"Zippy" Zips... (1 Viewer)

[NHRAMike]

I find it interesting that the news broke from the Schumacher camp and not the Force camp. Wonder if JF is p.o.'d about that. It steals his thunder a bit.

Well, since the orginal article quoted Don as saying "Then on Friday in Seattle we talked and John Force had been working him, working him, and working him about driving a race car there [JFR Racing] and that was the chance of a lifetime.”

I don't blame Don one iota for being a little bitter and wanting to rain on Force's parade. IMO, this reminds me of the situation when Kenny and the Monster F/C couldn't find their ass, so he hires Jimmy Walsh away from one of the teams that had a great chance of keeping his budweiser dragster from winning a championship.

 

[davey]

Well, since the orginal article quoted Don as saying "Then on Friday in Seattle we talked and John Force had been working him, working him, and working him about driving a race car there [JFR Racing] and that was the chance of a lifetime.”

I don't blame Don one iota for being a little bitter and wanting to rain on Force's parade. IMO, this reminds me of the situation when Kenny and the Monster F/C couldn't find their ass, so he hires Jimmy Walsh away from one of the teams that had a great chance of keeping his budweiser dragster from winning a championship.

I don't blame Don necessarily. I just thought it was interesting.

 

[willy]

Karma is a wonderful thing..

 

[TAFC 5 81]

With the price he has paid, I would assume John Medlen could get what he wants at JFR. Maybe at this point be prefers something similar to the Coil/ Fedderly deal. In this case Zippy would be a driver w/ some say on the tune-up (not a new thing). In the area of R&D, it adds another mind to the mix.
DC

 

[mick]

can't believe how the sport
has changed to the point there is no off season in the deal-making dept;
much less trying to protect what you have........
drivers / crew chiefs / sponsors / crew members, not to mention family
matters.
i can't imagine.

 

[shoe]

To you negative folks, your names are so familure and you have accomplished so much in the sport most NHRA fans know who you are, I take my hat off to all of you because of what you have been able to do in NHRA. I am amazed that you know so much and have all of the in contacts that have the answers to all of this. I could name names with one of you since I have met and talked to at least one of you about your ability to put a program together, but I do not see a reason to even give you that much credit. To the people with positive feed back on this issue I say thank you for your understanding, this situation is what it is and change is always going to happen one way or another. Yes, life will go on and I will be running 3 Funny Cars, 1 Top Fuel Dragster, 2 Pro Stock Motorcycles and a Pro Stock Car in 2008. See you at the races.

My skin has gotten thin over the years with this BS so have a nice day, over and out.

 

[marlin]

Hey Don, I've been a life long fan of yours going back to the Glory years at Thunder Valley USA Bristol Tennessee ..There are plenty of us here and through out the USA . Whatever your plans are ( I guess you just told us ) ,glad to hear them .Thanks for the post ,continued success in the sport . But most of all, thanks for all you have done in your career as a driver and aa a multi car owner in NHRA . " Keep moving forward and don't look back "

 

[Steve Burnette]

Well said Don, I dont understand why some ppl cant just post like everyone else on here. It gets pretty old hearing the negativity from all of the computer chair professional drag racers out there, maybe they should get together and form their own drag racing league, the NACRA, the National Arm Chair Racers Association, nah, that wouldnt work, pretty hard to fit sponsors on a Lazyboy

 

[Keith Burgan]

"Gary has been talking about retiring (or, taking a break from driving) for several years now because he wants to spend more time with his family. Does this mean he changed his mind? Or, has this just been a BIG cover-up for the last few years so he could quietly sneak away from team Schumacher without raising anyones feathers? My guess would be the Agent is adding his own little twist to things!

Also, I highly doubt John Force would ever let John Medlen go so where does this put Zippy? Remember, as of now, The Scelzi twist has only been mentioned by the Agent but the Zippy rumor has been confirmed by several people who are "in the know" including Mr. Schumacher himself. If the Agents rumor is true, this would make 6 crew chiefs at JFR for only 4 cars. I'm still going with the "confirmed" rumor as of now."

Brian,
Gary recently purchased a Spike midget so I think that you will find that he will be going in circles (along with his kids) in 08. If you read Dave Densmore's comments on the subject you will find that it is as advertised. Zippy will be driving and providing tuning input for the 4th car with John Medlen as primary crew chief. Darr/Jeff seem to be a little off beam on this one (not the first time). As for 6 crew chiefs, remember that Kevin Poynter was at the level of assistant crew chief on Eric's car before going to the Tuttle operation and we have seen how that is working recently.
The big question should now be who is going to drive Gary's old ride and who will tune it as Force seems to have his side of the deal set.

