Hitler Not Happy About John Force Racing Winning Six in a Row

Neff defends Gatornationals title as points leader

(Mike Neff returns to the Gatornationals as the defending race winner and current NHRA Full Throttle Series Funny Car points leader. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Entering this week’s 43rd annual Tire Kingdom Gatornationals at Auto Plus Raceway, Mike Neff likely is the most frustrated recent points leader in any motor racing discipline.

Twice in as many races this year, the 45-year-old driver/crew chief on the Castrol GTX® Ford Mustang has rolled to the starting line for the final round with the quickest race car on the grounds. Twice he’s come away empty-handed, beaten both times by John Force Racing teammates.

“All in all, anytime you go to the final, it’s a good day,” said the defending Gatornationals Funny Car champion, “but still, I’m frustrated with letting two chances slip away.”

Neff first lost to his boss, John Force, at the season-opening O’Reilly Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., when he was momentarily distracted and therefore was late in reacting to the starting signal. That gave Force the edge he needed to win despite a slower track time (4.080 to a best-of-the-event 4.036).

A week later, at Phoenix, Neff’s 8,000 horsepower Ford stumbled at the start in a final round showdown with Robert Hight’s Auto Club Mustang. As a result, it crossed the finish line just .027 of a second behind the winner.

“Our car had been running great (quick time of the event at 4.070 seconds),” Neff said of the Phoenix result, “and then it just shook. I had to pedal it (feather the throttle to regain traction) and then, to just barely lose, it’s frustrating.

“We want to win every race and we work hard at it,” he said, “but, on the positive side, we’ve had two races with Force Mustangs in the finals. We’re definitely satisfied with that. We’ll just keep on keepin’ on.”

No one has been “keepin’ on” quite like Neff, who first distinguished himself as crew chief to 2005 NHRA Funny Car champion Gary Scelzi before, intrigued by Force’s promise of a driving job, moving to JFR in 2007. After earning Rookie-of-the-Year recognition in 2008, the former motocross racer found himself out of a ride, the victim of the economic downturn and lack of sponsorship.

Back in the more familiar role of crew chief, he directed Force to a category-best six wins and a record 15th career championship in 2010. He was preparing to settle in to that strictly mechanical role when fate once again intervened, this time in a positive way.

When two-time Mac Tools U.S. Nationals champion Ashley Force Hood revealed in January, 2011, that she was climbing out of the car to start a family, Neff was offered another chance behind the wheel. Needless to say, he’s made the most of it.

He’s made final round appearances a habit, especially since taking on the dual role of driver and crew chief.

As a driver, he’s taken a JFR Ford to the final round 12 times in his last 25 starts. As a crew chief, he’s done the same thing 22 times in 47 races. It doesn’t take a genius to recognize that Neff has been at the starting line in one capacity or the other at virtually every-other-race over the past three seasons.

Moreover, while he was struggling with the dual role last year, even on the way to his Gatornationals win, he has settled into a comfortable routine this year thanks in no small measure to the rapid development of Jon Schaffer as his mechanical facilitator.

“I’ve got my man Little Jon and he can get in there and twist the knobs for me,” Neff said of the last minute adjustments to the tune-up that used to be a major concern when conditions changed significantly while he was helplessly strapped into the cockpit. “I can communicate with him. We’ve got a good situation.”

Neff Poised for Another Title Run in 2012

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Mike Neff learned last year that winning the NHRA Full Throttle championship is not so much about what you do as when you do it.

The crew chief and driver of the Castrol GTX® Ford Mustang won a career high five races last year to share the category lead with teammate Robert Hight. In addition, he won more racing rounds (40) and appeared in more final rounds (nine) than anyone, Hight included. To top it off, he was the points leader after 15 of the 22 tour events.

Unfortunately, the bulk of that success came in the regular season and not in the six-race Countdown to 1 that, in essence, now crowns the champion.

When Neff won his first Funny Car championship in 2005 as crew chief to Gary Scelzi, the title reflected his team’s performance over an entire season. All that changed in 2007, however, when the NHRA adopted the current playoff system.

