Points leader Neff driven to succeed

For Funny Car points leader Mike Neff, the 2011 season is all about maximizing an unanticipated opportunity.

Thrust back into the cockpit of a 300 mile-an-hour fuel Funny Car when two-time reigning Mac Tools U.S. Nationals champion Ashley Force Hood unexpectedly announced her pregnancy, Neff knows it’s just a short term gig, one that asks him to both drive and tune the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.

Nevertheless, the man who made the mechanical decisions that last year returned drag racing icon John Force to prominence in the NHRA Full Throttle Series is determined to make the most of the situation.

Winner of the most recent tour event at Gainesville, Fla., Neff this week rolls onto The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as the 37th different Funny Car points leader in the NHRA’s modern era, the sixth to set the pace in one of John Force Racing’s Team Castrol Ford Mustangs.

“I was probably more shocked than anyone when I first found out that Ashley was pregnant and that I was going to be going back (into the cockpit),” Neff said.  “We had talked about it before and we knew it was a possibility at some point, but it still was kinda unexpected.

“After tuning last year, I kind of knew that this would be probably the best way to do it – to have Bernie (Fedderly) help me and everybody else just pitch in.  That was probably the easiest way (for JFR to address Ashley’s absence).”

Nevertheless, few expected Neff to enjoy so much immediate success.“That was, without a doubt, the best day of racing I've ever had in my life,” he said of his Gainesville victory which included low ET of eliminations.  “It was a lot of stress and a lot of nerves, but to end up winning the way we did was just very gratifying and just a great experience; a great feelingNow, the 44-year-old tries to duplicate that feeling in the 12th SummitRacing.com Nationals, a race in which he was the crew chief winner a year ago.

Despite his new responsibilities and his early emergence as a championship threat, Neff makes no secret of the fact that his future at JFR is as a crew chief.

“Maybe at the end of the year I might want to go back to being just a crew chief,” said the man who tuned Gary Scelzi to the 2005 NHRA Funny Car title, “but I want to give (driving) a run all year.  I love tuning and that is what I will be doing for a long time.  This driving deal might be a one year deal for me (and) I’m trying to make the most of it.

“I am just thankful to John Force and to Castrol for giving me this opportunity,” said the man who developed his mechanical skills in off-road racing.  Everybody was bummed to not see Ashley out here.  She has a ton of fans and that was kind of a downer because she is great for the sport.

“When she comes back,” Neff said, “I’ll go back to doing what I was doing before.  (In the meantime), this is a chance of a lifetime for me (and) I want to make sure I give it everything I have all year.”

The 2009 winner of the Auto Club’s Road to the Future Award that identifies the NHRA’s Rookie of the Year, Neff won the 2010 Auto Club Finals at Pomona, Calif., in what he thought was his last race as a professional driver.

He spent last season as Force’s crew chief, working with veterans Fedderly and Austin Coil.  The payoff for that move was a six-victory season that lifted Force to his 15th championship and the team to its 17th in 21 seasons.

“It’s a long season,” Neff said.  “There’s no reason for anyone to be talking championship right now with just two races but, yeah, we think we could be one of those teams in the running, honestly.  Why wouldn’t we be.  This is the car that won last year with Force.  If the driver can just keep up, we should be okay.”

 Right now, the driver appears to be doing just fine, thank you.