Local team takes home NHRA team title

Did you know that one of drag racing’s biggest names calls Terrebonne Parish home?

Houma-native Mark Oswald is the co-crew chief for Matco Tools drag racing team anchored by elite driver Antron Brown and owned by Don Schaumacher Racing.

That team reached the pinnacle in its sport this past week and won the National Hot Rod Association’s Top Fuel Championships for the 2012 season – the sport’s highest honor.

Prior to winning the title as a crew chief, Oswald also won the NHRA’s Funny Car Championship in 1984 as a driver.

Still on an emotional high from his team’s accomplishment, Oswald said this week that he’s proud of the 11-member team’s championship season.

“This is just a lifetime accomplishment,” Oswald said. “Having previously won it as a driver and now winning it as a crew chief, it’s an unbelievable feeling and a special accomplishment.”

Back in Houma and enjoying his short offseason, Oswald opened up to SportsNet this week and shared the recipe for a championship season.

Staying up with the times

Close to 30 years have passed since Oswald won the title as a driver.

Sure, the basic premise of the sport remains the same – crossing the finish line in a quicker time than competitors.

But the way to get from point A to point B is far more complicated than it’s ever been.

“It’s way, way more high-tech than it was back then,” Oswald said. “Everything is a lot more advanced, obviously than the equipment that we used when I was behind the wheel.”

The local crew chief said that because of the technological advancements, cars are now faster than they’ve ever been.

Because of that increase in speed and excitement, Oswald said the sport is more popular than it’s ever been, which makes reaching the summit even more impressive.

“It’s way, way more competitive now,” Oswald said. “There’s far more teams who have the financing to be competitive. The cars are extremely close. Back in 1984 when I won it, we had a very good racing team and we had a clear advantage. Now, it’s very difficult to obtain that advantage because of all of the technology around and all of the well-funded teams using it.”

To illustrate his point, Oswald pointed to statistics.

He said in the final race of the 2012 season, the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, a tenth of a second separated the first place car to the 16th place car.

“That will show you just how close and competitive it is,” Oswald said.

Consistency is key

The way the NHRA’s season works is similar to NASCAR in that the season consists of multiple races throughout the year with points being earned in each race.

The team that wins the Top Fuel Championships is determined by who has accumulated the most points throughout the eight-month grind.

This year, Oswald and co-crew chief Brian Corradi had the magician’s touch, helping Brown race to six victories.

The team also ran in the finals in 12 of the 23 races of the season.

“We had an extremely consistent car, and we were the ones to beat all year,” Oswald said. “We led the points most of the year. It went back and forth between a couple of our teammates, but in the end, we were able to come out on top.”

The way one achieves that consistency is by being a true student of the game.

Oswald said so much of drag racing success for a crew chief involves skill and precision.

That means both in terms of having the car ready for a race and also being prepared for track conditions, which can vary hour by hour in the delicate sport.

“There’s a lot of calls that we have to make to help get us there,” Oswald said. “It’s always a unique challenge. Every racetrack is different. The conditions are always different. That’s my job – to make sure the car can perform the best that it can within those conditions.”

From there, seven crew employees execute the changes ordered by Oswald and Corradi.

The ability to make this a seamless process is the difference between success and failure.

“Their work on the car is extremely important,” Oswald said. “If they don’t mechanically put the car together correctly and do everything the same every time, us reading the computer and seeing the adjustments that need to be made mean absolutely nothing because the car’s not mechanically right.

“Every person from one end of the team to another is equally important.”

Consistency is not anything new to the Matco Tools team.

Prior to winning the title this year, they finished third in 2011 and second in 2010.

“We’ve been close,” Oswald said. “We just kept working at it and fortunately for us, this was our year.”

Ability to perform

under pressure

There is absolutely no room for error in drag racing.

The races last less than four seconds – one can obviously see where any mistake would impact a race.

Oswald said a lot of the burden falls on he and Corradi to make the right decisions throughout the day.

The Houma native said he enters every race knowing that he cannot make a single mistake in order for the team to be successful.

“This is not like NASCAR where the races last three-and-a-half hours long,” Oswald said. “In that sport, you can make mistakes and make good calls and recover from it. In drag racing, once you’re eliminated, you’re eliminated.

“One mistake for the day, and you’re done.”

Because of that do-or-die mentality that is always present, Oswald said winning a single race is among the most gratifying feelings that one could ever experience.

Winning six in a season is even better.

The team also broke the national record for quickest time this year, completing a race in 3.70 seconds at a speed of 329 mph.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Oswald said. “Because to pull that off, it means that you have to be flawless for that entire day. You can’t make any mistakes at all within any member of your team. The driver can’t make any mistakes. The crew chiefs can’t make any mistakes. No one on the team can make a mistake because every job is equally important. The littlest thing can make the car have an imperfect run, which will make you be eliminated.”

Brown is a star of the game

Oswald and the rest of the crew’s jobs are vital for success.

But to win races, the driver must be special, too.

Brown is that.

Oswald said Brown’s racing roots started in motorcross, where he has raced motorcycles since he was 4-years-old.

But after sustaining a slew of injuries in motorcross, Brown started his drag racing career on motorcycles in the late 1990s.

Approximately five years ago, Oswald said Brown transitioned from the behind to behind the wheel of a car.

A year after hopping into the car, Brown formed his alliance with Oswald and Corradi.

They immediately became one of the best teams in the business.

“He immediately did very well,” Oswald said of Brown. “He’s very, very talented.”

Oswald said the biggest reason for Brown’s success is his hand-eye coordination – which is a huge proponent to the sport.

“You have to be able to react to the starting light and be quick there,” Oswald said. “Antron is one of the best in our sport there – he’s in the top 3 in statistics.”

From the quick start, one must also exhibit the ability to control the car at 300 mph.

Oswald said keeping the car in the proper position on the track is the difference between a successful run and a failure.

“You have to drive with the proper touch,” Oswald said. “You can’t be all over the race track. You have to be able to do that time after time after time under pressure. Antron has the ability to do those things. This is a lot more difficult than people think.”

With his victory for the 2012 season, Brown became the first-ever black drag racer to reach the pinnacle of the sport for a season.

Still just 33-years-old and with a team hungrier than ever, the future appears brighter than ever for the team.

Oswald said he is relaxing and enjoying the achievement this week, but he will soon be back to work to try and obtain a repeat.

Oswald said he’s now tasted the top as both a driver and a crew chief, adding that the taste is equally sweet on both sides of the fence.

“It’s equally gratifying,” Oswald said. “That’s because of how much of a team sport this is. It was great when I was a driver. It’s equally great now. It’s a feeling I hope to experience again in my career surely.”

NHRA driver Antron Brown takes off during a race this season. Brown’s team is anchored by a Houma native, Mark Oswald (below). Together, the team won the NHRA team title – the sport’s highest honor. Oswald shared the keys to reaching the top this week. 

COURTESY PHOTO