NEFF FORD PARKED FOR NOW
Thu, 2010-01-28 23:35
John Force, a 14-time NHRA Funny Car champion has come to a painful decision. Without the necessary funding, the Drive One Ford Mustang piloted by 2008 Rookie of the Year Mike Neff has been temporarily sidelined.
Force hasn't given up on getting Neff back behind the wheel of a Funny Car. However, with Pomona looming ever closer, it was best to use the team's resources to the benefit of those cars with full sponsorship.
“It's about the economy.” said Force. “That is why my fourth team is parked and Mike Neff is over with us. I use to say I had the million dollar brain trust; spread over four cars. Now I have it over one car - the million dollar brain trust.”
John Force, a 14-time NHRA Funny Car champion, has come to a painful decision. Without the necessary funding, the Drive One Ford Mustang piloted by 2008 Rookie of the Year Mike Neff has been temporarily sidelined.
Force hasn't given up on getting Neff back behind the wheel of a Funny Car. However, with Pomona looming ever closer, it was best to use the team's resources to the benefit of those cars with full sponsorship.
“It's about the economy.” said Force. “That is why my fourth team is parked and Mike Neff is over with us. I use to say I had the million dollar brain trust; spread over four cars. Now I have it over one car - the million dollar brain trust.”
Force went on to say that keeping the fourth car in the barn did not mean the team cut back staffing.
“I did have to do some wage cutting,” admitted Force. “God Bless them all, they really worked with me to help me. They really helped me with the budget cuts. We looked at everywhere you could cut. Cut rental cars, plane tickets, five percent here, ten percent there. Don't lay anybody off and don't drop a team.
“We'll we didn't lay anybody off, but we did have some percentage cuts. But, it finally looks like we're going to park a team.”
Force was still trying to put together a deal as late as Monday, January 25th, to keep from parking the Neff car. He held conversations with Jamie Allison, Ford's new Director Ford North America Motorsports, telling Allison he would not run the car without the proper funding. Ford provided half the funding on the Drive One Mustang.
If a major should step up to the plate, Force says the team is ready to go.
“His car is sitting in Indy ready to go. Him and John Medlen are ready to go. But, this is about budget. I was glad to see him get a win (in Pomona last year), he proved he could win and John Medlen could win, again. It's just a matter of money. They economy has hit us and I have to make some right decisions.
“I can't let ego lead me,” finished Force.
For now, the John Force Racing 2010 lineup will feature only three Ford Mustangs: his own Castrol GTX High Mileage entry; the Auto Club Mustang in which Robert “Top Gun” Hight will defend his Full Throttle championship; and the Castrol GTX Mustang in which reigning Mac Tools U.S. Nationals champion Ashley Force Hood will try to become the first woman to win the Funny Car title.
The 126-time tour winner said Mike Neff, crew chief for Gary Scelzi when they won the 2005 Funny Car world championship will join Austin Coil, the most successful crew chief in drag racing history, in support of his bid for a 15th NHRA driving championship.
Bernie Fedderly, Coil's partner for the last 17 years and one of only three crew chiefs to have won NHRA titles in both Top Fuel and Funny Car, will continue to be in the mix but will adjust his travel schedule after 30 years. He will also assume the new role of Special Projects Manager at John Force Racing, Inc. as well as contributing to the Coil-Neff alliance.
As Fedderly's role changed it opened the door to one of the most intriguing crew chief partnerships in recent history. After winning the 2005 NHRA championship as crew chief to Gary Scelzi, Neff spent the last two seasons at the wheel of the Ford Drive One Mustang, earning 2008 Rookie of the Year honors before winning the Auto Club Finals last November at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Coil has won more NHRA races and more championships than anyone - including Force. The man who started as a line mechanic at a Chicago dealership enters 2010 with 16 championship trophies and 133 tour victories. Before joining Force in 1985, he won seven races and two NHRA championships (1982 and 1983) with his own car, the ChiTown Hustler, driven by Frank Hawley.
Significantly, the makeover of Force's team extends well beyond the crew chiefs. In fact, all but one crew member will be new to the team with the start of the 50th annual Kragen O'Reilly Winternationals, Feb. 11-14, at Pomona.
In addition, the car itself will be new, front to back, utilizing JFR's in-house chassis that Neff took to victory for the first time last year, the Ford BOSS 500 nitro motor developed by JFR's John Medlen, in conjunction with Ford Racing, the new, sleeker 2010 Mustang body, new logos and new metallic paint featuring silver highlights that recognize the 25 seasons Force has shared with Castrol.
Neff's crew chief, John Medlen, will concentrate his efforts on managing The Eric Medlen Project, which will continue to focus on racing safety, as well as the in-house engine and chassis programs he helped create which will generate new revenue streams through production of the BOSS 500 engine and the JFR chassis. Medlen will also be available to team up with crew chief Jimmy Prock and car chief Eric Lane to create a potent tuning triumvirate for the 2009 Funny Car Championship Auto Club Ford Mustang team.