Not surprisingly, even though he won another title in 2010 as crew chief to John Force, Neff is not a big fan.

In fact, the premium placed on the Countdown races has compelled the California native to re-strategize for a 2012 season that begins this week with the 52nd O’Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway.

“It does change your strategy,” Neff said, “but that doesn’t mean you just sacrifice races at the beginning of the year (for testing purposes). We want to win every race we go to so we’re not going to approach it like ‘we don’t care what happens this week, we’re just going to test.’

“We’re just going to try and race smarter and take advantage of the two extra test days they’ve given us this year,” Neff said, referring to NHRA’s decision to up the number of approved, in-season test days from four to six. “Plus, if we run good on Friday (in qualifying), that may give us a chance on Saturday to try something different with some different parts.”

Regardless, the 45-year-old veteran knows a little better what to expect this time around even if he doesn’t know exactly what threw him off track last year.

“I wouldn’t look at it like I was ‘overthinking’ it or I was burned out,” he said. “I didn’t do anything differently than I did the first 16 races. Things just quit working. The tricky thing about racing is sometimes it just doesn’t work the way you want it to. Looking back on it, I can see some things I would do differently if I had to do it again. You work on your weaknesses and that’s what we’ve been trying to do. The thing is, if it was easy, everybody’d be winning.

“Our car runs great,” Neff continued. “We’re just trying to improve in areas where we might have been a little weaker. Nobody accumulated more points last year than we did, but it’s just based off six races now and you have to try and plan so your program is strongest in those last six races.”

Despite his disdain for the system, Neff feels good about his chances of becoming the first to win a Funny Car championship as driver/crew chief since the late Shirl Greer did so in 1974.

After testing well at Palm Beach International Raceway in Florida, he starts the season this week on a track on which he has been exceedingly successful.

Not only did Auto Club Raceway yield his first win as a driver (at the 2009 Auto Club Finals), it also was the site of key crew chief victories in 2007 and 2010. He won with Scelzi at the 2007 Winternationals, his last victory before moving from Don Schumacher Racing to JFR, and with Force at the same race in 2010, laying the foundation for the sport’s biggest winner to earn his record 15th championship.

Medlen Returns to John Force Racing

(From l to r: John Force, Mike Neff, John Medlen. Photo by John Force Racing PR)

It was announced today that longtime John Force Racing tuner John Medlen, who left the team in 2010, is returning to JFR immediately as the director of safety and technology. Medlen will also head up the Eric Medlen Project as well as continue his work with Ford Racing. For the complete story at the St. Louis Motorsports Examiner, click HERE.

Nitro Rewind Wraps Up the Big Go

The biggest race of the season, the Mac Tools US Nationals, had the editors at Nitro Rewind scrambling. In addition to great Top Fuel and Funny winner interviews Nitro Rewind was talking with Countdown contenders about the upcoming O’Reilly NHRA Nationals at zMax Dragway, September 15-18. With so much exceptional content Nitro Rewind was split into two episodes. The first posted this week looks back at the Indy race. Part two will be posted early next week and preview the Countdown.

“When we looked at the footage there was no way we could just make one show. We have seen that if Nitro Rewind gets close to ten minutes we see a drop in viewership. We decided to split the show and we hope everyone will enjoy this two-parter,” said Ashley Force Hood, John Force Entertainment president.

“Going into the Countdown we are going to continue to talk with the winners but we also want to focus on drivers both inside and outside the Top Ten. Every driver that qualifies will have an impact on the Top Fuel and Funny Car Full Throttle championship so we will try and talk with as many of them as possible.”

It was a family filled day in the winner’s circle and Nitro Rewind as both Nitro winners Antron Brown and Mike Neff have their kids make cameo appearances in this episode. The magnitude of winning the most prestigious drag race is evident during each driver’s interview.

This episode also features highlights of the NHRA moving tribute to 9/11 as well as footage of the Honoring Our Heroes commemorative Funny Car John Force will be racing in Charlotte.

