JIM HEAD – WALKING AMONG THE GIANTS
Head is truly the Last of
the Mohicans among full tour Funny Car independents ...
Jim Head admits there’s no
rhyme or reason why he does what he does. The Columbus, Ohio-based engineering
wizard describes his role as being the “David” that keeps the “Goliaths” of the
NHRA POWERade Funny Car world in check.
Stone-slinger is a title
Head proudly carries into battle. He’s a throw-back to the old days when an
unsponsored driver could effectively duke it out with the giants.
Nothing brings pleasure to this seasoned veteran more than sending the big ones hobbling back to the pits. Head says the nature of modern Funny Car actually affords him a better opportunity to compete than Top Fuel – a class that he admittedly just doesn’t like. “No offense,” says Head, “I just love the Funny Cars.”
Head is truly the Last of the Mohicans among full tour Funny Car independents ...
Jim Head admits there’s no
rhyme or reason why he does what he does. The Columbus, Ohio-based engineering
wizard describes his role as being the “David” that keeps the “Goliaths” of the
NHRA POWERade Funny Car world in check.
Stone-slinger is a title
Head proudly carries into battle. He’s a throw-back to the old days when an
unsponsored driver could effectively duke it out with the giants.
Nothing brings pleasure to
this seasoned veteran more than sending the big ones hobbling back to the pits.
Head says the nature of modern Funny Car actually affords him a better
opportunity to compete than Top Fuel – a class that he admittedly just doesn’t
like. “No offense,” says Head, “I just love the Funny Cars.”
Seeing little beat big is the lure for Head.
“Part of the
big hook is going up against the larger funded teams,” Head said. “I could have
performed in other forms of motorsports … which I love them all … but drag
racing is the one sport where ‘David’ has a chance, whereas in Nextel Cup, he has no
chance. It’s not doable. You can’t even run Busch, much less IRL and CART.
“It’s a cool
deal when any one of the sixteen qualifiers can win a race. It happens from
time to time. That’s why I keep trying. I wouldn’t even try if I had no chance.
Out here, I have a chance. You put four rounds together and you can do it.
“Everybody has
enough power in the Funny Car class to run, especially when the tracks get
hotter. I don’t think I can run a 4.63 with Jimmy Prock, but we can run low
4.70s. You don’t have to lean on them as much as you do a dragster chasing Alan
Johnson and the Kalitta group. Funny Car, we can’t run all of our horsepower.”
Head’s
affection for Funny Car has reached its highest crescendo. As odd as it may
seem, there is parity in a class where the line between the haves and have nots
appears crystal clear.
Case in point,
only one driver among the top six ranked has qualified in every event headed
into Englishtown. Head is included in that unenviable statistic yet remains
fifth in the chase. Funny Car legend John Force had his 350-plus qualifying
streak snapped earlier this season proving that no one is safe.
"It’s really
cool to be a part of the Funny Car class this year,” Head said. “The
competition this year is unprecedented. Eight or nine years ago, we had this
same kind of competition. But, it has come around again.
“At any given
time, we can send the points leader home because he can’t get in the field.
John Force failed to qualify already.”
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BATMOBILES, TOP FUEL AND
SAFETY
Head just
keeps on keeping on despite the seemingly insurmountable odds. It has been his
method of operation since his name jumped to the forefront of drag racing with an incredible
1984 Funny Car victory during the NHRA U.S. Nationals.
Head nailed top ten finishes four consecutive seasons following that triumph.
Part of Head’s success can be traced to his penchant for innovation. Remember the “Batmobile” Funny Cars of the late 1980s that many feared would lead the class to lose their manufacturer identity?
Head was in the mix of that. He was actually the third Funny Car racer to pursue the “Batmobile” body style in 1987 made famous by Kenny Bernstein’s Buick Reatta.
“They outlawed the swoopy bodies at the end of the year,” Head said. “The ones we have now are swoopier than those back then. They need to be that way for as fast as we are going now.”
