Austin Coil Gone From JFR

[Hank]

have fun coil you deserve it. will always remember the wednsday night round robins at cordova and the 32 car fields at byron. the best of times by far!!!!!

 

[kody]

have fun coil you deserve it. will always remember the wednsday night round robins at cordova and the 32 car fields at byron. the best of times by far!!!!!

Seeing him gone is sadHe will always be the best!!The racing world is sad also! Need to here who will be on the new car of JOHNS love one???

 

[Silly Savage]

Force owe's him a HUGE going away gift.

 

[megadeth]

Why are so many putting it as if he is retiring? He said it was a break and I wouldn't rule out the possibility of him returning to JFR.
There will be some Fuel Coupe teams that have some good options with Medlen being available and possibly Coil in the future.

 

[sharkman]

I bet ol' Shumacher has already called to wish Coil well, I wouldnt blame Him either, I also wish Him well, Have fun on the Hog and Be Careful, it's a jungle out there. Looking forward to seeing Him again someday, It'll be hard to imagine Him not wearing a JFR uniform, good Luck and Have Fun!

 

[BaldyLochs]

Austin Coil is a legend and a mastermind. I do find that "Spending some time with my wife" is kind of vague in today's racing world. Is he talking years or months??? Makes you wonder..... if the right opportunity presents itself.... how soon would he be back and in what form??? But what a run he's had with John, eh?..... just awesome. Gotta wonder how the toothpick industry is handling this news though

 

[Super Mod]

See you in Qatar Austin

 

[turbo ken]

I wouldn't be surprised to see him comming back as a crewchief on a nostalgia F/C with his wife driving.

Did you read the following before you said that or did you just have good insight into Coil's thinking?

NHRA Story » Coil resigns from John Force Racing, but eyes possible 2012 return to racing

Good insight I guess. Coil, and Plueger teaming up on a N/FC with Lisa Coil driving, that would be awsome.

 

[Doug in the woods]

In one of the links, Coil made the comment about today's economy. I wonder if Coil is quitting due to a cut in his pay? The payroll over at JFR must be big with Coils paycheck being the most money. With Coil gone the team can spend money in other places. Has Coil even had input on the tuneups of any of the cars or does he just intrepid the computer data?
Force doesn't need a high priced computer operator, at least in this economy.

 

[Big Sexy]

In one of the links, Coil made the comment about today's economy. I wonder if Coil is quitting due to a cut in his pay? The payroll over at JFR must be big with Coils paycheck being the most money. With Coil gone the team can spend money in other places. Has Coil even had input on the tuneups of any of the cars or does he just intrepid the computer data?
Force doesn't need a high priced computer operator, at least in this economy.

Austin ran the team(s). Made the final calls, etc. He was not a "Computer Operator".

 

[twostep]

Coil made at least three references to his being unhappy at JFR. If I recall, John Medlen had similar feelings, although he wasn't as vocal about them. That doesn't mean John necessarily did something wrong. It could be Castrol, or Ford, has scaled him back. Maybe he had to cut expenses, or personnel, in ways that Coil didn't feel comfortable with. And I see a slow change in personalities - with Austin wanting to slow down a bit, and John wanting to throttle up.

Coil, being the professional that he is, is honest enough to speak out with nothing but praise for his longtime friend and partner, while at the same time letting everyone know it's just time for a change. As I said earlier, I don't believe this was a snap decision. Saying so long won't be easy for him, either. A 26-year relationship doesn't end overnight.

 

[Nunz]

Judging from the different articles, it's obvious that it's not a question of IF we'll see Coil back on the tour but WHEN. He says he feels great and isn't ready to call it a career just yet.

 

[Al smith]

I'm wondering if Castrol is beginning to micromanage the payroll department of Force Racing like the insurance companies micromanage healthcare. I don't think John would cut anyone's pay. It's getting to the point I believe that the actual racers have become corporate employees. Todays crew chiefs might be tomorrows Walmart greeters at the hospitality tent.

 

[Hank]

sure is odd force hasn't came out and said anything about the person who helped him the most to get where he is today. i'd like to see him come back with a fresh new driver and do it again. have fun on vacation austin but hurry back. this sport needs you and a few others.

 

[Tumbleweed]

Good Luck to the man behind the scenes of JFR (sort of).

A lucky day for whomever he decides to work with in the future!!

 

[.]

Sounds like Coil was not happy at all.

“There were a lot of hard feelings over 2009 because our performance was suffering,” said Coil, 65, who has tuned Force to all of his championships and 132 national event victories. “The end result created some animosities that won’t go away. I’m too old to be sat down and told ‘how it is’ every other day. Overall, there’s no real terrible issues going on. It was just time to go. Kind of like when you’ve been married for 26 years and heard all the bull****.”

Racin’ Today Disgruntled Tuner Austin Coil Splits With Force

 

[turbo ken]

The split was more money drivin.

Prior to the start of the 2010 season, Force opted to fold Mike Neff’s Ford Mustang Funny Car team because of lack of corporate sponsorship. Neff immediately joined Coil and Bernie Fedderly as the tuning braintrust on Force’s Castrol GTX High-Mileage Ford, a move Coil said he still endorses. But Coil said the accompanying pay cuts “took a way bigger percentage from the top employees,” including himself.

“I don’t care if there were three cars or four,” Coil said. “My concern was my share of the pie. We all took (a pay cut) as most everyone in the industry. In a way that’s not to be unexpected. But I wasn’t happy how mine was. I still think I was paid fair for the job I was doing, but it didn’t turn out…it was a considerable surprise from what my previous contract was.

“Kind of a sign of the times, but it still doesn’t make us happy. It’s a situation where we’re told we’ve got to tighten our belt buckles. Again, I’m not saying I was unfairly treated – the economy put everyone in a pinch.

 

[Sean D, shondoo]

sure is odd force hasn't came out and said anything about the person who helped him the most to get where he is today. i'd like to see him come back with a fresh new driver and do it again. have fun on vacation austin but hurry back. this sport needs you and a few others.

Judging by the two posts above, it's no surprise to me. The Champ is probably reeling right now, but I would bet a statement isn't too far off.

Wow...........

Sean D

 

[Paul]

Austin doesn't sound like he was real happy with his pay. Lets face it, he is no longer in his prime and probably isn't worth what he once was. We will see how this one ends up.

 

[sdwarf36]

Wow is right-tell us how you really feel Austin.
If he just said "i need time off"-"its time to do something different" anything like that NO-ONE would fault him one bit. But to openly *itch about pay-and behind door treatment from the boss-that comes off as pretty bitter. Musta been sitting behind Shirley in charm school...