Every episode is posted on the NHRA YouTube channel the Thursday after each national event. This week’s episode can be found here: http://youtu.be/2plDGnfOctA

Fans can check out all the episodes of Nitro Rewind by going to www.youtube.com and searching Nitro Rewind or they can go directly to the NHRA YouTube channel.

NHRA Preview: Chicago Native Tony Schumacher Looking for First Win of '11 at Route 66 Raceway

(Seven-time NHRA Full Throttle Series Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher has been shut out of the Winner's Circle this year, but hopes a win at his home track at Route 66 Raceway can get his U.S. Army team back in the hunt. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Seven-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher owns 67 Wally trophies, the most of any driver in that category in NHRA history. However, at the moment, none of them are pewter.

As part of NHRA’s 60th anniversary celebration, special limited edition Wally trophies are being presented to all Full Throttle Series winners at each of the 22 races during the 2011 season. These trophies feature a pewter finish and provide drivers with just a bit of extra incentive to try to add one to the trophy case.

So far, Schumacher and his U.S. Army dragster team hasn’t had any luck acquiring one for their vast collection. He will try once again as a fan-favorite at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals, July 7-10 at Route 66 Raceway, near Chicago. Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Series event which will be televised on ESPN2 HD.

“Those pewter Wallys are looking cool on everyone else’s shelf,” Schumacher said. “But I've got a shelf, too, and I need to fill it again.”

With runner-up finishes at Gainesville and Atlanta and a trio of semifinal finishes and No. 1 qualifying performances highlighting his 2011 scorecard, Schumacher feels confident that his U.S. Army team is on the verge of making it to the winner’s circle.

“Once we start putting up the kind of numbers we want, we’re going to start piling up the final rounds and wins,” Schumacher said. “We’re just about there. I feel we’re very close to knocking the door down. Mike Green (crew chief) is working extremely hard to get the Army car running in perfect form. And I have the utmost confidence it will happen.”

A resident of Lake Forest, Ill., Schumacher is a three-time winner at Route 66 Raceway, his last win coming there in 2008. He says he always feeds off the good vibes produced by a strong contingent of local supporters, including family and friends.

“It’s going to be a home game for me,” Schumacher said. “That would be a great time to get our first victory of the year. My U.S. Army team will rebound just fine. Like Brigadier General William Rapp said, it’s about teamwork; it’s about perseverance; and it’s about dedication. That is what we are all about.”

In order to grab that first victory, Schumacher will need to consistently outrun a host of talented drivers, including Funny Car driver turned dragster pilot Del Worsham, who leads the point standings with four victories aboard his Al-Anabi Racing dragster, defending world champ and race winner Dixon, Antron Brown, red-hot Spencer Massey, Doug Kalitta, Brandon Bernstein and Morgan Lucas.

“The competition is very tight at the moment,” he said. “It only takes one good race and you can suddenly be at or near the top of the pack. I suspect we are going to see this kind of action right up to and through the Countdown (playoffs).”

* * *  

DEFENDING O’REILLY ROUTE 66 NATIONALS FUNNY CAR CHAMP MATT HAGAN READY TO RETURN TO FULL THROTTLE WINNER’S CIRCLE 

As 2010’s breakthrough Funny Car driver of the year takes inventory of his 2011 season, he’s been spending a bit of time looking at an empty column on the left side of his stats sheet.

Matt Hagan, driver of the national record-holding DieHard Dodge Charger R/T and the runner-up in last season’s dramatic down-to-the-wire points chase with John Force, is puzzled by the zero he sees there and is determined to start adding a few digits to the empty win column.

The way Hagan sees it, there isn’t a better place to start a winning streak than at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals, July 7-10 at ultra-fast Route 66 Raceway, located just south of Chicago. Hagan is the defending Funny Car winner there and last season logged one of the best performances of the season at the Illinois facility. Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also are defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Series event which will be televised on ESPN2 HD.

With only six races remaining in the 16-race regular season, NHRA teams don’t have much time left before the top 10 drivers will be locked into the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoffs.

