NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Mike “Zippy” Neff is the most accomplished tuner under 50 years old in the nitro ranks. He has won Funny Car championships as a crew chief with two different organizations and has even won 10 races as a driver.

Neff’s rapid ascent up the ranks as a mechanic began at Larry Minor Racing, where he was part of Cruz Pedregon’s 1992 championship team. He then moved to the Cory McClenathan-driven dragster, with which he was a part of 22 victories. He joined Don Schumacher Racing as an assistant crew chief in 2001 and was promoted to the crew chief position on the Oakley Funny Car in 2002. He won 11 times with driver Gary Scelzi and broke John Force Racing’s reign of 12 consecutive championships by winning the 2005 title.

John Force hired Neff toward the end of the 2007 season to drive the team’s fourth entry. Neff won the 2008 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. He scored his first win at the end of the 2009 season before returning to the crew chief role, from which he promptly tuned Force to the 2010 championship. Ashley Force Hood’s pregnancy led to his return to the driver’s seat in 2011, and his second act as a driver was highlighted by driving and tuning himself to two straight Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals victories.

Neff currently tunes the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro driven by Robert Hight. He leads a young crop of tuners that make up the brain trust at JFR. His duties also include overseeing the fabrication and machine shops at the team’s Brownsburg, Ind., headquarters.