Well...this is my first post in a few years. I gotta say, I wonder where a lot of you so called "experts" get your information.
"And didn't he once sneer at Don Prudhomme and his purchase of an airplane? How much doubling up of poor worn out crewmen in a Quality Inn room is really going to pay for Neff's salary?
Hell, the real hero of the cost saving wars is Tim Wilkerson. Anyone catch his statement about no engine explosions or rod damage so far this season?"
Mark
That opening statement strikes me as funny. I worked for JFRI on the Syntec car from 2001-2006. Did we have a room-mate when on the road? Sure, can you blame a company for doubling up people, let's see, it only cuts your cost of housing employee's in HALF! Do you think he is the only person to do this? He pays for housing year around, not just on the road. I don't know of any other team owner that does that. Shoe sure as hell don't, neither does Bernstein. If you are at the shop, you pay for your own hotel or you have a house there. Simple as that. Some of the guys that work for Force have houses in Indy, but not all. And I bet you think that the crew chiefs all have pent house suites on the road too? Nope. They have room mates also. If it was that big a deal, don't you think they would be raising hell? Somebody later said that they have 3 to a room. What kinda crack are you smokin? The only time that has happened. that I can recall, is if there was a new employee added and he fell thru the cracks and did not have a room. But only for one weekend, it was fixed for the next. Oh, and "poor, wore out crew men..." I did it for 6 YEARS. Don't ya think if I thought I was being mistreated I would have walked? How bout the other guys that continue on there? You don't hear them complaining all the time, do you? The ones you do hear complaining are the ones who no longer work there and probably left under less than ideal terms. There are always gonna be people who gotta throw the top dog under the bus. If you don't like Force, fine, nobody is making you. But I can tell you this. The man is fair, he is caring, and he is far and away the best driver in Funny Car.
Oh, and BTW...also BS about first year guys not being able to call him by his first name. (Where do people come up with this stuff?)