Really? What were they thinking? (3 Viewers)

[Treeshaker]

Just thought we needed something a little different to discuss here so I'm starting this thread about some of the crazy things NHRA pro crew members do while on the road.

I will start with a recent incident where a crew member thought it would be funny to sabotage two fellow crew member's room by setting off a dry chemical fire extinguisher under their door into their room. It didn't work out so well for the prankster or the team owner.

Things went bad when alarms started going off and the motel shut down the floor. They got everyone off the floor and eventually relocated them all to another motel, at the team owners expense. He also had to pay for clean up and damages, somewhere around $7,500.00 total for everything.

The outcome was that the prankster lost his job when he stepped forward to take the blame before the deadline where the owner was going to let everyone go.

Add your stories, no names need to be included in who did what. This story was told to me by a 3rd or 4th party, so if you have more factual information please correct me.

Just thought I would stir the pot a little and get some action on the sight without the need for anyone calling anyone else names.

 

[SundayNiagara]

There are many stories to be told regarding a certain Pro Mod racer from South Carolina, who moved up to Fuel Funny Car via a HUGE sponsorship from a certain manufacturer of sunglasses. So the stories go, this guy couldn't behave himself in restaurants & hotels and was tossed out of many such places all over the country. The manufacturer withdrew from drag racing and the racer himself, has faded into oblivion.

 

[Wayne]

BWAHAHAHA!!!
Great idea/post Virgil!!!


Mark: Great story! Isn't that driver helping his son?

 

[vegasnitro]

the racer himself, has faded into oblivion.

That racer would still be in a car if he hadn't had some back surgeries that keep him out of the seat. That same racer also gave us this site ...

 

[d'kid]

Does the JFR Tech Center last August count?

d'kid

 

[Toejam]

Back in the 90's one year at the Winternationals, I sat next to a gal who was a Court Clerk in Orange Co. Mr. Funny car had come up to race, and she went off on how many times he got in trouble via DWI(s), said he was well known in the Orange Co. Court system.

 

[None]

That racer would still be in a car if he hadn't had some back surgeries that keep him out of the seat. That same racer also gave us this site ...

That same racer at a Las Vegas test session in high wind before the season had started. A part of his trailer took off in the wind. By the time he got done yelling at me for speaking to him and going into to his pit the part was over two hundred yards away.

 

[.]

Virgil, back in 1999 (if i remember correctly) we partied pretty hard one Saturday night with a couple of your crew members from Rhonda's car. When we left the bar they asked us for a ride back to the hotel. (we were staying at the same place) We said sure, no problem.... On the ride back they told us to be quiet when we pulled into the parking lot because they were not supposed to be out drinking the night before race day. Just before we pulled into the lot, your guys stated giving us a hard time (jokingly) about being from Minnesota and being Vikings fans. Not a smart move since our driver was a huge Vikings fan and season ticket holder. Well, evidently you (or Rhonda) were staying on the ground floor and your room was on the parking lot side of the hotel. When we pulled in we parked right next to the Fram van, which was parked right outside your window, and our driver started honking his horn and flashing his headlights on and off. lol. I don't think you woke up, but your crew guys ran like little kids to get back to their rooms. lol.

The next day at the track, we saw those two guys with the car in the staging lanes before first round. We all had a good laugh...

This was at Topeka.

 

[SundayNiagara]

Back in the 90's one year at the Winternationals, I sat next to a gal who was a Court Clerk in Orange Co. Mr. Funny car had come up to race, and she went off on how many times he got in trouble via DWI(s), said he was well known in the Orange Co. Court system.

We all know he'll never be referred to as an "angel," but we love him nonetheless!

His intro of Bernie at the HoF dinner was priceless. Unfortunately, most of you will never hear what he said.

 

[Treeshaker]

Brian - I am sorry to say that what you describe happens way too often with crew members from the majority of teams. These guys just do not understand how much these nights impair their abilities the next day and how much it hurts their team. But I guess if they cared about anything but themselves, they wouldn't be doing it in the first place.