Hagan, who got off to a fast start with a runner-up finish at the season-opening Winternationals in Pomona and followed that with a No. 1 qualifying performance and semifinal effort at the Gatornationals in Florida, has been in a mini-slump for the last eight races, advancing past the quarterfinals only once.

“We want to win some races and get on a roll going into the Countdown,” Hagan said. “We did that last year, winning in Chicago, and then made a good run for the championship. We want to put the DieHard car back into that position as this season moves into its later stages.”

He is currently sitting in fifth place in the standings, but knows that his team, which is led by crew chief Tommy DeLago, is hungry to unleash the beast and get back to the winner’s circle as quickly as possible.

“It’s great to see the guys continue to work hard, with their chins up, but we are all ready to begin winning,” Hagan said. “We’ve got to get our ‘mojo’ working for Chicago, where we had a great win last season. That win is coming soon, and Joliet sounds like the right place for it to happen.”

Others to watch in the highly competitive Funny Car category include series points leader Mike Neff, who has won three races while serving as both driver and crew chief for the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. His teammate, Robert Hight, is a four-time winner this season in the Auto Club Mustang, while former drag racing instructor Jack Beckman has scored two victories in his Aaron’s/Valvoline Dodge Charger. Veteran drivers Cruz Pedregon and Ron Capps have been to final rounds this season but are still looking for their first wins.

In Top Fuel, veteran Funny Car driver turned dragster pilot Del Worsham leads the point standings with four victories aboard his Al-Anabi Racing dragster. Worsham is a three-time Funny Car winner at Route 66 and if he wins this weekend in Top Fuel he would join Gary Scelzi as the only winners at this track in both nitro categories. Several talented drivers will be trying to keep that from happening, including Worsham’s teammate, defending world champ and race winner Dixon, hometown favorite Tony Schumacher, who has won here three times in his U.S. Army dragster, along with Antron Brown, red-hot Spencer Massey, Doug Kalitta, Brandon Bernstein and Morgan Lucas.

Jason Line is atop the series standings in Pro Stock with three victories in his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP. Defending event winner Edwards is always a threat at Route 66 in his Penhall/Interstate Batteries GXP. Erica Enders, who posted a runner-up finish here in 2005, has been knocking on the door to winner’s circle in her ZaZa Energy Chevy Cobalt in her quest to become the first female Pro Stock winner in NHRA history. National record holder Rodger Brogdon, talented rookie Vincent Nobile, who won at Norwalk, Ohio two weeks ago, four-time world champ Greg Anderson, who has never won at Chicago, and Team Mopar’s Allen Johnson, are all among the leaders in the 200-mph factory hot rod category.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Eddie Krawiec’s two victories aboard his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson lead the two-wheel category. A host of talented riders are among the pre-race favorites, including defending race winner Tonglet, Karen Stoffer, Andrew Hines, Matt Smith, Hector Arana Sr., Jerry Savoie, Michael Phillips, Jim Underdahl, Hector Arana Jr. and Steve Johnson.

* SCHEDULE: Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4 and 7 p.m. on Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 10.

* TICKETS: Tickets are available for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals. Please call Route 66 Raceway at (815) 727-RACE or visit www.route66raceway.com.

* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 9:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, July 9. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage beginning at 9 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, July 10.

* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals also will feature competition in eight categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 9 a.m. on July 7. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 9 a.m. on July 8 and continue through July 10.

* ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

* * *  

O’REILLY AUTO PARTS ROUTE 66 NHRA NATIONALS FACT SHEET  

WHAT: 14th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals, the 11th of 22 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Drivers in four categories - Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle - earn points leading to 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships. NHRA is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2011 and will pay tribute to the evolution of the hot rod and honor its legendary racers as well as the sport’s current stars.  

WHERE: Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, Ill. The track is located 30 miles southwest of Chicago on Route 53 (historic Route 66), approximately three miles south of the I-80 in Joliet. Take I-80 to exit #132A (Route 53 south) to the track.  

WHEN: Thursday through Sunday, July 7-10.  

SCHEDULE:

THURSDAY, July 7 - LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying at 9 a.m.

