Worlds Apart
Written by David Lamm · August 24, 2004
How can Larry Dixon run so well and Ron Capps and Tommy Johnson Jr. can’t buy a win? The only difference is that Dixon drives Top Fuel and Capps and TJ Jr. both drive Funny Cars. All three have the same team owner, have access to the best parts, the best crew and all have high dollar sponsors. So why is Larry Dixon coming off his second win of the season and both Capps and TJ are both struggling to make it out of the first round?
Capps and Johnson are both suffering through seasons they would much rather forget. Neither has a win this year. Neither one has advanced to the finals at all. Both have made semifinal appearances this year: Capps in Brainerd, Minn. and St. Louis and Tommy in Denver. The last time either one of these guys won a race was Capps in February 2003. The last time TJ won? You have to go to the 2001 spring Las Vegas event. So why are the two Skoal Funny Cars owned by Don “the Snake” Prudhomme struggling so much when his dragster has won two POWERade championships? How come Larry Dixon has rolled off 25 wins since the opening of the 2001 season while the Funny Cars have won six combined? Tommy Johnson Jr. believes that a lack of consistency across the board is the culprit.
Snake’s Funny Cars are not struggling because they are not trying hard enough. Johnson ran his career best this season in St. Louis. Capps has advanced to two semifinals in 2004. It is not as if the team owner is short on cash and is stealing parts from the Funny Cars to help out Dixon’s cause. High turnover with the crews and most importantly the crew chiefs have been major contributors. Both Capps and TJ have seen numerous crew chiefs come through the door and leave while Dixon’s crew chief, Dick LaHaie, is a fixture in the Miller Lite pit. Getting that balance of the crew chief and the driver communicating and understanding each other is the key. That is hard to create when the staff changes happen so quickly.
Both drivers are seasoned veterans and have proven they can drive a race car. Capps has 14 career victories while Johnson has five. TJ has been racing professionally since 1989 while Capps has been blazing the quarter-mile since 1995. The problem is not with the drivers. The problem is not the owner. The problem is not the lack of sponsorship dollars. The problem is consistency with the crew and the performance. Once Capps and TJ Jr. can settle in with crew chiefs and crews that stay together look for big things from the Skoal Funny Cars. Much like in any business, good people are hard to find. For the sanity of Capps, Johnson and Prudhomme, those people can’t come fast enough.
Comments
Got something to say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.