A Neff is Enough for John Force Racing
Written by David Lamm · August 2, 2007
The old saying goes, ‘when one door closes, another one opens’. That is quite true when it comes to Eric Medlen and Mike “Zippy” Neff. The tragic loss of Eric Medlen in a testing accident in March has now opened the door for Mike Neff to achieve his ultimate dream of driving professionally in the NHRA.
NHRA.com: Force confirms crew chief Neff as driver of his team’s fourth Mustang
Like many competitors, we all dream of taking on the role of the most famous and recognizable positions on the playing field or the race track. Kids grow up wanting to be the quarterback in football or the home run hitter in baseball or the championship race car driver. Ask a kid with big dreams of competing in any athletic endeavor and you will rarely hear they want to be the middle reliever, the back-up offensive lineman or the clutch specialist for a race team. Many of us can’t be as fortunate to jump right into our dream job and we have to work our way up. That is exactly what Mike Neff has done and his patience and work ethic is being rewarded. That reward comes in the form of driving a championship caliber NHRA Funny Car next season.
The decision to again field a fourth Funny Car for John Force Racing had to be an agonizing ordeal in the wake of Eric Medlen’s death. With the blessing and the approval of John Medlen, Eric’s father, John Force was open to the idea of racing four cars in 2008. Everyone involved in making this happen should be congratulated. Most importantly, Don Schumacher should be recognized as being integral in making Mike Neff’s dream a reality. Schumacher could have easily blocked this move and who would blame him? Neff is one of the brightest and best crew chiefs in the NHRA in any class, and will be a huge loss to Don Schumacher Racing next season. After all, Neff was the crew chief behind breaking the 330 mph barrier for Funny Cars while turning the wrenches for Gary Scelzi’s Funny Car. But alas, celebrating wins and records from the starting line was not enough for Neff. He always wanted to celebrate round wins while furiously unbuckling a seven point harness and jumping out the roof hatch of a Funny Car at the top end.
Although Neff’s natural ability to drive a Funny Car will be determined in testing prior to the 2008 season, his knowledge of how a Funny Car works is unquestioned. This knowledge will be invaluable to not only his own team but to the entire John Force Racing organization. That knowledge will also help his learning curve as a driver when his time comes. Why do you think Robert Hight is such a good driver these days? Many would say it is his extensive working knowledge of how a Funny Car works that affords him the ability to anticipate problems or when it is necessary to peddle the car. The same theory could be applied to Neff once he sits in a Funny Car next year.
The choice of Neff to drive John Force’s fourth Funny Car couldn’t have been better. If you want to know who the NHRA Rookie of the Year will likely be in 2008, just take a peek at the starting line in 2007. Look no further than the guy handing out high fives after another successful Gary Scelzi pass down the quarter-mile.
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How bizzare and cool is this? Only in drag racing. Can you imagine Jack Roush saying to Robbie Rieser…” you know what…Kenseth is great but you deserve a shot at this.” I realize its apples and oranges, but its just strange to me.
I think this is a great move for Force,it will depend on how quick his reactions are.In the blink of an eye,these cars have moved so far its mind boggling.r.c.
Just wondering: Beings Scelzi isn’t going to drive next year, why didn’t Neff just jump in the seat of that car and stay with Schumacher?