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HOUSTON (March 27, 2007) -- Jeff Arend thought he was living out his dream season. Having spent 12 years in the Nitro Funny Car class, he finally landed the high-profile ride he always coveted, earning the gig as Del Worsham's teammate in the Checker, Schuck's, Kragen blue car, prior to the start of the '07 season. He advanced to the semi-finals at his first race for Team CSK, and since then has made a clear statement as to the depth of his driving abilities. Then, we lost Eric Medlen.
As Arend has grappled with the loss of a friend and cohort, he has also had time to contemplate his own place in this game, and in this world. While living a dream, he's also fully aware of the long road that brought him to this place, and the desire he has to indisputably prove his skills.
"I've spent the majority of my life racing on the drag strip, and a big hunk of my adult life driving Funny Cars, so this is absolutely where I'm meant to be," Arend said. "My wife, Windy, and I talk about it all the time, but even more so this week. Del (Worsham) and my teammates talk about it. This is what we do, and we're lucky to do it. Eric was doing what he loved, and although we lost him, it doesn't diminish our love for this. It's going to be good to get back to the track, and it's going to be good for all of us, as drivers, to get back in our cars.
"Once we're there, and we're back into the swing of prepping the cars and making laps, I hope this feeling goes from being a sick knot in my stomach to just a warm memory of a very happy, genuine, guy. We'll all be racing for Eric and his family this weekend. The best thing we can do is make him proud."
For Arend to deliver, he'll need to put his special-edition K&N Filters Monte Carlo deep into the Houston race field. And then, just as he did in Pomona, he'll need to win rounds. One thing that hasn't been shaken, for Jeff Arend, is the confidence he has in his own abilities.
"I take great pride in my skills, and I work on them all the time," he said. "As the driver, I'm not there to make the tuning calls, although I do also pride myself on being able to give solid and informative feedback to my crew. But once we're at the line, it's my job to get the car to the other end, to keep it straight, and on Sunday I have to focus on leaving first. With this team, and all of our abilities, we always have a good chance to win.
"I'm glad we have another opportunity to run the K&N car this weekend, because it's a beautiful race car, and the people at K&N have been fantastic supporters. There's one good way to say 'Thank You' to the company whose name is all over the car, and that's to win rounds and get them on TV a lot. That's our plan. Everyone on this team is focused, motivated, and ready to represent our sport, our sponsors, and Eric's memory, to the best of our ability."
There's no doubt whichever Funny Car driver hoists the trophy at the end of the Houston weekend, will be doing so with a heavy heart and a dedication to Eric Medlen. Jeff Arend, for one, wants nothing more than to be the guy who says "This one's for Eric."
AREND HOPES FOR HOUSTON HEALING
HOUSTON (March 27, 2007) -- Jeff Arend thought he was living out his dream season. Having spent 12 years in the Nitro Funny Car class, he finally landed the high-profile ride he always coveted, earning the gig as Del Worsham's teammate in the Checker, Schuck's, Kragen blue car, prior to the start of the '07 season. He advanced to the semi-finals at his first race for Team CSK, and since then has made a clear statement as to the depth of his driving abilities. Then, we lost Eric Medlen.
As Arend has grappled with the loss of a friend and cohort, he has also had time to contemplate his own place in this game, and in this world. While living a dream, he's also fully aware of the long road that brought him to this place, and the desire he has to indisputably prove his skills.
"I've spent the majority of my life racing on the drag strip, and a big hunk of my adult life driving Funny Cars, so this is absolutely where I'm meant to be," Arend said. "My wife, Windy, and I talk about it all the time, but even more so this week. Del (Worsham) and my teammates talk about it. This is what we do, and we're lucky to do it. Eric was doing what he loved, and although we lost him, it doesn't diminish our love for this. It's going to be good to get back to the track, and it's going to be good for all of us, as drivers, to get back in our cars.
"Once we're there, and we're back into the swing of prepping the cars and making laps, I hope this feeling goes from being a sick knot in my stomach to just a warm memory of a very happy, genuine, guy. We'll all be racing for Eric and his family this weekend. The best thing we can do is make him proud."
For Arend to deliver, he'll need to put his special-edition K&N Filters Monte Carlo deep into the Houston race field. And then, just as he did in Pomona, he'll need to win rounds. One thing that hasn't been shaken, for Jeff Arend, is the confidence he has in his own abilities.
"I take great pride in my skills, and I work on them all the time," he said. "As the driver, I'm not there to make the tuning calls, although I do also pride myself on being able to give solid and informative feedback to my crew. But once we're at the line, it's my job to get the car to the other end, to keep it straight, and on Sunday I have to focus on leaving first. With this team, and all of our abilities, we always have a good chance to win.
"I'm glad we have another opportunity to run the K&N car this weekend, because it's a beautiful race car, and the people at K&N have been fantastic supporters. There's one good way to say 'Thank You' to the company whose name is all over the car, and that's to win rounds and get them on TV a lot. That's our plan. Everyone on this team is focused, motivated, and ready to represent our sport, our sponsors, and Eric's memory, to the best of our ability."
There's no doubt whichever Funny Car driver hoists the trophy at the end of the Houston weekend, will be doing so with a heavy heart and a dedication to Eric Medlen. Jeff Arend, for one, wants nothing more than to be the guy who says "This one's for Eric."