Head didn’t necessarily agree with that assessment back then and jumped over to Top Fuel in 1989. He held his own in the class and by 1998 had finished in the top 10 for a second consecutive season on the strength of runner-up finishes at the first two events of the season. Head won a career-best 20 elimination rounds and briefly led the Top Fuel points.
Head’s innovative nature didn’t cease when he parted Funny Car. In 1998, the NHRA awarded him with the coveted Blaine Johnson Award for his role in working with the NHRA on improvements at various tracks with heavy concentration on safety, including the solid concrete walls that run the length of the track for added safety for drivers and spectators.
Head maintains
an eye on track safety, but his focus presently is on the cars. Safety led Head
to return to Funny Cars in 2004. The once ironclad Funny Car safety record took
a hit earlier this year with the untimely passing of Eric Medlen. Head has been
proactive in establishing safer perimeters for not only his car but presenting
to officials ideas crucial to the well-being of those in the class.
“I think I have more titanium around me that just about anyone in the class,” Head said. “We have really worked hard at shoring up the safety since Eric’s accident. Every one of my dragsters had a titanium capsule around me long before it was mandated. Even now, it’s not mandated.
“I’m not in agreement with the safety requirements on a Top Fuel car. I think it [the safety standards]is way too minimum. I think it needs to be sitting on titanium plates all around you. That’s what my Funny Car has. It’s a weight penalty but you have to do what you have to do to be safe. There are a lot of competitors, I feel, that are not as concerned.”
In the end,
Head points out racers need to take responsibility for their own actions. They
should be more proactive than reactive.
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CHANGING THE RULES
Head’s safety
standards were tested in
Team Force
representatives said the team never intended to run the damaged car, but Head
knew no different. He was expecting to race Hight for the chance to run in the
finals. Head said that Team Force was probably the only operation capable of
pulling off such a feat.
“I don’t think
there another team in all of drag racing that could have pulled off what they
attempted,” Head said. “They gave it a shot. They have the resources and
manpower. That’s the unique thing about Force’s teams, they work as a
well-oiled machine and that’s impressive.
“When they
told me he caught on fire and hit the wall, I didn’t think twice about it
because I knew he’d be back. We caught a few lucky breaks including getting
lane choice for that round.”
Head said the
idea of running Hight made him nervous after seeing the extent of the accident
where the car burned and made contact with both retaining walls before stopping
in the sand-trap. He makes valid points for rule revisions.
“In a perfect
world, we lose a race if we hit the wall between the start and finish lines,”
Head. “I’m not so sure we shouldn’t revisit that rule and make it to where
contact with the wall period is a disqualification. Robert hit the wall way too
hard to bring that chassis back. It’s a 65-minute turn-around, the main focus
was fixing the wiring and tubing. Don’t get me wrong. They are the best. If
anyone could do it and do it safely, it would be them. It’s a bad precedent.
“What if my
small 9-man team tried to undertake that same Herculean task, would we be as
good at it? Probably not. Would we make it? I don’t know. What would go
overlooked? If there was a broken chassis part or a cracked bottom frame rail
that would cause the car to make a hard turn at 1,000 feet and take out the
other guy, that’s not a good situation.
“The debate is
out there for bringing in a spare chassis. That would be a bad idea. I still
think we should look at when cars are severely damaged on race day. There are
worse things in life than losing a race. There really is – like an accident.
“In
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LOOKING OUT FOR THE
INDEPENDENTS
Head knows his
existence is only maintained by his determination and not by the insistence of
the higher funded operations. He sees himself as a nuisance to those teams and
would be surprised if one came to his defense.
“I don’t think
that day is ever going to come,” Head said. “The well funded teams wish the
independents would go away, I’m afraid to say. We are thorns in their sides.
There aren’t many of us left. Whenever, there’s 16-car fields and we take away
one of their spots. You can’t tell me that it makes them very happy.”
“We haven’t
had a pay increase since 1999. It’s crazy. No one has done anything about it
but give lip-service. For a guy that races for purse, it’s a major issue.”
