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Checklist for NHRA's Western Swing: Knowing what and how many to pack

So, what does it take to keep a top-flight NHRA Funny Car team on the road for three straight weekends? John Collins, crew chief for Don Schumacher Racing’s Tommy Johnson Jr.-driven Make-A-Wish Funny Car, provided an inventory list of just the big-ticket items that he's stashed in their team hauler for the Western Swing.
21 Jul 2017
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
News
John Collins

collins2.jpgThe Western Swing is a three-race marathon from Denver to Sonoma to Seattle and, most important for the majority of NHRA’s Brownsburg, Ind.-based Mello Yello teams, it’s a westward trek away from their shops, meaning no chance to refuel and replenish as they might have between other stops on the tour.

So, what does it take to keep a top-flight NHRA Funny Car team on the road for three straight weekends? A lot! How about $40,000 worth of head gaskets alone?

John Collins, crew chief for Don Schumacher Racing’s Tommy Johnson Jr.-driven Make-A-Wish Funny Car, provided an inventory list of just the big-ticket items that he's stashed in their team hauler for the Western Swing.

ItemQuantityUnit priceTotal
Complete ready to race chassis2$100,000$200,000
Dodge Charger bodies350,000$150,000
Assembled engine blocks8$40,000$320,000
Spare engine blocks2$8,500$17,000
Pistons240+$100$24,000
Connecting Rods 220$150$36,000
Sets of cylinder heads:10$10,000$100,000
Spare sets of cylinder heads4$10,000$40,000
Superchargers5 $20,000$100,000
Injectors3$15,000$15,000
Blower belts40+$300$12,000
Head gaskets260$150$40,000
Mounted sets of tires7$1,600$11,200