Nitro Funny driver Jeff Diehl knows when he shows up at NHRA national events the odds are stacked against him.

Diehl, who resides in Monterey, Calif., runs a limited schedule on a tight budget, competing against the likes of powerhouse teams such as Don Schumacher Racing and John Force Racing.

For the second season in a row, Diehl is trying to maximize what he can accomplish by competing at more NHRA national events in the Midwest and East Coast.

“If I base my schedule out of Indiana it is only like 700 to 1000 miles for all those races (in the Midwest/East Coast),” Diehl said. “I bought a new truck and trailer last year to better hold my stuff so I can do something like that.”

Diehl made his 2015 debut at Phoenix Feb. 20-22. He qualified No. 16 with a 4.866-second pass and then was upended in first round by eventual race winner Matt Hagan of the DSR stable.

“We went to Phoenix untested basically with the same car we had in 2014,” Diehl said. “That left us a little behind, but we got in the show. We weren’t really going to start up until Houston (April 24-26), but I went to Pomona (the Winternationals, Feb. 5-8) to help out Rob Wendland and I was entered for Phoenix about 15 minutes after I was at Pomona.”

Wendland is in his first season as Top Fuel driver/owner Terry McMillen’s crew chief.

“I went to Pomona to help Rob with Terry’s car,” Diehl said. “I worked all weekend with Rob and since then we’ve kind of teamed up. I’m parking next to (McMillen) at races and I’m helping Rob watch over Terry’s car and Rob is still watching over my car. Last year, Rob helped get my car back to where it needed to be and I made a career best run (of 4.12 seconds at Reading, Pa.) with his help. Now, that he has helped me put a tune-up in that car I’m just trying to keep it the same. The races I don’t run, I will help Rob with his guys on Terry’s team. What was really nice is that I went down to Pomona and helped out Terry and I wasn’t really expecting anything. Terry and I know each other a little bit and after the weekend he really opened the door for us, and I’m really thankful for that.”

Diehl’s next race behind the wheel will be at the Gatornationals March 12-15 in Gainesville, Fla.

“I’m going to kind of stay away from the West Coast races because it seems like the guys I’m racing against for that No. 16 (spot) are some of the best guys in the world,” said Diehl, who spends time doing automotive restoration when he isn’t competing at NHRA events. “It seems like at the West Coast races, they get the top numbers. I’ve run 4.19 twice at Pomona and not qualified. I’m not saying it’s easier to qualify back East by no means because it’s tough, but it makes for a better business thing because there are more races back there for me to run and I just want to make my program better for me business-wise.”

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