Crew Chief Cam: Get A Cool Perspective On The Final Prep And Run Of An Alky Funny Car


Crew Chief Cam: Get A Cool Perspective On The Final Prep And Run Of An Alky Funny Car

Here’s a cool video that we think shows a perspective at the drag races few people get to see. Made by the Pomponio Racing alcohol funny car team, we get taken through the final preparations made by the guys in the staging lanes as they get ready to send the car down the track. Adding another element of coolness to this one is that this is a father and son combo. The driver Dan Pomponio is the meat in the seat and his son Danny tunes the car. These guys have won national events, are perennial hard runners in NHRA division one competition, and have the respect of their competitors across the country.

In this instance the team was running at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire earlier in August. This particular qualifying run saw the Follow A Dream/Permatex car in the other lane. You’ll see Dan Pomponio slap a quick hug on Phil Burkhart, the driver of the Follow A Dream car before getting in his own machine.

The routine that Danny goes through strapping his father in is one that they have repeated hundreds of times over the years. Step by step his safety equipment is installed, he is set into the car, and then the guys tow to the top of the lanes. While they are getting ready to run you’ll see an NHRA official (Jim Bowen) come over an jab a probe into the fuel tank of the car. Everything is kosher with that test and the guys go into their final work before starting the car. We think it is cool that Danny cautions his dad not to pedal, assuring him that he should not have to anyway.

The car gets fired, the run gets made, and you get to bear witness to it all from the perspective of Danny Pomponio. Ain’t technology grand? Watch this –

Press play to see the crew chief cam from Pomponio Racing at Epping –


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4 thoughts on “Crew Chief Cam: Get A Cool Perspective On The Final Prep And Run Of An Alky Funny Car

  1. Sid inS.C.

    Very cool. I’d like to see more of this kind of thing. By the way, what was he spraying into the bug catcher right before staging?

    1. anonymous dude

      It looks like a can of de-icer. I did a quick search and found a post about the ammount of air these things move can cause the butterflies and shaft to ice up. Maybe someone on here with experience can confirm.

  2. theraif

    thats one thing i made my sister do is make sure belts are good and tight when she makes a run, and yes its de-icer
    i dont have experience but did stay stay a a holiday express hehehe

  3. Danno

    Yeah, I believe it is de icer. Alcohol motors run really cold. Under some conditions frost can actually develop on top of the injector hat and worse, can cause the butterflies to freeze/stick which can be a really bad thing…

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