FRIDAY, July 8 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations begin at 9 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

SATURDAY, July 9 – LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations continue at 9 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
JEGS ALLSTARS ELIMINATION ROUNDS at 1 p.m., 3:15 p.m., and 6:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, July 10 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10:45 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION:

Saturday, July 9, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 9:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 10, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage starting at 9 p.m. (ET).


2010 EVENT WINNERS: Larry Dixon, Top Fuel; Matt Hagan, Funny Car; Mike Edwards, Pro Stock; LE Tonglet, Pro Stock Motorcycle.  

MOST VICTORIES: Kenny Bernstein, 4, TF; Tony Pedregon, 4, FC; Jeg Coughlin, 4, PS.  

TRACK RECORDS:

Top Fuel – 3.773 seconds by Larry Dixon, June ’10; 323.12 mph by Tony Schumacher, June ’10.
Funny Car – 4.022 seconds by Matt Hagan, June ’10; 314.61 mph by Jack Beckman, June ’10.
Pro Stock – 6.587 seconds by Mike Edwards, June ’10; 210.08 mph by Edwards, June ’10.
PS Motorcycle – 6.894 seconds by Hector Arana, June ’10; 195.68 mph by Michael Phillips, June ’10.

NATIONAL RECORDS:

Top Fuel - 3.770 sec. by Larry Dixon, Feb. ’11, Pomona, Calif.; 327.03 mph by Tony Schumacher, Feb. ’11, Pomona, Calif.
Funny Car - 4.011 sec. by Matt Hagan, Oct. ’10, Reading, Pa.; 316.45 mph by Robert Hight, June ‘11, Bristol, Tenn.
Pro Stock - 6.495 sec. by Rodger Brogdon, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.; 213.57 mph by Erica Enders, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.
PS Motorcycle – 6.777 sec. by Hector Arana, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.; 199.26 mph by Eddie Krawiec, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.  

TICKETS: For tickets, call (815) 727-RACE (7223). Tickets also available at route66raceway.com.

GENERAL ADMISSION (includes pit pass) – Thursday: Adult, $13; Junior (12 years and under), free. Friday: Adult, $41; Junior (12 years and under), $11. Saturday: Adult, $50; Junior (12 years and under), $11. Sunday: Adult, $56; Junior (12 years and under), $11  

RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) – Friday: Adult, $51; Junior (12 years and under), $16. Saturday: Adult, $60; Junior (12 years and under), $16. Sunday: Adult, $66; Junior (12 years and under), $16.

* * *  

NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES POINT STANDINGS

Point standings (top 10) for NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series classes following the 10th of 22 events -

Top Fuel: 1. Del Worsham, 884; 2. Spencer Massey, 823; 3. Larry Dixon, 809; 4. Antron Brown, 731; 5. Tony Schumacher, 729; 6. Doug Kalitta, 536; 7. Brandon Bernstein, 517; 8. Morgan Lucas, 500; 9. Shawn Langdon, 451; 10. Terry McMillen, 386.

Funny Car: 1. Mike Neff, 881; 2. Jack Beckman, 757; 3. Robert Hight, 755; 4. Cruz Pedregon, 708; 5. Matt Hagan, 599; 6. Ron Capps, 539; 7. John Force, 528; 8. Jeff Arend, 519; 9. Bob Tasca III, 495; 10. Johnny Gray, 441.

Pro Stock: 1. Jason Line, 774; 2. Mike Edwards, 725; 3. Vincent Nobile, 713; 4. Greg Stanfield, 688; 5. Greg Anderson, 677; 6. Rodger Brogdon, 631; 7. Allen Johnson, 610; 8. Erica Enders, 563; 9. Shane Gray, 468; 10. Ron Krisher, 446.

Pro Stock Motorcycle: 1. Eddie Krawiec, 425; 2. Karen Stoffer, 418; 3. Andrew Hines, 369; 4. Matt Smith, 350; 5. Hector Arana, 312; 6. LE Tonglet, 283; 7. Jerry Savoie, 277; 8. Michael Phillips, 245; 9. Jim Underdahl, 237; 10. Hector Arana Jr, 191.

