FUNNY CAR DRIVER DIEHL FIGHTS THE GOOD FIGHT

by Tracy Renck; Photo by Richard Brady    Tue, 2019-07-23 17:37


Jeff Diehl has been fighting this uphill battle for a long time.

The “Nitro Surfer” as he is known made his NHRA nitro Funny Car debut in 2006 – competing in two races. He rejoined the NHRA national circuit in 2009 and has been competing on the tour every year since against the powerhouse teams from the likes of Don Schumacher Racing and John Force Racing.

As much as the California native enjoys racing, he wants to start seeing some results.

Unfortunately, those results didn’t happen at the Mile-High Nationals Sunday. Diehl qualified No. 15 and lost in the first round to Tommy Johnson Jr. out of the DSR stable.

Diehl had problems right off the starting line and Johnson Jr. grabbed the win.

And, Diehl, with help from friends, wants to change his narrative.

“Bobby (Lagana) and Scott (Palmer) have got both of their cars running very well and we are all friends,” Diehl said. “Bobby and Scott and I go way back. We’re really good friends. They see me over here struggling and I have all the right stuff, I just need a little help. I do too many things over here. I’ve been doing the bottom end and the left head and trying to work on the tune-up with (crew chief) Tony (Shortall) and it is just too much. These guys are helping me simplify my thing and this car should run well.”

Lagana is a co-crew chief for Steve Torrence’s Top Fuel Dragster. Torrence is the reigning Top Fuel world champ and he’s dominating the class this season. Palmer, meanwhile, has become a championship contender in his Top Fuel machine, thanks to sponsorship backing from Tommy Thompson.

“Everybody has tried to help me out here, I just never really was in a spot where I thought that I could take the help because my car wasn’t put together right, but for the last year it has been put together right. It’s time to make it run or I’m going to quit. I have had enough. I have got to fix it or give up. I’m going to get it fixed and those guys are helping me.”

With the Mile-High Nationals in the rear-view mirror for him, Diehl isn’t sure what race he will be at next.

“These things are so expensive, and I know everybody says it, but I’m living it,” Diehl said. “If I have something go wrong here, I will not go to the next race, but if I don’t, then I will. That’s our game plan race to race. We don’t really plan how many races we are going to do.”

 

 

 
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