The second conversation – far worse – begins with something like, “We’re sorry, but we’ve decided to go in a different direction.  We won’t be renewing our deal with you for next year.”

Ed McCulloch Has Dealt With Tough Decisions Like The Hall of Famer He Is



This is a story unlike any other you may have read about Ed “The Ace” McCulloch.  It is the last time we’ll ever reference McCulloch’s early days in the sport,

when his physicality wrote the headlines, not his exceptional driving skills.  He is so far removed from that younger, wilder McCulloch as to be a completely different individual in 2010 than he was during that long-gone era.  As McCulloch himself says, “When the guys working on the car (the Ron Capps-driven NAPA Auto Parts Dodge) hear those stories about me they don’t believe ‘em.  They say they can’t be true because I’m not like that.”  If they only knew, really knew.  But we’re finished making those references, for this is indeed, a markedly different McCulloch.

As a driver few could match McCulloch’s intensity and desire.  As a crew chief he’s retained those same traits.  It’s just far less openly evident as were his emotions some years ago.  When the race car doesn’t do what he expects it to there’s no head-shaking, no wrench-throwing, no shouting.  There’s only the vision of McCulloch turning to head back to the rig with his head down, determined to figure out what happened and why, and to fix it.

Team owners are under a lot of pressure these days, whether they show it or not.  Obtaining a sponsor is far more difficult in 2010 than it was even in 2005 – and it’s likely to get more difficult in the months ahead.  Knowing this, team owners show far less patience with a recalcitrant race car today than they did yesterday.  They ask more questions and make more demands on their employees than they ever have in the past, sometimes with good cause.  It’s a cold, cruel world out there, and they know it.  And they also know that one of the two conversations they never want to have with their sponsor begins with, “How come the car’s not running better?  We’re getting killed out there by our biggest business rival!”  The second conversation – far worse – begins with something like, “We’re sorry, but we’ve decided to go in a different direction.  We won’t be renewing our deal with you for next year.”

McCulloch and driver Ron Capps have an enviable relationship.  While many drivers appear to have excellent rapport with their tuners, there are times when, if you watch closely and listen intently, you can catch a note of tension between them.  That’s never been the case with Capps and McCulloch, but we’re not completely naïve.  We know that behind the scenes things could be far different, but the reason we think otherwise is that if there were tensions between them you’d be able to sense it.  Their conversations are low key, almost minimal.  A few words appear to speak volumes.  They appear to communicate almost subliminally.  

After a string of three straight first round losses team owner Don Schumacher made the decision to move recently acquired tuner John Medlen from the Matt Hagen-driven Diehard Dodge to the NAPA Dodge.  The move caught both Capps and McCulloch somewhat by surprise, but as the veteran driver says of the switch, “I thought it was going to be difficult.  Ten years ago it probably would have been.  It’s actually turned into something pretty cool because (McCulloch and Medlen) work so well together.  There’s a lot of mutual respect there.

“John discusses everything with Ace.  He gets his input.  They talk about everything.  It’s gone so well… No BS, it’s been terrific how well they work together because they’re both star crew chiefs who could be superstars on any team on their own.  I grew up listening to Bernstein talking about  (Dale) Armstrong and (Wes) Cerny, and Force talking about Austin (Coil) and Bernie (Fedderly), and how that talent builds together.  For the first time in my career, when I walk (into the transporter) to change (into my firesuit) and I see Ed McCulloch and John Medlen working together, it’s pretty cool, man.  It makes your hair stand up!”

McCulloch is one of the few DSR employees who’s been able to do things his way, and when Schumacher called him he wasn’t looking forward to the conversation.  “I’ve been around the business long enough,” McCulloch says, “that I understand the sponsors and I understand team owners.

“If you look back at what this car had been doing prior to (the addition of Medlen), it was the second quickest car out of the whole field on average.  We were about the fifth in speed and the eighth in Reaction Times.  As far as the performance of the car’s concerned, there was nothing wrong.  But, we went out in the first round three races in a row.  That throws up a red flag, and people begin to think we’re in a huge slump, and we’ve gotta make changes.  The decision Don made to bring Medlen over here was his decision.

“I have two ways to look at this.  I can tell him to pound sand and walk, or I can stay here and attempt to help to try and make the (plan) work.  When Don told me what he wanted to do I asked him, ‘Am I fired?’  His reply was, ‘No.’  I then asked him what he wanted me to do.  ‘I want you to help John, and work with the other Funny Car guys.  I want you to help them with whatever they need.’

“The biggest reason I’m able to do this is John’s attitude.  I’ve known John Medlen for a lot of years.  He’s a great person.  I think the world of him, and always have.  When he came in here and looked (at what we were doing), he said, ‘I’d be a fool to change what’s going on.  There’s nothing wrong here.  Now, can we work together and try to see what we can do?’

“His attitude and openness has given me plenty of good feelings.  Is it hard to stay in the background?  Sure it is.  It is awkward?  It might be with someone else, but not with John.  His attitude is what keeps me here.  The fact that he’s willing to talk and listen makes it work.  Where’s it going to go from here?  I don’t know.  We’ll see.”

McCulloch acknowledges that people are now beginning to ask him questions about how much longer he’s going to remain active in drag racing.  “I get asked that a lot,” he says.  “The biggest thing is -- is that I’ve had some health problems in the past.  I’ve come through that and I’m in good health now.  I feel good and I don’t have any issues.  Retire?  I’m afraid of retirement because I don’t know what I would do.  I’m afraid to walk away because I’m afraid I’d shrivel up and die, and I’m not ready to do that.”

When Medlen enters the transporter it’s immediately apparent how well the two – and an apparently irreplaceable Ronnie Thompson – all work together.  We listened in as they discussed an upcoming run.  There was plenty of back-and-forth, all voiced in quiet tones with a lot of laughter thrown in.  The next run wasn’t going to be a Medlen tune-up or a McCulloch tune-up but rather, a compendium of both of their ideas – with an occasional word thrown into the mix by Thompson.

“It was Don’s decision for me to come over here,” Medlen acknowledges.  “I really don’t know why, because this car was running fine.  I’ve known Ace for years, and working with him is a pleasure.  There’s no pressure, just like there’s no question about how smart he is.  Believe me, so far this has been fun.”

How much fun?  Before we exited the rig McCulloch, Medlen and Thompson were finalizing their plan of somehow tricking Schumacher into buying them a used twin engine turboprop airplane to fly back and forth to the races.  After tossing out his estimated hourly cost of operating the plane, Thompson said, “Look, we can carry another couple of people in a plane this size, so we charge ‘em a few hundred bucks and they’ll be happy to pay it for the convenience.  That way we can operate the plane for nothing!”

Somehow we just don’t see Mr. Schumacher falling for this one!

PS:  Capps won the Fram/Autolite Nationals in Sonoma and clinched a berth in the Countdown at the same time.  Capps, McCulloch and Medlen proudly stood together with the trophy when it was over.

 

---

{source}
<div style="float:left; padding:5px;"><script type="text/javascript">
google_ad_client = "pub-8044869477733334";
/* 300x250, created 4/3/09 */
google_ad_slot = "2028912167";
google_ad_width = 300;
google_ad_height = 250;
</script>
<script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</div><div style="padding:5px;">

<script type="text/javascript">
sr_adspace_id = 2000000613807;
sr_adspace_width = 300;
sr_adspace_height = 250;
sr_ad_new_window = true;
sr_adspace_type = "graphic";
</script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://ad.afy11.net/srad.js?azId=2000000613807">
</script></div>
{/source}