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Commerce, Ga. (April 24, 2007) -- Anyone who has been around the sport of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing for more than a few weeks understands the overriding principle of "right place, right time." Jeff Arend, who drives the blue Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Funny Car, has lived it. After opening the season with a clutch semi-final finish in Pomona, Arend has felt the sting of first round losses at four straight races, yet the affable Canadian has done little to deserve the results. He's been quick at the tree, and his race car has run well, but he's been in the wrong place, at the wrong time. This weekend, at the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals, Arend hopes the change of scenery will give him the edge he needs.
At the previous two events, in Houston and Las Vegas, Arend has pounded out first-round laps that were clearly good enough to turn on the win light. Instead, all he earned was a pat on the back and a "get 'em next time" after losing by scant inches at both races. In Houston, 25-thousandths of a second separated Arend from a win. In Vegas, the margin was cut in half, but 11-thousandths might as well be a mile when it comes to winning or losing.
"That's the thing, it really doesn't matter how close it was if you lost," Arend said. "I play a lot of golf, and if you miss a birdie putt on one hole, you can move on and try to get it back at the next. On the circle tracks, if you bobble a little on lap 20 you can work your way back to the front over the course of the next 100 trips around. On the drag strip, it's get there first or go home. You don't get any bonus points for running well, and you don't get asked back for the next round because you just barely lost. You lost, plain and simple, and that's all that counts. It's the toughest thing about this
sport, in my mind. It's totally unforgiving.
"Now, the key for our CSK team is to concentrate on what we did right in Las Vegas. We ran Ron Capps, and we lost by a few inches. We didn't smoke the tires, we didn't blow it up, and we didn't plow over the timing blocks. We ran great, and one of the best drivers in the sport, who happens to drive one of the fastest cars, edged us out. Next time, out here in Georgia, it will go our way. Somebody else is going to have to take solace in a close loss."
Arend doesn't need to take any solace from his first five races with Team CSK, because his performance has been outstanding. Having now competed in seven rounds of eliminations in the 2007 season, Arend has averaged a stellar .074 reaction time, while his opponents have combined to average .095 at the tree when racing him. In addition, Arend has worked hard to contribute in other ways and the results of those efforts will most certainly be rewarded.
"You could say there's pressure on any driver who works for a team instead of owning it," Arend said. "You're here to do a job, and when it's you in the car there's nobody there who can help you. I don't feel it as pressure, I just feel it as motivation. It's an opportunity for me to help the team and our sponsors. It's not just about leaving well at the line, either, because there are a lot of things a driver can do to help win laps. Even in qualifying, I try to do all I can to maximize our numbers, keep the car in one piece, and give good solid input to my crew chiefs, Marc Denner and Chris Cunningham.
"Other than that, I'm not a guy who likes to sit around, so I'll look for things to do on the car. If anything needs attention, while the guys are servicing the motor and the clutch, I'll dive in and help. I just want to contribute, and I want to be a part of the success we're going to continue to have this year. These guys are smart, and everyone on this team is motivated. Our wins will come and, like I said before, someone else is going to have to deal with the losses. Rural Georgia may not be Las Vegas but, as far as I'm concerned, it would be a great place to celebrate."
Whatever the outcome or level of celebration, Arend is likely to be doing it with a shiny new body atop his race car this weekend. After teammate Del Worsham debuted his red Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Chevy Impala in Las Vegas, Arend is ready to put his blue Impala through its paces in Atlanta.
"Del put his Impala on and ran great, so there's no reason to think we won't go right out there and run well too," Arend said. "All of his comments were really positive, so I'm looking forward to getting our blue Impala completed and on the car. We still have to finish the graphics and all the decals at the track, but that's all lined up to happen, so I'm anticipating we'll run the new body on Friday. That's just one more reason to be excited."
A strong driver, a fast car, and a swoopy new body. Those could be just the ingredients Team CSK needs to whip up something tasty, southern style.
