By Brian Bielanski
(RacingWire) – Johnny Gray will have a new crew chief on his Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car when the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its next stop at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals next weekend.
Rob Wendland will lead the Service Central Racing Team Dodge Charger after serving as the team's assistant crew chief since it was formed in 2010.
Wendland, 45, has been involved in drag racing since he was eight years old.
According to Don Schumacher, “It was time to make a change on the Service Central car. The team was not performing with the consistency we believed it should at this point in the season. We think Rob’s overall knowledge and work with this team can provide just what is needed to get it to the next level.”
Wendland thinks his team has a lot of potential.
“We’ve evaluated the car and, with the help of Rahn Tobler and John Collins (crew chief and assistant crew chief on Jack Beckman’s Funny Car), we’ve made many changes, just about everything but the driver, mirroring the setup of their car and the NAPA car. This will allow us to share information and data amongst all three cars.”
“This means we can feed off those cars, making this a true team effort and allows us to utilize the expertise of guys like Rahn, John and Tim (Richards, NAPA crew chief) and all the talented DSR staff. This is what teammates do and I think you’ll see the difference right away in Chicago.
“I think you’ll see the kind of turn-a-round with this car you’ve seen with the NAPA car since Tim took over (five races ago, culminating in a three-place jump in the standings after a number-two qualifier and runner up in the last race).”
Gray is 10th in the points. It's the final transfer spot in the NHRA's Countdown to 1 playoffs. He has had mixed success. They've made a final and a semi-final but they have also had two DNQs (did not qualify)
