the crew chief era (1 Viewer)

[I was NITRO BREATH]

This is a very exciting era in fuel racing. The speeds and ET's lately and the competition to lead the pack have brought new excitement to nhra racing. It’s also reminded us that fuel racing is now a crew chiefs domain. The driver is not as important as back in the day. And if you dont agree with that just ask yourself, who is the Erica enders of top fuel/funny car?? Who is the driver with the perfect lights?? Who amazed everyone with a performance like Ericas day at the finals last year?? it should be jack Beckman. But how much did jack have to do with his amazing runs?? The days of a talented driver with a passion for speed and a sharp mind getting together with a few car guy friends and fabricating a car with a new take on engine design are long gone. Let’s say this is the coming of age of the ‘‘Dale Armstrong period’’. In other words a time when really smart crew chiefs, like Jimmy Prock, are given lots of money to make the cars go fast. Don’t get me wrong. Driver experience and natural ability counts. But many here have complained that anyone with money or a rich dad, and not much driving experience can get a ride in a top fuel car with a top crew chief and win a race.

 

[Nunz]

Been this way for decades. Drag racing has never been like Formula 1, where a driver can make up for not having the fastest car.

 

[troy boy]

Sad to say but Formula 1 has gone this way too.

 

[vegasnitro]

Sad to say but Formula 1 has gone this way too.

Formula 1 has always been this way. You could put me in the Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton in the Manor and I would have a better chance to win. For the last 25 years F1 has ostensibly been everybody against Adrian Newey, and Newey has held his own, winning multiple championships at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull. Only the Schumacher-Brawn-Byrne Ferraris and Benettons did well head-to-head with Newey designed cars.

 

[Butch]

I say that day Armstrong put the computer in the Budweiser car. He started to take the driver out of the equation, and for the last 10years. It's been all about who can buy a seat. Nothing to do with feedback, manual high-speed leanouts or short shifting if still used.
Remember when LaHaie never pulled a cyl. head. Tuned it by looking at the bearings.

 

[Rajunz]

I would say that Larry Dixon wouldn't be 4th in the points right now if it weren't for his driving. He's always up on the tree, and the car is always in the groove.

 

[Jimbo]

This comment is very true "The driver is not as important as back in the day"

Keep adding more electronics and they won't even need a driver anymore!!

I really find that after 40 years of loving drag racing I am loosing interest in drag racing with each change they make to it.
Just my opinion.

Jim Hill
http://www.nostalgicracingdecals.com

 

[Riley7]

I realize I'm a throwback to a different era, but I still admire the drivers out there than can also tune. There aren't very many of them left, but I'll always cheer for those racers.

Honestly, I think that might be some of the appeal to this "Street Outlaws" craze......that these drivers are perceived as being builders and tuners of the cars on the show. People find it interesting when a person can conceive, build, tune, and drive a car that's a winner.

 

[club]

Formula 1 has always been this way. You could put me in the Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton in the Manor and I would have a better chance to win. For the last 25 years F1 has ostensibly been everybody against Adrian Newey, and Newey has held his own, winning multiple championships at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull. Only the Schumacher-Brawn-Byrne Ferraris and Benettons did well head-to-head with Newey designed cars.

You forgot Brawn-Button 2009.

You still have to have the "stones" and reflexes and instincts to drive the cars. We've seen it a number of times when the reactions/stones decrease with age or the driver gets older and not willing to hang it all out on the line they don't win as often even in a good or the best car.

I think most of the time it is the tuner but a number of rounds are still won or lost on the driver. Even in the fuel cars.

 

[vegasnitro]

You forgot Brawn-Button 2009.

You still have to have the "stones" and reflexes and instincts to drive the cars. We've seen it a number of times when the reactions/stones decrease with age or the driver gets older and not willing to hang it all out on the line they don't win as often even in a good or the best car.

I think most of the time it is the tuner but a number of rounds are still won or lost on the driver. Even in the fuel cars.

I didn't forget Brawn in '09 ... That was Newey's first "clean sheet design" at Red Bull which was a huge step forward for that team and Brawn drove a truck through a loophole in the rules with a double diffuser rear-end. Newey won the next 4 titles on the trot at Red Bull and Ross Brawn sold out to Mercedes who were out to sea until the last 2 years. The ones I did forget about however, are Alonso's titles at Renault in '05 and '06, Raikkonen's at Ferrari in '07 and Hamilton's at McLaren in '08.. By my reckoning, those are the only 4 world championships that did not involve Brawn or Newey between 1992 and 2013. Extraordinary.

You are right about rounds won or lost on the driver in fuel cars, though 99% of the time that boils down to cutting a good or bad light. I would still rather have Prock than Beckman, Alan Johnson than Shawn Langdon, Zippy than Hight, etc, etc.

 

[Treeshaker]

Drivers have always been and will always be a very important part of a race team. Recent history has pointed this out. The Grubnic/Todd switch. Not that Dave was bad, but putting JR in the car really made that team come alive. Another is the Vandergriff/Millican combo. Clay's car was consistently better, and when Clay left and crews were swapped, Bob's can still ran like it did the year before. Now Larry has made the car a contender and Dave is getting there as he learns the trade. It isn't just cutting a good light, it is how consistent are the burn outs, backing up, staging, feel of the car, etc., that is really the difference in drivers.

There are some teams that have suffered abnormal breakage that would eliminate most of it with a simple driver change.

A lot of drivers are capable of tuning these cars if they wanted. A driver tuner is a bad idea because of the tremendous amount of information that has to be processed during a race. A driver/tuner gets worn out and the results are very inconsistent. There needs to be a very good second person helping that the driver/tuner can rely on to keep everything going well for the whole season. The cars consistency and breakage rate is very dependent on this second in command person.

 

[Usual password less 1]

While I agree that if you are at least an average to really good driver that it is 80% or more car and 20% driver: with the performances being as close as they are, if you are a couple of hundredths off on your lights, you are probably going home..especially in TF. You will find that most of the drivers agree that Hagan is the best and most consistent leaver in FC.

 

[I was NITRO BREATH]

Recent history has pointed this out. The Grubnic/Todd switch. Not that Dave was bad, but putting JR in the car really made that team come alive.
.

what made the difference?? Grubnic has more experience than JR. And wasnt dougs car in a funk at that point?? I believe Things took off for both teams around the time of jr's first win in denver. So back to the original premise. Was it driver or crew

 

[I was NITRO BREATH]

While I agree that if you are at least an average to really good driver that it is 80% or more car and 20% driver: with the performances being as close as they are, if you are a couple of hundredths off on your lights, you are probably going home..especially in TF. You will find that most of the drivers agree that Hagan is the best and most consistent leaver in FC.

So now the best leaver in fc hagan is 50 points behind "the best crew chief" prock