Rob Wendland New Crew Chief On Johnny Gray's Funny Car

By Anne Proffit

Anne Proffit

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1,471 views Jul 5, 2011

Johnny Gray at the Gatornationals Photo: Anne Proffit

With two DNQ (did not qualify) results thus far in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car season, team owner Don Schumacher decided to make some changes to the F/C driven by Johnny Gray, in his first year working with Don Schumacher Racing (DSR).

He appointed Rob Wendland, 45, as the new crew chief, replacing veteran Lee Beard, who will continue to work with DSR in an engineering-consulting role, one Beard had before being tasked with crew chief duties on Gray's Dodge Charger R/T race car.  Wendland has been involved in drag racing since the age of 8 and was promoted after serving as assistant crew chief on the team since its late 2010 inception.  Wendland takes over his new duties at Joliet, IL next weekend.

"It was time to make a change on the Service Central car," Schumacher said.  "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."

Going into the Joliet race - and as the season approaches the Countdown to 1 playoffs after the Mac Tools US Nationals at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Raceway (formerly known as Indianapolis Raceway Park or ORP), Gray holds the 10th and final transfer spot for post-season qualifications.  In the first 10 races of this year's campaign, he's scored a final round appearance and one semifinal appearance, as well as two No. 2 qualifying spots, but has also notched those two DNQ results, including one in the most recent race at Norwalk, OH.

Wendland knows the car can achieve better results: "We've evaluated the car and made many changes.  Just about everything but the driver has been changed.  We've had the help of [teammate Jack Beckman's crew chief and assistant] Rahn Tobler and John Collins to mirror the setup of their car and the NAPA car (driven by Ron Capps).  This will allow us to share information and data amongst all three cars," he said.

"I think you'll see the kind of turn-around with this car you've seen with the NAPA car," now tuned by veterans Tim and Kim Richards."  

Wendland relishes the opportunity in a life filled with the sweet smell of nitromethane.  "I've worked on every type of hot rod over the years and with numerous great racers, tuners and fabricators."  He even drove a top alcohol dragster in 1999 and "got a hell of a lot of respect for drivers from that experience," finishing sixth in his rookie - and lone - driving season with four national event victories.  

Wendland joined DSR in 2009, coming into the team with always-competitive Antron Brown and the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster team.  He spent 2010 with other Funny Car teams before returning in November of last year when Gray's Service Central team formed.

© 2011 Anne Proffit