Competitors to Partners to Champions

Words: Charlie Henry

What can you expect from a kid who hung out at drag strips, spent every spare minute under the hood of a car and argued a lot with his father? You can expect him to become a dedicated family man and a successful race team owner who still argues with his father.

Frank Parker did hang out at drag strips, but he was learning to wrench on father Dan’s competition eliminator cars. After graduating to crew chief Frank honed his tuning skills, helping to put two NHRA division championships on Dan’s resume. By 2001, Frank had his own Top Alcohol Funny Car team, with Dan as co-crew chief. The circle was complete. Along the way, Frank married Jennifer, raised four children (all following in his footsteps) and settled down in Milford, Mich.

With Frank and Dan, the family that argues together wins together. It’s not a kick-down-the-door Orange County Choppers style of arguing, but one that brings out the best in father and son. It is how the closely-knit duo communicate, a burst panel that prevents the stress of late-round thrashes from clouding their judgment.

Bobby Martin, their driver from Beaver Falls, Pa., is the exact opposite. Even though quiet and reserved, he fits perfectly into the ParkerTech racing strategy. Dan Parker explains, “We’ve known Bobby for years. He’s like family. And he can talk to us like family. He has the mechanical skills to recognize and explain problems.” With Frank and Dan prepping the car, Bobby can concentrate on driving—a luxury running his own four-man team didn’t allow.

Martin became a victim of funny cars the first time he saw them at a local track. The noise, smoke, speed and hero drivers were a hook the eleven-year old swallowed and never could spit out. In 1990, Bobby introduced his first funny car, the “Battlestar” Dodge Daytona. Supported by wife Lori, he’s been a full time professional in Dodge Funny Cars ever since. Chrysler’s College Automotive Program (CAP) began helping him in 1995 and stepped up as his major sponsor in 1996. From 2001 on, Bobby consistently finished in the top ten of Division 3, with a best finish of fourth in 2006.

The proven CAP program combines classroom instruction with hands on dealer internships and manufacturer support to produce the best automotive technicians in the industry. As CAP’s well known proponent of technical education, Bobby promotes CAP and recruits budding technicians. He visits schools, civic functions, dealers and job fairs, using his funny car as a “draw.”

Bobby’s CAP presentation was, and still is, inspirational. It describes the frustration, setbacks, successes, education and satisfaction experienced while working his way from a little boy in the grandstand to his own funny car. Each step made him stronger and more resolved to not give up his goal. After the 2008 season CAP reluctantly discontinued its thirteen year sponsorship of Martin. The ill winds in the auto industry swept away another great marketing partnership. The CAP-Martin association was one of the longest running in the NHRA’s alcohol classes.

The Parkers have never finished lower than thirteenth in their constant nibbling at a spot in the NHRA’s Top Alcohol Funny Car national top ten points. With Bobby driving, they finally sank their teeth into the 2008 top ten, with an eighth place finish. That same nibbling earned the 2008 Division 3 Top Alcohol Funny Car Championship, the Spitzer Low Qualifier award and Bobby being voted Driver of the Year. Since first racing full time, in 1969, Frank and Dan have earned a Best Appearing Crew award, thirteen national or divisional Wallys and Bobby’s first-ever national low qualifier and win. Their 2008 accomplishments were extraordinary for a single car team.

Racing to win, in any series, at any level, is a full-time job. When hard work, sweat and skinned knuckles seem to be getting the job done, it’s time to skin more knuckles and work even harder. “Races are won or lost by planning, preparation and hard work in the shop. Races are only contested at the track,” Frank commented. His dedication to this philosophy, and constant efforts to improve, paid off in the form of help from sponsors and the factory. Frank worked closely with Mopar engineers in the wind tunnel, in private test sessions and on the race track. His intense cooperation led to Mopar’s first funny car body designed for alcohol racers.

Frank and Dan Parker’s race car wears the first production 2007 Dodge Charger Top Alcohol Funny Car body and the logo of long-time sponsor Lane Automotive. Martin’s racing and representation of CAP brought him the second body. After racing individually and against one another, a realization hit both teams. Combining their similar cars, Mopar HEMI® tuning skills, crews and racing commitments would result in a single, highly competitive team. The 2008 season proved the wisdom of acting on that realization.

Martin is stoked about his 2009 ride. “Frank and Dan have been dedicated to professional racing for forty years. They have the shop preparation and track aspects down pat. Skills and teamwork like that can’t be bought. They’re only available through experience. The pressure is still on me to achieve and advance their high level of competitiveness.”

Keeping a race car at peak performance requires outside help, like the Alcohol HEMI heads from Total Flow Products and the open door to Mancini Racing’s parts warehouse. Top drawer mechanics are needed to install those parts. Larry Radke, Kyle Pelfrey, Kevin Wilhelms, Mike Meeks and Tom McVey have committed to the 2009 season. Bobby’s wife, Lori, and Frank’s daughter, Rachel, will again star as team den mothers.

Asked what challenges racers face in today’s economy, Martin and the Parkers both cited spiraling costs and unemployment as the top two. To survive, racers must dig deeply for new ways to attract sponsors and better ways to keep them. Every dollar must be budgeted and every penny found on the sidewalk picked up. Only cost-effective races with the best return for sponsors should be scheduled. Scheduling too many races will undermine a team’s efficiency and suck budgets dry.

“Racing used to require a lot of work, but it was fun” according to Frank Parker. “Now, we have to work much harder, justify every expense and pay extraordinary attention to satisfying our sponsors. Fortunately, we’ve always done that and, you know what? Racing is still fun.”