Mike Neff – Driver, Crew Chief, Points Leader and Tweeter

At the end of the 2010 season, Mike Neff knew he would be turning a funny car at John Force Racing in 2011.  After all, he had just tuned John Force to his 15^th championship, winning six races in eleven final rounds along the way. What he didn't know was that he would be driving a car as well. With the announcement that Ashley Force Hood would be sitting out the 2011 season to start a family, Mike Neff was given an opportunity to drive and tune his own funny car.  In order to make the transition smoother for Mike, it was decided he would continue with the same crew and car he tuned in 2010. With a championship winning car and crew in hand, Mike embarked on the 2011 season at the Winternationals in February. At that race, he qualified 3^rd and lost on a hole shot to Matt Hagan in the semifinals.  It didn’t take long for Mike to win his first race of the season. Just two weeks later at the Gatornationals, Mike once again qualified 3^rd and this time he dominated in eliminations and took home his first of many Wallys.

Coming into this season, everyone knew Mike Neff would be a strong contender for the championship.  So far, he is proving to be just that. At the midpoint of the season, Mike has won four races and has appeared in seven final rounds.  He is in first place and has a 172 point lead, which amounts to a nine round lead over second place.  I’ve always heard that the best drivers are the ones who can relay detailed information about each run back to the crew chief. In Mike’s case, he has a huge advantage in that department. Not only can he see the data on the computer, but he also felt everything that happened on the run. Combine this advantage with his 2x championship tuning knowledge and his ability to bounce questions off the JFR brain trust (Jimmy Prock, Dean Antonelli, Ron Douglas, and Bernie Fedderly) and you have the formula for a championship.

John Force remains the only funny car driver to have ever swept the western swing. With the way Mike is running lately, you’d have to count him as a favorite to join that elite club this year.

You would think that someone with Mike’s busy schedule wouldn't have time for social media, but that is not the case.  He has recently joined Twitter. You can follow him at @MikeNeffJFR. 

Here is a picture of Mike Neff in the winner's cicrle at the Supernationals in Englishtown, NJ on June 5, 2011.