Nitro Rewind Glances Back at Norwalk & Focuses on Chicago

Nitro Rewind is back with a look back at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk and a look ahead to the O’Reilly Rt. 66 Nationals in Chicago, July 8-10. The show, an internet based broadcast, is hosted by Bill Stephens and features interviews from Top Fuel and Funny Car NHRA competitors, is available on the NHRA’s YouTube channel after every NHRA national event.

“Nitro Rewind is hitting its stride at the perfect time. We have the Chicago race coming up and then we go right into the Western Swing. Fans will get to see and hear from tons on the Nitro drivers in the weeks ahead,” said Ashley Force Hood, John Force Entertainment president.

“Ron and Jon Capps may have stolen this week’s episode and Tony Pedregon and Doug Kalitta talk about heading to Chicago’s Rt. 66 Raceway where they have both dominated in Funny Car and Top Fuel respectively.”

Norwalk Funny Car winner Mike Neff gives Nitro Rewind viewers some extra insight into why he made a surprise decision before the Funny Car final and the Funny Car tandem of Ron and Jon Capps battle for microphone dominance in a combo interview where topics range from growing up together to spending time at the track to how they manage their Funny Car careers. Also, last year’s Chicago Funny Car winner Matt Hagan talks about returning to Rt. 66 Raceway as well as life on his cattle farm.

Every episode is posted on the NHRA YouTube channel the Thursday after each national event. This week’s episode can be found here: http://youtu.be/pOcWa-Ue-ew

Fans can check out all the episodes of Nitro Rewind by going to www.youtube.com and searching Nitro Rewind or they can go directly to the NHRA YouTube channel.

Mike Neff Earns Funny Car Victory at E-Town

(John Force Racing Funny Car driver Mike Neff racked up yet another win in 2011 after Cruz Pedregon red-lit in the finals Sunday at Englishtown. Photo by Gary Nastase)

Castrol GTX driver Mike Neff took a bad day on Friday turned it into a good day on Saturday then an excellent day on Sunday racing to his second win of the season at the 42nd annual NHRA SuperNationals. For the Castrol-backed driver racing in his fourth consecutive final and fifth of the season, getting the win was a huge personal achievement and a big moment for John Force Racing.

“There were 500 Castrol people here so you want to do well for your sponsor,” said Neff, the 2008 rookie of the year. “You always want to do well in the hometown of your sponsor. (In the first round) John (Force) was in front of me and I saw him go out and I thought ‘Oh no.’ Then Robert (Hight) went out and I was like ‘Aw man!’ The pressure was on. Fortunately we were able to bring it home for all our sponsors.”

The Castrol GTX Mustang was on a rail all day recording elapsed times of 4.079, 4.083, 4.067 seconds in the opening rounds and a blistering 4.071 seconds in the final. Neff and his team also set and reset the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park mile per hour record first setting the record with his second round speed of 313.66 mph and breaking that record in the final at 314.09 mph.

“We had a bad day on Friday the car was just too fast and the surface wasn’t what we anticipated. We smoked the tires twice and we came out on Saturday and had to get on the other side of it,” said Neff, No. 7 qualifier. “We backed everything way off and ran 4.15. The next run we picked it up a little bit and ran 4.11. It just took us a little while to keep working our way back into it. It really is small moves. There is not much difference between a 4.12 and a 4.07.”

This season Neff has defeated two-time world champion Cruz Pedregon for his wins and overall Neff has evened his W-L record with the veteran driver at 4-4.

Neff is racing the same chassis that he won the 2009 NHRA Auto Club Finals and that carried John Force to the 2010 Full Throttle Funny Car championship including his six wins. This Mustang has been to 17 final rounds in the last 32 races picking up nine total wins.

“That Mustang is the car I drove at the end of 2009 and won the World Finals in and then we put John in it last season for the championship. It is definitely a positive. Our shop built that Mustang. We took it apart at the end of the year and put it on a jig. I expected that we would have to front half it but it was in perfect order so we put it back together again. That is definitely a big thing. The less stuff you have to change the better off you are.”