That’s why
Head and others are watching the proposed acquisition of the NHRA’s
professional assets. The jury is still out, in Head’s thinking, if this will be
a plus to racers such as himself or the final nail in the coffin for the
independent professional.
“Clearly, if
they expand the schedule and go to those places they have mentioned in Mexico
and Canada without the opportunity for me to generate more funds, it will put
me out of business,” Head said. “It might not put me out of business, but it
will take me out of the chase. I just won’t be able to do it at all. I really
can’t do it now. I just keep convincing myself I can. The jury is still out
because we just don’t know enough.
“I think the
separation between the professional and sportsmen should have been done a long
time ago. I applaud that part. I think the sportsman racing would be alive for
a long time anyway. You can’t hurt sportsman racing. It’s the ‘backbone’ of the
sport.”
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COUNTDOWN TO THE
CHAMPIONSHIP
The NHRA’s
announcement of the revised championship format, Countdown to the Championship,
sent many professional team owners and drivers on the defensive immediately.
Not Head. He saw the merits of it.
“I think it gives me a chance whereas I had none before that,” Head said. “I love it. I take issue with Tom Compton on many things but I pulled him to the side in Gainesville and told him, ‘You’re right on this one. I know you have taken a lot of heat on this one.”
“I know people love it and some hate it. We have the potential to be in the top eight when Indy rolls around. I’m not sure about the other breakdowns. The sport needs to do something different than we have in the past. We’re not as successful as we need to be. I won’t be the cheerleader that jumps up there and says every thing is great. In my opinion, it isn’t. It’s the same as it has ever been.”
“I think whatever we can do as a sport to improve, we need to do, The Chase is in the right direction. Runaway points chases are no good. Obviously last year’s Top Fuel championship was exciting. The last 40 years, how many times has something like that happened? I think the big guys don’t like as much as the small guys do.”
Head said the Countdown to the Championship inspires him to run more. In years past, he would have already taken a self-imposed break. He rarely made the trip to the west coast for the Western Swing. Not only will he be there this season, but also plans the two events prior and those immediately following. It all adds up, not just the travel to the events but also the parts inventory and the time between rounds.
“I hadn’t been to Topeka since 1999,” Head said. “I haven’t raced a full season since 1999.The chase came out and I knew I was going to run hard until Indy and let the chips fall where they may. As long as I had a chance for the top eight, I was going to race hard. If we run out of money before Indy, then so be it. I’m not going to run out of money, but your funds have a lot to do with your spare parts inventory.
“They call it 75 minutes, but it’s nowhere near that because you are at the back of the pack if you’re in the last pair. That second round comes fast and third even faster. You have to have cars and parts to turn around in 75 minutes.”
Head said he lobbied NHRA officials for the original 75-minute between round procedure and pointed out that would come with a price. It is a cost that has yet to be supplemented with a purse increase.
“I was one of the original proponents of the 75 minute rule because there’s no limit to how quick we can turn then around,” Head said. “I have to make you understand that it will cost more money to be able to do that is what I told them. That was back in 1998. We have quick turnarounds and no more money and that’s frustrating. We can win a race, but we are still losing money.”
Head plans to run all the events up until the first point cut off in Reading and then Indy. After that, all bets are off. He doesn’t see a fall of car counts beyond Indy.
“It won’t end my season, but I won’t feel compelled to be at every one,” Head said. “I might skip a few after Indy if I’m not in the hunt. I skipped five last year. It helps. It gives you chance to rest. I have three full time employees and they work their butts off. It’s ridiculous. I have a good crew, but most have day jobs. The attrition after six in a row is a back-breaker. I know everyone else has the same problem, but they have more resources.
“I think everyone is a touring pro. I am the only one questionable to be at all races. Even if you are out of the chase, you have a chance to make history by knocking out someone. I’ve never been one to count points. I’ve just always let the chips fall where they may. This top eight is different. We have a lot of races left. There are a good 18 cars competing for these spots.”
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WEIGHING THE OPTIONS
Head is
clearly looking at every option available to him for this season and beyond.
