Gray set to build on success heading into unique 4-Wide race

April 12

Johnny Gray drives the Service Central Racing Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car into this weekend’s 2^nd annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com NHRA 4-Wide Nationals here at zMAX Dragway confident his team can overcome virtually any difficulty, even running against three cars at once.

Gray and the team overcame issues in qualifying and on race day at the last event on the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season schedule to make the final round. He lost to Robert Hight by .021 seconds, but felt the Service Central team made great strides as a unit.

“We had issues throughout the entire weekend in Las Vegas,” said the Artesia, N.M., native.  “And it was amazing to me to watch my crew work through the problems and get me back to the start line. The crew jelled and matured that day and really came together against all adversity.

“Other teams complained about the short turn-around times we had, but my guys just got down to work. We had a fire at the end of the first round, which eventually caused us to have to make major changes just prior to the final round, but nothing rattled Lee (Beard, crew chief) and the Service Central team. It was so close as we prepared for the finals, I had to be strapped into the cockpit while still in the pits and we raced to the start line just in time for the round.

“I can’t say enough about the guys; I’m so proud of them. 

The runner-up finish propelled Gray, who was not in the field for the Las Vegas race until the last qualifying round, into fifth place of the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car championship competition.

But, despite the improvement covering the first three races of the season, Gray is not thrilled with this weekend – he does not like the four-wide setup.

“I’m 58 years old and have enough trouble keeping track of what’s going on around me,” he said. “I just don’t think if something is this far out of the realm of what we normally do, it should not be for [championship] points. At least the NHRA has enough sense not to put this race in the Countdown (to 1 playoffs for the championship).

“But, I am confident my guys will give me a good race car and as long as I don’t mess up driving, we’ll do just fine.”