When it comes to professional NHRA drag racing, few jobs are more demanding than being a crew chief. Every race weekend requires dozens of critical decisions that can determine whether a team goes home early or celebrates in the winner’s circle.
We sat down with one of John Force Racing’s key members of the brain trust, crew chief Chris Cunningham, to learn what he believes are the three toughest responsibilities an NHRA Funny Car crew chief must manage during a race weekend.
It All Starts With The Weather
According to Cunningham, one of the biggest challenges begins before the team even unloads at the racetrack.
Everything starts with studying the weather.
“The first thing we do going into the weekend is look at the weather and see if it’s even going to correlate to what we’ve run at that track in previous years. We also need to look at the data that we’ve got from the current year and then try to apply that,” Cunningham said.
Weather conditions influence nearly every tuning decision an NHRA crew chief makes. Teams rely on historical data while also evaluating current conditions to develop a combination capable of making competitive runs throughout the weekend.
The First Qualifying Run Sets The Tone
The second major challenge comes once the first qualifying session begins.
That opening run gives crew chiefs their first real opportunity to evaluate the racing surface and determine how the track is behaving during that particular event.
“You have to try to keep a good head about you and think about qualifying well. The first and foremost thing is getting down the track on the first qualifying run, because that sets up the whole weekend. You always want to keep digging and try to stay on the top side of the ladder so that you have lane choice going into round one. So, the first thing we strive for is qualifying one through four. And then, your second-best scenario is five through eight. Anything after that, it’s just no good.”
A strong qualifying effort not only provides confidence, but it also gives teams valuable lane choice during eliminations, something that can become a significant advantage on Race Day.
Managing The Team
The third challenge has nothing to do with horsepower or tuning. It’s managing people.
Cunningham says maintaining morale and making sure everyone remains focused is one of the most important jobs a crew chief has during a race weekend.
“You must keep morale up with the guys and make sure that they are doing what they’re supposed to be doing. You must make sure you have the same mindset as going into it. Once you get there, you have two days to go to work. And if everything has changed, you will come unraveled.”
Race Day Execution
When eliminations begin, Cunningham’s focus shifts from preparation to flawless execution.
“For Race Day, have no crew mistakes, keep the driver’s mistakes to a minimum, and keep the crew chief’s mistakes to a minimum. Jason Bunker and I have the most latitude, but we’re simply just going to make the most mistakes. The crew needs to be the machine where what they do doesn’t influence what we do. So, they must do the same thing every time, the same way, and then that makes our job easier.
“Once we provide the car to Jordan, we just tell Jordan the car is going to run 3.88, and all you can do is make it run slower. We say to him, ‘You can’t do anything but screw it up from here.’ So, do the best job you can do, but it’s set up to run 3.88. For example, we’re going up there this time to go around 3.89 to 3.91 for the first run, so it should run right there. If you qualify, if he shallow stages, he keeps it in the middle, and all of our hard work pays off, then it’ll run from 3.89 to 3.91.”
For Cunningham and the John Force Racing team, consistency is the goal. Every crew member has a specific job, and executing each task the same way every run allows the crew chiefs to focus on making the tuning decisions that ultimately determine performance.
Chasing Wins Every Weekend
Even with years of experience and one of the strongest teams in NHRA competition, Cunningham understands that perfection is impossible.
“We all live for just trying to win races, and you know, you can’t win them all. We have a goal going in to try to finish in the semifinals or better each week, and then the rest will just land where it goes,” said Cunningham.
Whether it’s keeping morale high inside the race team, developing a tuning strategy around changing weather conditions, qualifying near the top of the field, or making sure everyone performs their job on Race Day, Cunningham’s insights show why being an NHRA crew chief is one of the most demanding and rewarding positions in professional drag racing.
You might also like
NHRA TV Rights Could Change In 2027
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series could have multiple broadcast homes in 2027. A new media rights package is coming next year.
