Former NHRA Top Fuel driver Dave Grubnic is driven internally as a crew chief, wanting to prove himself all the time. John Force Racing’s Jimmy Prock is simply a natural at tuning and almost like the mad scientist, with his trademark intensity — much like Alan Johnson and Mike Kloeber, other notoriously quiet geniuses.
Others are decidedly low-key but incredibly smart: Richard Hogan (Torrence Racing), Rob Flynn (Kalitta Motorsports) and Neal Strausbaugh and Todd Okuhara (Don Schumacher Racing/DSR).
John Medlen, of DSR, has another style, as a soulful, big-picture thinker. Mike Green is an under-the-radar wolf for Justin Ashley, and Mike Neff at Bob Tasca Racing is California-cool, surfer-dude-style, but is more like a pit bull when it comes to tuning.
Each has been successful using different approaches.
John Collins has developed a reputation for fixing trackside hospitality kitchen generators, floor-scrubber circuit boards at the shop, computers, iPhones, the tow vehicle, the air conditioner, and the fuel pump on the race car. And the latest beneficiary of Collins’ intuition is Funny Car racer Cruz Pedregon.
Despite his ability to be a one-man band, Collins contends that “for a crew chief to be successful, he needs to surround himself with the best people. There is an awful lot that goes on behind the scenes, and one guy cannot take care of it all. Having good people helps free up time for the crew chief to think about making the correct decisions on running a car.
“Every person in this world has a different personality. For instance, I’m more laid-back. I allow people to do their job,” he says. And sounding like a physicist, Collins says, “And I am very methodical in my process. I like to know how everything works and what reaction there might be to every action I take.”
While a person’s make-up plays a key role in successful car set-ups, what also shapes winners is strategy that’s based on an intricate knowledge of parts. Maybe one of the most unsung tuning wizards in the Camping World Drag Racing Series is Del Worsham, who has worked on cars since he was a young boy learning from dad Chuck Worsham and made a name as one of just three in the sport’s history to earn series championships in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.
“Every car isn’t the same,” said Worsham, who tunes the Funny Cars wheeled by Alexis DeJoria. “All the parts aren’t the same. If that was the case, multiple-car teams would all run exactly the same and they don’t. We see that out there. There are still some variables, like clutches being one and driver styles. We’re running up against the threshold of what a car can take and where it’s going to spin the tires every run, because you know there’s not much of a margin anymore with the driver next to you.
“It used to be if you missed a little bit, you get away with it. Now if you miss a little bit, you’re going to spin the tires and you’re going to lose, and if you don’t run right up there against the threshold and the driver next to you does, you’re going to lose. Every car is a little bit different, and what works on one car can’t just be put on another car.”
That’s the kind of wisdom that Jim Head, Dickie Venables, Brian Corradi, Dean Antonelli, brothers Jim and Jon Oberhofer, Worsham co-crew-chief Nicky Boninfante, Donnie Bender, Todd Smith, and owner-driver-tuners such as Tim Wilkerson possess.
But the sport needs to nurture the inquisitive, attentive crew members who aspire to join the next wave of tuning gurus.
“There are finally some new crew chiefs out there today. It was always the same guys,” Worsham said. “The generation that built this class finally aged out and were able to pass the torch. So nowadays, you have guys that start at the bottom and work their way up. You might start off doing bottom end or even less than that to get to work on the car.
“You have to learn everything there is to know about it and be a part of the team,” Worsham added. “You really need to know how to talk to the guys and talk to the driver and know how to relay information and know the things to look for. It takes a lot of years. It’s a hard job to be successful at.”
Collins agreed. “It is a lot of hard work and sacrifices, especially if you have a family like I do,” he said. “But I can honestly look back at the path I’ve taken and have zero regrets on what I’m doing. It’s been very rewarding.”
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