John Medlen Back At John Force Racing As Safety Guru

By Anne Proffit

Anne Proffit

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Anne Proffit has worked in the automotive field since - well, not telling you that. She's been a car salesperson (before it was popular to hire... More

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1,152 views Jan 31, 2012

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History tends to repeat itself.  You know: what goes around comes around again.

John Medlen, who began working for John Force Racing in 1996 and was crew chief to Tony Pedregon when that Funny Car driver won the NHRA title for JFR in 2003 and later crew-chiefed and tuned for his late son Eric Medlen, has returned to the team in a new capacity as director of technology and safety.

"I found out John Medlen became available over the weekend and I offered him a job to come back and work with us on safety," said John Force.  "He is a leader in safety.  I always wanted John Medlen back because he is like family and I'm excited to have him back in our brain-trust.

"He will start immediately and he will get to work with the other crew chiefs building on a lot of the safety ideas we have worked on over the winter," Force continued.  "We had a strong test session but we need to keep working on ideas and projects throughout the season.  That is what Medlen will do for us."

After the tragic loss of Eric Medlen in a testing accident at Gainesville, FL in March of 2007, John Medlen took over the safety reigns for JFR.  The multi-talented Medlen also helped design and develop the BOSS 500 Ford engine that Force's team has been using with grand success over the past few years, including John Force's 15th NHRA Funny Car title in 2010.  Medlen, a self-taught engineer was instrumental in helping develop the three-rail chassis the team's been using since 2008.

Medlen, 61, left Force's team when the economic downturn parked the Ford Mustang in which Mike Neff earned Auto Club Road to the Future Rookie of the Year honors in 2009.  He will oversee an expanding research and development program designed to ensure the team's overall success - and safety - in years to come.  He'll also work with Ford Racing engineers to continue development on the BOSS 500 nitro-powered engine.

"I'm thrilled to be back here," Medlen said.  "This is truly a family environment and I've missed it.  From the time I walked in the door, everything has been the same.  The people, the hospitality - nothing has changed.  We're all looking forward to a great year racing four Funny Cars and going for that championship.  I'm excited to be here and have the opportunity to be back in the family."

John Medlen will appropriately work within the Eric Medlen Project founded and funded by John Force; the Eric Medlen Project is housed within Force's immense campus in Brownsburg, IN.  There is a statue of Eric Medlen outside the JFR shops; he's buried nearby.  "Few people will ever know of the major engineering contributions that John Medlen has made to drag racing," noted Bernie Fedderly, JFR senior crew chief.  "He was the real 'mad scientist' in our group.  I don't think there's anything he can't build."