AREND IS READY FOR SOME SOUTHERN COOKING
Commerce, Ga. (April 24, 2007) -- Anyone who has been around the sport of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing for more than a few weeks understands the overriding principle of "right place, right time." Jeff Arend, who drives the blue Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Funny Car, has lived it. After opening the season with a clutch semi-final finish in Pomona, Arend has felt the sting of first round losses at four straight races, yet the affable Canadian has done little to deserve the results. He's been quick at the tree, and his race car has run well, but he's been in the wrong place, at the wrong time. This weekend, at the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals, Arend hopes the change of scenery will give him the edge he needs.
At the previous two events, in Houston and Las Vegas, Arend has pounded out first-round laps that were clearly good enough to turn on the win light. Instead, all he earned was a pat on the back and a "get 'em next time" after losing by scant inches at both races. In Houston, 25-thousandths of a second separated Arend from a win. In Vegas, the margin was cut in half, but 11-thousandths might as well be a mile when it comes to winning or losing.
"That's the thing, it really doesn't matter how close it was if you lost," Arend said. "I play a lot of golf, and if you miss a birdie putt on one hole, you can move on and try to get it back at the next. On the circle tracks, if you bobble a little on lap 20 you can work your way back to the front over the course of the next 100 trips around. On the drag strip, it's get there first or go home. You don't get any bonus points for running well, and you don't get asked back for the next round because you just barely lost. You lost, plain and simple, and that's all that counts. It's the toughest thing about this
sport, in my mind. It's totally unforgiving.
"Now, the key for our CSK team is to concentrate on what we did right in Las Vegas. We ran Ron Capps, and we lost by a few inches. We didn't smoke the tires, we didn't blow it up, and we didn't plow over the timing blocks. We ran great, and one of the best drivers in the sport, who happens to drive one of the fastest cars, edged us out. Next time, out here in Georgia, it will go our way. Somebody else is going to have to take solace in a close loss."
Arend doesn't need to take any solace from his first five races with Team CSK, because his performance has been outstanding. Having now competed in seven rounds of eliminations in the 2007 season, Arend has averaged a stellar .074 reaction time, while his opponents have combined to average .095 at the tree when racing him. In addition, Arend has worked hard to contribute in other ways and the results of those efforts will most certainly be rewarded.
"You could say there's pressure on any driver who works for a team instead of owning it," Arend said. "You're here to do a job, and when it's you in the car there's nobody there who can help you. I don't feel it as pressure, I just feel it as motivation. It's an opportunity for me to help the team and our sponsors. It's not just about leaving well at the line, either, because there are a lot of things a driver can do to help win laps. Even in qualifying, I try to do all I can to maximize our numbers, keep the car in one piece, and give good solid input to my crew chiefs, Marc Denner and Chris Cunningham.
"Other than that, I'm not a guy who likes to sit around, so I'll look for things to do on the car. If anything needs attention, while the guys are servicing the motor and the clutch, I'll dive in and help. I just want to contribute, and I want to be a part of the success we're going to continue to have this year. These guys are smart, and everyone on this team is motivated. Our wins will come and, like I said before, someone else is going to have to deal with the losses. Rural Georgia may not be Las Vegas but, as far as I'm concerned, it would be a great place to celebrate."
Whatever the outcome or level of celebration, Arend is likely to be doing it with a shiny new body atop his race car this weekend. After teammate Del Worsham debuted his red Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Chevy Impala in Las Vegas, Arend is ready to put his blue Impala through its paces in Atlanta.
"Del put his Impala on and ran great, so there's no reason to think we won't go right out there and run well too," Arend said. "All of his comments were really positive, so I'm looking forward to getting our blue Impala completed and on the car. We still have to finish the graphics and all the decals at the track, but that's all lined up to happen, so I'm anticipating we'll run the new body on Friday. That's just one more reason to be excited."
A strong driver, a fast car, and a swoopy new body. Those could be just the ingredients Team CSK needs to whip up something tasty, southern style.
