Championship Drag Racing

K&N Filters Winternationals
Pomona
(Feb. 27-29)

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Jim Head Lions Gate Toyota Celica Funny Car

Reports: Pre-race

Pomona, pre-race: If Jim Head were to choose a theme song for his drag racing career, the obvious choice would be "My Way." And few, if any, would argue.

From the time he first began driving a beat-up 1956 Chevrolet around the family property in the Columbus, Ohio, area, Head was smitten with the sport. It developed into a serious love affair; one that continues today.

He'll be driving the Lions Gate Entertainment Toyota Celica Funny Car, teaming with Jerry Toliver, in his Schick-sponsored Toyota Celica, and attempting to make the 16-car field at the NHRA POWERade Series 2004 opener, the 44th annual K&N Filters Winternationals, today through Sunday, at Pomona Raceway. It marks Head's return to the carbon fiber-bodied machines and their 6,000 horsepower engines after a 15-year absence, a move Head is enjoying.

"I'm different from most of the drivers out here because the mechanical side of racing is why I race," said the inquisitive, innovative Head. "Once I started racing I stayed out because the challenge is to make the car go quick and fast. Driving the dragster was somewhat of a chore, but in the transition to Funny Car, I found it was way, way, way more exciting. It's a huge challenge now to actually do what was old hat before, which was stage the car and get it down the track. This is kind of like a new challenge."

One he relishes.

"It's like when I was 50, I threw away my skis and got a new snowboard," Head said. "Learning it was hard, but it's cool, and now I have a snowboard-like racecar and I'm back enjoying the thrill of driving a Funny Car."

Head tested at Las Vegas and Firebird Raceway in Phoenix so he could qualify for his Funny Car license. He says he's "optimistic about our chances for this race. I have an awful lot of racing experience. The car makes a lot of power.

"What would I like to do at Pomona?" he said. "Qualify No. 1 and win the race, what can I say? We have what it takes to be competitive. The car is running hard and I'm comfortable in it."

Head, as he always has, will tune the car. "I do everything as the driver-tuner," he said. "There's only one way to find out who has the better hot rod, and that's to race."

Determined to drive the quickest and fastest car, Head has always been "deep into development" of new parts. He's spent many hours, days and weeks working on projects to shave milliseconds off his quarter-mile elapsed times.

"All those widgets and gadgets on these cars, and there are millions of them, came from somewhere, and 90 percent came from me," Head said. "My guys and I did it. We built everything in-house as we were inventing the stuff.

"I love challenges, whether it's trying to make my car faster or whether it's trying to keep it between the lines."