Today Neff took the win when Pedregon red-lit in the final, fouling out. As he powered down the track Neff knew he had the win but he kept his foot on the gas.

“I knew he red lit. I heard him leave and knew he red-lit. I looked over and saw that his bulb was red then I looked up and saw our win light on. By that time I had already hit the gas and was taking off. I legged it down there. I wanted to make sure I didn’t cross the centerline because that would have lost it for me I think. Maybe I should have lifted. It happened so fast. For the first couple of seconds you are trying to just gather what happened.”

Racing to four finals in a row for the crew chief and driver has Neff in a good groove but he also is aware of how tiring pulling double duty can be. Earlier in the season in Houston Neff was overcome in the final and red-lit away a chance for a win versus Jeff Arend.

“I am getting in the groove. Going rounds helps. That is four finals in a row. My team is in the groove of what they have to do. I am getting into the swing of it too. Going to the final takes a lot out of you. We have been training for this lately the last four races,” said Neff.

Robert Hight was the last JFR driver to race to four finals in a row. He achieved that goal last season when he made the money round in Atlanta, St. Louis, Topeka and Chicago, picking up wins in all those races except Chicago.

In Neff’s first round race against Jeff Arend both Funny Cars launched together but Neff’s Castrol GTX Mustang had more power at the top end tripping the lights with the second quickest ET of the session 4.079 seconds at 311.77 mph which was Funny Car top speed for the event.

Robert Hight lost a pedalfest versus Johnny Gray as his Auto Club Ford Mustang struck the tires at the same time as Gray. Unfortunately for Hight, the No. 2 qualifier, Gray recovered his Service Central Dodge Charger a few hundredths of second quicker and was able to get across the tripe first. Gray’s winning time was 4.804 seconds against Hight’s 4.888 second pass.

In qualifying Force and his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang used a final quick run to grab enough bonus points to qualify fifth and move from 7th place in the Full Throttle point standings to 6th place. They are now two points in front of Jeff Arend and the DHL Funny Car 418 to 416. Arend had a chance to move back around Force but a first round loss to Mike Neff ended his day.

John Force’s day also ended early with a first round loss to Matt Hagan. Hagan’s DieHard Charger narrowly outran Force’s Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang 4.101 to 4.128 seconds. The margin of victory at the top end was two hundredths of a second.

The winningest driver in NHRA history was pleased to once again see his young drivers handling the pressure and getting wins, the 201st Funny Car win for JFR.

“We just signed our extension with Castrol and to get them a win in Englishtown in their backyard was big. I love having the crowd out here and I was over there talking with them yesterday. This is about me and also about my next generation of drivers. Drivers like Robert, Ashley, Mike, Brittany and Courtney. My young drivers have all the wins but I am coming after them. I knew Mike could do both jobs. He is a great tuner and he is a great driver. He beat some great hot rods today and he kept his head. I am proud of everyone on that Castrol GTX team and all my teams. We win together.”

Neff extended his points lead over second place race Jack Beckman to 98 points (707 to 609), John Force moved up from 7th to 6th place and Robert Hight held onto 3rd place in the Full Throttle point standings. With over half of the regular season races completed JFR has three drivers in the top six heading toward the home stretch of summer races.

Force-Hood to Take Hiatus to Focus on Starting Family

(Ashley Force-Hood, seen here prior to last year's NHRA Full Throttle Series season finale in Pomona, announced Tuesday she will not race this year as she and her husband Daniel are expected their first child. Former Pomona winner and NHRA champion crew chief Mike Neff will fill her seat in '11. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

HUGE news today as John Force Racing announced that "The Franchise" Ashley Force-Hood will take the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Series season off as she and her husband Daniel are expecting their first child. The two-time U.S. Nationals champion will give up her seat to Mike Neff, the tuner who helped John Force earn his 15th Funny Car title last year. In addition to that title and one with Gary Scelzi, Neff also has a win as a driver, taking the Wally at the season finale in Pomona in 2009.

For the full story, check out the STL Motorsports Examiner.