After establishing his NHRA Pro Stock team as a championship contender, Johnny Gray is returning to the cockpit of a Top Fuel Funny Car in 2011.
The 57-year-old Gray is going to drive a Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing.
"I'm naturally excited to get back in a fuel Funny Car," Gray said in an interview with Competition Plus Tuesday. "They're very exciting cars to drive, and they're really a lot of fun to drive."
Gray says Service Central is going to be the primary sponsor on his Dodge Charger Funny Car and Valvoline will be the primary associate sponsor. Gray joins a DSR Funny Car stable which includes Matt Hagan, Jack Beckman and Ron Capps.
TBC Retail Group has a family of tire and automotive retail brands, which include Service Central, Tire Kingdom, NTB-National Tire and Battery, Merchant's Tire and Auto Centers and Big O Tires.
According to Gray, Lee Beard, who has served as DSR's team manager in past seasons, is going to be his crew chief and Rob Wendland is going to be his assistant crew chief.
Beard has 30-plus years experience as a Top Fuel and Funny Car crew chief. He led the late Gary Ormsby to the Top Fuel crown in 1989 and guided Cruz Pedregon to the Funny Car title in 1992. Wendland last worked as a tuning consultant for Morgan Lucas' Top Fuel team before being released from that two-car team in September.
Prior to joining Lucas, Wendland spent 18 months as an assistant crew chief on Antron Brown's Top Fuel dragster at DSR. Before working with Brown, Wendland was the car chief for John Force.
"I just have a full crew of very experienced people who are going to be working with me," Gray said. "Plus, I will have the engineering resources and experience of the DSR group. I will become a part of DSR's team effort and it should give me the opportunity to go out and I should be able to sit down in a very competitive fuel Funny Car, and run for the 2011 championship."
Gray is no stranger to the Top Fuel Funny Car scene. He raced a Top Fuel Funny Car off and on from 1999 to 2006. Back in 2002, Gray placed a career-best 10th in the Top Fuel Funny Car standings.
Gray said his son Shane will still campaign a Pontiac GXP in the Pro Stock ranks for Johnny's team, Gray Motorsports. Shane, who finished fourth in the Pro Stock points chase as a rookie last season, is also going to have Service Central as his primary sponsor in 2011. Johnny was 10th in the Pro Stock points a year ago.
"We're currently working on a sponsorship package and if it comes through, we will put the other car, the car I drove, out there this season with another driver in it," Johnny said. "I will not announce the sponsor or driver right now. We're still working on our own (Pro Stock) engine program and we're making strides. We feel like we're gaining ground and we should be right at the top of the field."
Johnny said Shane will have his Pro Stock car out testing next week in Bradenton, Fla., and Johnny will make his first laps in the new DSR Funny Car at Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway's inaugural Pro Winter Warm-up Feb. 4-5.
"I can't wait to get in the Funny Car and start testing," Johnny said.
See this story at CompetitionPlus.com