He’s made it clear that he has no qualms about vacating the seat for a
qualified replacement. A few years ago, he stepped away from the NHRA tour to
run exclusively IHRA in personal protest. The IHRA has a Funny Car class and an
11-race schedule that appeals to most independents, except Head.
“There are some frustrations for me in running IHRA such as the three qualifiers, two at night and one in the day,” Head said. “I used to get aggravated with that in my dragster. With my schedule now, I don’t think I could get to one. I need to rest. It cost me the same to run either. I’m desperate now to gain someone’s attention. The NHRA gives me the best chance at that.”
Head hasn’t
actively entertained the thought of serving as a crewchief outside of his team,
but it remains in the back of his mind. Head contends that he never says never
when it comes to that possibility. That mindset comes with the tremendous
demand for qualified tuners and the lack thereof.
Head currently serves as an advisor on the Dexter Tuttle Top Fuel dragster
driven by J.R. Todd, but his involvement is minimal and only as a favor to his
longtime friend Tuttle.
“I would like to get out of the car as soon as possible,” Head said. “I would entertain running a team on the mechanical side. It would depend on the situation. I’ve run my own team for 43 years. I think I will be good at furnishing labor equipment to someone and getting them close to the winner’s circle. It would take a special situation to make me work for someone else. But, I’ll never say never.
“I full intend to keep competing in nitro Funny Car racing until they have to carry me out of the track. Joe Pisano had the right plan. What a way to go. Not in the car. If I am going to go, I want to be at a drag race doing what I love.”
If Head tunes for an outside entity, expect more of the same that he delivers now, careful of parts consumption.
“If I had an
unlimited budget, I wouldn’t even hurt a piston on purpose,” Head said. “The
thought of hurting one piston makes me sick to my stomach. I truly believe the
quickest and fastest pass should allow you to start the engine afterwards.
“I have seen Alan Johnson make lots and lots of low 4.40 passes and the car will start. We have to put new plugs in the car and new rod bearings. When things are right you don’t have to hurt a part. I believe it and no one will ever change my mind. You might be able to do it with facts and statistics. There are no facts or stats that would point in that direction. People hurt parts when they are confused rather than backing up and fixing it to go in the right direction. There’s too much pressure to keep feeding it parts.
“It’s dangerous if anything, whether you are in a Funny Car or dragster. You can’t slaughter parts and keep your driver safe. I am concerned about myself and would be even more with someone else. I couldn’t live with myself if someone got hurt in a car I was involved in.”
The scariest thought is what could happen if Head were to ever join Forces as a tuner with longtime friend Johnson. That brings forth another idea. What about Head as a research and development team for hire? He’s game to most any plan as long as it doesn’t involve a dragster.
“He’s a fun guy,” Head said. “We’ve been together since 1996 and to be honest, if I had my way, I wouldn’t mind being someone’s test car. Their ‘b’ car. To me the team concept, you have one points car and one test car. That would be a dream scenario, but I wouldn’t do it in a dragster.
“It’s ironic, I was trying to get out of a dragster for ten years before I did. I just don’t like them. They aren’t stable, especially when tires come off. I should have never gotten out of Funny Cars when I did.”
One has to wonder how long Head will keep breaking his back to run close to the front.
“I’ll just race as hard and as long as I can,” Head said. “In the old days, I used to go in debt pretty heavy to race. I’m not doing that anymore. I’m a successful businessman, but business is slow. It’s a good vehicle to get the name of my small company out and it helps.
“I doubt I would fold my tent. When you are competitive … going back to Joe P., he didn’t run all the races, but when he did, he had the potential to win. He had a black car with #21 on the side, and it was the most beautiful car ever.
“Me? I have the ugliest car known to man. The boys at Banshee have promised they will have it painted soon. Maybe I won’t embarrass myself too much. That black carbon car is one ugly car.
“It’s hard on
the morale of the team and you just can’t do it with a part-time team. I have
had full-time crewmembers for 21 years and I couldn’t image doing it any other
way. My crew guys are versatile. They’ll jump on a construction crew as well.”
Head will do it too.
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