 

[9350]

I remember numerous mornings leaving the hotel and seeing nitro crew members just getting in from their night out, I always shook my head... Don't get me wrong I like to drink beer but if you're going to be working on a car or motorcycle and ultimately have someones life in your hands, you might want to take it serious.

 

[Jer]

Brian - I am sorry to say that what you describe happens way too often with crew members from the majority of teams. These guys just do not understand how much these nights impair their abilities the next day and how much it hurts their team. But I guess if they cared about anything but themselves, they wouldn't be doing it in the first place.

Nothing like a hangover and working on a pro car,not me ill pass and stay sober!

 

[Toejam]

Brian - I am sorry to say that what you describe happens way too often with crew members from the majority of teams. These guys just do not understand how much these nights impair their abilities the next day and how much it hurts their team. But I guess if they cared about anything but themselves, they wouldn't be doing it in the first place.

Vegas is Prime for that, couldn't count the number of times I have seen crew members in their team uniforms in Casinos at 12:30-1 AM on a Race night! Guess when your 25 you can get away with it!

 

[NitroHunter]

A former low-budget funnycar team had a new major sponsor based in Dallas. At that race dozens of the Texas sponsor's employees come out to hang around the pits, and after a good Friday night qualifying scession things got pretty lively. Since it is well known that all Texans love trucks, especially big trucks, a crew member got the Big Boss sponsor up into the cab of the hauler to fire up the motor and blow the horn... of course that brought out the whooping and hollering, and then they ALL wanted to play.
Next morning a well known CC ran down and told on the boys, "Hey **** your guys were whooping and hollering and revving up the truck and blowing the HORN!" to which Mr. owner/driver replies "Yeah that sounds like my guys."
Anything for the sponsor.

 

[Chuck]

I was helping a new team and flew to Indy for a test session. Instead of renting a car, I hitched a ride with a crew guy who was flying in at the same time. Well, unbeknown to either of us, we were in for a special ride to the hotel. We finally hooked up in the airport and walked out to wait for our ride. As we stood there we hear somone yelling his name and look over to see a party bus, complete with porn playing on the flat screen TV, and a bunch of crazy crew members, along with a few wives and girlfriends, hanging out of the door and windows. Needless to say, it was an interesting ride around town and back to the hotel, right up until someone set the fire extinguisher off and everyone bailed out to catch their breath. Glad it was in the parking lot of the hotel and I didn't have to help clean up!!!

 

[Bobby Bennett]

http://www.competitionplus.com/drag...es-no-1-nicky-boninfante-vs-no-8-roger-gustin


Absolutely the best one -- from Nicky Boninfante, with names named.

 

[Nick Name]

Lets get Shoe in here. We want to hear some Marco Polo stories.

 

[Toby]

I worked on the Team Winston car. I think it was 2000, Dallas was a rain out and we went to Pomona with the points deal already wrapped up.

Thursday afternoon, we were ready to hit the starter to warm the car up for Q1. Force comes into our pits and wave his hands in the air telling us to hold up a second. (Only Force would have the balls to do that BTW).

He congratulates us on a great year winning the points deal. He names off how many times we won the pole in qualifying and the amount of races we won for the year. Then he goes into this story about on sunday mornings if he was wondering how Team Winston would do for eliminations, all he had to do was walk by our pit area. He said if all the crews eyes were as red as the race car he knew the car was going to haul ass all day long.

I have been out of working on Fuel and Pro Stock cars for five years now. I sure don't miss the traveling but I sure do miss the times at the race track.

 

[Ma Green]

These aren't anything like what used to happen back in the 70's and 80's. It would take hours to tell all those stories. How many of the players aren't still in jail (none ever went to jail) is beyond me. Tommy Ivo is one of the great pranksters. Bob Crietz was a champion bomb maker, and the list goes on....

And then there's the time a 1 1/2 ft alligator was put in a crew guys bed in Florida. He found it just before he sat of it and went screaming out of the hotel!!! Hates alligators to this day. This was only a few years ago.

 

[SundayNiagara]

And then there's the ND Photo editor, RIP, who was arrested & jailed the year the Summernationals were held at York US 30.