NHRA Top Fuel racer J.R. Todd lost his best friend when Funny Car driver Eric Medlen died from injuries suffered in a testing accident earlier this year.
Now Todd has a former member of Medlen's team helping him contend for the championship.
The success Todd has enjoyed this year, ranking third in the standings with two victories in seven events, is a lesson in perseverance. Todd has watched two tuners and one crew member leave his team this season for bigger bucks with other organizations.
It started when tuner Jimmy Walsh and crew member Danny DeGennaro left in March to join Kenny Bernstein's Funny Car operation.
Johnny West came over from Bernstein's team and helped Todd win the Houston event, but West left last week to tune Clay Millican's Top Fuel dragster.
West was replaced by Kevin Poynter, who was Medlen's car chief at John Force Racing. Force and John Medlen, Eric's father and crew chief, agreed to let Poynter make the move.
After all this turmoil, Todd still could win the championship. And now he can do it with a direct link to his friend Medlen, who was hoping to win his first NHRA title this year.