Roo

 

[The Counterfeiter]

This got very interesting very quickly! I've got four takers on mY DRAW bet, but we are now going to have to define "driver"! The betting is now closed.
Densmore from JFR confirmed that Zippy may have been hired, although no formal contract is in place. And if he is hired, his driving may be restricted to being willing to drive the car in Monday test sessions. When Mike stages the fourth JFR FC at a national event, my check to DRAW will be in the mail the next day.
My wife, who has become a very savvy NHRA fan, posed a very interesting question. "Is John trying to eliminate competition by buying tuners?"
Off to Indy tomorrow for the Brickyard - I'll have lots more time over the weekend to see how this shakes out. FIRE 'EM UP!

 

[Sid]

For me the interesting point, that was mentioned by by Jim is that Mike has been hired for tuning and monday test drives, no mention of racing. Perhaps the reduced time comitment to the funny car program is what Gary was looking for and he will become a true weekend warrior. I say good luck to everybody, as with so many other sports the gamesmanship has expanded beyond the track, and based on personal experience, is usually driven by the dollar and the corporate world. Gotta love those sportsman racers, for them it's mostly just for the thrill.....

 

[.]

Another bet:

Had it been DSR that lured someone away, it would be "despicable, under-handed" etc etc....
Right?


Sorry to see ya go Zippy

 

[johnny]

Zippy as a braintrust contributor is an exciting eventuality. Zippy as a driver feels rather underwhelming.

The curiosity factor is what makes this saga at the very least, interesting.

 

[Sparky]

The Winternational are a long way away!! This is great for JFR fans. Could Zippy test the car on mondays the rest of this year? Or as mentioned early will he be relived of his duties if Slezi is eliminated from the countdown? This is going to be VERY INTERSTING!!!

 

[DLB]

Clears throat...

Another bet:

Had it been DSR that lured someone away, it would be "despicable, under-handed" etc etc....
Right?

I'll join in on this one...but I suppose we won't have any takers Paul.

But then again, just because I am a DSR fan, that must also make me a DSR butt-kisser.

DLB

 

[Jason Green]

I think this would be a good opportunity for Don S. to put together his own reality show to chronicle his search for a new driver!! I'll be the first one to sign up for it! Roush did it a while back and it worked out good, and was a good show! C'mon Don make a big splash and give one of us "nobodies" a shot!

 

[Paul]

Clears throat...


I'll join in on this one...but I suppose we won't have any takers Paul.

But then again, just because I am a DSR fan, that must also make me a DSR butt-kisser.

DLB

I agree with you guys! Earlier this year Bernstein lured Walsh away from Tuttle's team and everyone around here was throwing Bernstein under the bus. This is a similar situation, Zippy had only a verbal commitment for next year with Schumacher but he has decided to go elsewhere. It appears Force has lured Zippy away from Schumacher and it appears to be OK (with some of you) because it is Force's team. For those who do not think this will have an impact on the Scelzi's performance this year, do not kid yourselves since I will be shocked if Zippy is with the team in November at Pomona. For those who think this is the beginning of the end for DSR, remember Don has one key person who will make a difference, Alan Johnson!

 

[Toejam]

Personally I think Ashley would be a better driver had she spent a year or two driving an Alky FC, NOT a Dragster!

 

[none]

I agree with you guys! Earlier this year Bernstein lured Walsh away from Tuttle's team and everyone around here was throwing Bernstein under the bus. This is a similar situation, Zippy had only a verbal commitment for next year with Schumacher but he has decided to go elsewhere. It appears Force has lured Zippy away from Schumacher and it appears to be OK (with some of you) because it is Force's team. For those who do not think this will have an impact on the Scelzi's performance this year, do not kid yourselves since I will be shocked if Zippy is with the team in November at Pomona. For those who think this is the beginning of the end for DSR, remember Don has one key person who will make a difference, Alan Johnson!

C'mon guys............really. It is NOT the same. Scelzi has said he is stepping away and the oppurtunity for Neff TO DRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!! Not even close to the same deal.

I personally got a kick out of the Don getting on Force for talking to Zippy

 

[Just Paul]

C'mon guys............really. It is NOT the same. Scelzi has said he is stepping away and the oppurtunity for Neff TO DRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!! Not even close to the same deal.

I personally got a kick out of the Don getting on Force for talking to Zippy

Plus nobody is jumping ship (yet) mid season.