Mike Neff is used to challenges.
The championship nitro tuner turned driver returned tuner is faring well in his bid to put one of drag racing’s most prolific racers in the championship hunt. Considering 14-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force was the first to clinch a Funny Car Countdown to 1 berth, suffice to say, Neff has been an asset to the already colorful tuning crew comprised of the likes of Austin Coil and Bernie Fedderly.
At this weekend’s NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals Neff will have to rise to the challenge of 5,500 feet when it comes to tuning Force's Funny Car.
Not to worry, Neff already has a plan.
“Denver is a challenge,” Neff admitted. Neff hasn't won at Denver as a driver but in 2006 he tuned Gary Scelzi to victory. “Our strategy is going to be to try to make as much power as we can.
“That’s the problem with Denver. It’s a mile high, roughly 5,500 feet elevation and it’s just hard to make power. We’re going to try to make sure we’ve got the engine tuned up and we’ve done our homework on that. To make sure we’ve got good power will be the first task and then making sure you can make it run on eight cylinders. The trickiest thing going into Denver is trying to get the engine set-up correctly.
“That’s the biggest challenge of the year just because the conditions are so different and you never really know for sure. You’re not really comfortable until you get started and you just have to hope for the best. That’s one place where you’re just happy when it’s over so you can get back down and race in the normal conditions.”