Force hasn't given up on getting Neff back behind the wheel of a Funny Car. However, with Pomona looming ever closer, it was best to use the team's resources to the benefit of those cars with full sponsorship.
“It's about the economy.” said Force. “That is why my fourth team is parked and Mike Neff is over with us. I use to say I had the million dollar brain trust; spread over four cars. Now I have it over one car - the million dollar brain trust.”
2008 Rookie of the Year Mike Neff, wearing Robert Hight's uniform and Ashley Force's fire hood, preps to run car owner John Force's Castrol GTX Ford Mustang; a step necessary to keep his NHRA Funny Car license current.
Force hasn't given up on getting Neff back behind the wheel of a Funny Car. However, with Pomona looming ever closer, it was best to use the team's resources to the benefit of those cars with full sponsorship.
“It's about the economy.” said Force. “That is why my fourth team is parked and Mike Neff is over with us. I use to say I had the million dollar brain trust; spread over four cars. Now I have it over one car - the million dollar brain trust.”
Force went on to say that keeping the fourth car in the barn did not mean the team cut back staffing.
“I did have to do some wage cutting,” admitted Force. “God Bless them all, they really worked with me to help me. They really helped me with the budget cuts. We looked at everywhere you could cut. Cut rental cars, plane tickets, five percent here, ten percent there. Don't lay anybody off and don't drop a team.
“We'll we didn't lay anybody off, but we did have some percentage cuts. But, it finally looks like we're going to park a team.”
Force was still trying to put together a deal as late as Monday, January 25th, to keep from parking the Neff car. He held conversations with Jamie Allison, Ford's new Director Ford North America Motorsports, telling Allison he would not run the car without the proper funding. Ford provided half the funding on the Drive One Mustang.
If a major should step up to the plate, Force says the team is ready to go.
“His car is sitting in Indy ready to go. Him and John Medlen are ready to go. But, this is about budget. I was glad to see him get a win (in Pomona last year), he proved he could win and John Medlen could win, again. It's just a matter of money. They economy has hit us and I have to make some right decisions.
“I can't let ego lead me,” finished Force.
For now, the John Force Racing 2010 lineup will feature only three Ford Mustangs: his own Castrol GTX High Mileage entry; the Auto Club Mustang in which Robert “Top Gun” Hight will defend his Full Throttle championship; and the Castrol GTX Mustang in which reigning Mac Tools U.S. Nationals champion Ashley Force Hood will try to become the first woman to win the Funny Car title.
The 126-time tour winner said Mike Neff, crew chief for Gary Scelzi when they won the 2005 Funny Car world championship will join Austin Coil, the most successful crew chief in drag racing history, in support of his bid for a 15th NHRA driving championship.
Bernie Fedderly, Coil's partner for the last 17 years and one of only three crew chiefs to have won NHRA titles in both Top Fuel and Funny Car, will continue to be in the mix but will adjust his travel schedule after 30 years. He will also assume the new role of Special Projects Manager at John Force Racing, Inc. as well as contributing to the Coil-Neff alliance.
As Fedderly's role changed it opened the door to one of the most intriguing crew chief partnerships in recent history. After winning the 2005 NHRA championship as crew chief to Gary Scelzi, Neff spent the last two seasons at the wheel of the Ford Drive One Mustang, earning 2008 Rookie of the Year honors before winning the Auto Club Finals last November at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Coil has won more NHRA races and more championships than anyone - including Force. The man who started as a line mechanic at a Chicago dealership enters 2010 with 16 championship trophies and 133 tour victories. Before joining Force in 1985, he won seven races and two NHRA championships (1982 and 1983) with his own car, the ChiTown Hustler, driven by Frank Hawley.
Significantly, the makeover of Force's team extends well beyond the crew chiefs. In fact, all but one crew member will be new to the team with the start of the 50th annual Kragen O'Reilly Winternationals, Feb. 11-14, at Pomona.
In addition, the car itself will be new, front to back, utilizing JFR's in-house chassis that Neff took to victory for the first time last year, the Ford BOSS 500 nitro motor developed by JFR's John Medlen, in conjunction with Ford Racing, the new, sleeker 2010 Mustang body, new logos and new metallic paint featuring silver highlights that recognize the 25 seasons Force has shared with Castrol.
Neff's crew chief, John Medlen, will concentrate his efforts on managing The Eric Medlen Project, which will continue to focus on racing safety, as well as the in-house engine and chassis programs he helped create which will generate new revenue streams through production of the BOSS 500 engine and the JFR chassis. Medlen will also be available to team up with crew chief Jimmy Prock and car chief Eric Lane to create a potent tuning triumvirate for the 2009 Funny Car Championship Auto Club Ford Mustang team.
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