Kloeber Leaves Tasca (1 Viewer)

[Paul]

Have we found the new crew chief for Morgan Lucas? I wish Mike well wherever he ends up.

NHRA News: Cunningham assumes full crew-chief duties at Tasca Racing (4/3/2008)

 

[d'kid]

Good luck Mike, you know how to get a race car down the track.

On the other side, all the best to Chris, BT III and the 'Mystery 4' Team.

d'kid

 

[Jenn]

Mike Koebler, didn't he get his start with Christin Powers in IHRA?

 

[Bullet]

Mike Koebler, didn't he get his start with Christin Powers in IHRA?

It was Cristen Powell who Mike Kloeber worked for. I don't think that she was the first driver he tuned. He really made his name tuning Clay Millican to a bunch of IHRA Championships.

 

[none]

Kloeber was the crew chief for Snake, the last few years he drove a Funny Car. He really had that car flying at the end of 89 and then Snake went to Top Fuel. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Prudhomme stayed in funny car another year.

 

[Jenn]

Kloeber was the crew chief for Snake, the last few years he drove a Funny Car. He really had that car flying at the end of 89 and then Snake went to Top Fuel. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Prudhomme stayed in funny car another year.

Oh okay, I thought he was fairly young.

 

[Nitrohaulic]

Kloeber was the crew chief for Snake, the last few years he drove a Funny Car. He really had that car flying at the end of 89 and then Snake went to Top Fuel. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Prudhomme stayed in funny car another year.

I've got an old Polaroid (google it, LOL) somewhere of Mike pulling a tire off of Mr. Snake's Pepsi Challenger at IHRA Bristol.

 

[BaldyLochs]

Wasn't there just a thread here about Jim Epler staging a come back?

 

[Just Paul]

4 races in, and Klober gets the hook. This team didn't have so much as a blower belt at Finals time last year, and now they come out here in 2008, qualify at 3 of 4 races, (several, including Worsham can't even say that) and it's over. I don't think ANY of the funny cars are running all that great right now, I guess I am just very surprised at this.

 

[The Counterfeiter]

Another development that has more questions than answers. Mike is a brilliant guy who is responsible for the development of the "Herringbone" blower belt/pulley system and the modern version of the Monostrut.
One more time . . . team owner provides resources and puts crew chief totally in charge. Including telling the driver exactly what to do, even is the driver is the team owner's son or daughter. I don't know who actually owns this team, but the family model is certainly a TF team that has dominated for years.
Also - a FC team owner and driver who has turned control over to Tobler and said that he should have done this years ago.
IMHO - there is way too much ego involved with team owners who have second or third generation drivers. It will be interesting if Tasca's performance
improves at Vegas.

 

[Dave]

I always love to see the video of the Funny Car final at the 1992 Winternationals. Kloeber was Epler's crew chief at the time and when Epler beat Force in the final, the look on Mike's face was priceless. He looked totally surprised. Those who have seen it know what I mean.

Dave

 

[burnie]

I always love to see the video of the Funny Car final at the 1992 Winternationals. Kloeber was Epler's crew chief at the time and when Epler beat Force in the final, the look on Mike's face was priceless. He looked totally surprised. Those who have seen it know what I mean.

Dave

Was it Epler?
I believe it was KC Spurlock.

 

[none]

Was it Epler?
I believe it was KC Spurlock.

Daves right, Kloeber did tune Epler to that win. "Hollywood" won the Winternationals in `90 and `94.

 

[Nitrohelper]

Have we found the new crew chief for Morgan Lucas?

Mike spent some time with John at the computer on Sunday night after Houston , the Lucas cars ran in the 4.50s on Monday.

 

[Nunz]

Jim, you bring up valid points. Of course, once again, we don't know the whole story, it may be more of a chemistry/personality thing than a "We haven't won yet so your gone" type of scenario. Who knows. What we do know is Kloeber is talented, and given the time necessary, can obviously get a car to run. I wish success to all the parties involved.

 

[dragstats]

Kloeber was tuning when Epler made the 300 mph run in Topeka...what a weekend that was!

 

[.]

Somebody will snatch him up soon I bet, he's too good to be sitting on the sidelines. I'll always be a Mike Kloeber fan because of the way he treated me at Cordova several years ago at the IHRA Summer Nationals.

 

[mike]

Was it Epler?
I believe it was KC Spurlock.

Nope, Ronnie Swearingen was Spurlocks crew chief, Wayne Dupuy also helped out.

Mike

 

[mick]

my guess is mike k. likes to run things his way or no way.
been around too long and too talented to settle for anything less.
there was a very brief period somewhere in the 90's where he
even helped the hartley's for a few races.

 

[TJ]

M. Larsen...you nailed it on this situation. When I heard he was 'co-crew chief' w/ Chris I thought that will not last long as Mike knows fuel cars very well and while Chris knows his stuff you cannot compare apples to oranges. I saw their fiasco in Houston and there was way too many chefs in the kitchen in the computer room..
Kloeb like to run things his way...and they work.
Mike put himself on the map when he dialed in the camshaft/duel barrel valves combo on Tim Grose' car and they won the 86 Winternats...I was doing the bottem end w/ Gary Phillips while Lanny Maglizzi did the bellhousing and Mike tuned the car.
Mike is an awesome guy to work for and a good person who will have no problem finding work.