TRIBUTE

By Rob King

Born in 1942, Fedderly’ s early passion for cars began in Alberta, Canada, where he honed his skills through automotive classes at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and spent weekends with the Capitol City Hot Rod Association. His first professional steps were as a fleet mechanic before transitioning to a storied career in drag racing.

His breakthrough came in 1980 alongside driver Terry Capp when the pair secured victory at the prestigious NHRA U. S. Nationals in Indianapolis. This landmark achievement set the stage for Fedderly’ s rise as one of NHRA’ s most respected crew chiefs.

Joining Larry Minor Racing in 1982 as a crew chief marked a turning point. Fedderly notably teamed with legendary drivers including Capp, Ed“ the Ace” McCulloch, and later, at John Force Racing, alongside Austin Coil.

His partnership with Coil at JFR produced unprecedented success, tuning Force to an extraordinary 109 national event wins and 13 NHRA Funny Car championships between 1992 and 2012, including a record-breaking streak of 10 consecutive titles.

“ It was massive,” said JFR crew chief Jimmy Prock when asked about Fedderly’ s impact on the organization in an interview with NHRA on FOX’ s Bruno Massel.“ Bernie worked great with Coil, but he was the guy that really kept everything organized and going and kept all the crew guys in line. He just really did a lot to keep everything organized and he was just like a father figure to everyone. He was funny. If you messed up, you’ d have to go into his office and he’ d have a talk with you, but he was really a great guy. Just the kindest, nicest person you’ ll ever meet in your life. We’ re definitely going to miss him.

“ I just remember all the good times we had, all the fun,” Prock continued.“ I used to hang out with Bernie back in the‘ 80s when I was a kid racing with my dad. I’ ve known him a long time. Just a great guy, great racer, brilliant mind, just an awesome guy.”

Dean Antonelli, who cut his teeth at JFR as a crew member and eventually crew chief before joining Ron Capps and his Ron Capps Motorsports team as crew chief, also shared his thoughts

following Fedderly’ s passing.

“ This weekend we said goodbye to Bernie Fedderly, a dear friend and a mentor to not only me, but to many people that had the pleasure to work for or with,” Antonelli said in a Facebook post.“ Bernie had a hand in so many successes in our sport, but is most known for his work with Austin Coil on one of the most bad ass teams in drag racing history, John Force Racing. There are many of us that got to be part of the historic run of championships at JFR, but besides the mastery of Austin and Bernie’ s tuning calls, Bernie was the one that brought the calm and organization that kept things running fluid. Bernie will be missed, but he is etched in history as one of the best tuners and gentlemen in our sport.”

Fedderly’ s impact on the sport’ s people stretched beyond crew chiefs. He was respected by the drivers he worked with, including threetime NHRA Top Fuel world champion Larry Dixon Jr.

“ Bernie had God-given talents and would share them with anybody who wanted to listen,” Dixon shared in a Facebook post.“ There were no wasted conversations with Bernie. And he always had an open ear for you. He had a sense of humor that I resonated with.

“ My first paying gig on the road was in 1987 with the Larry Minor team and Bernie headed up all three cars,” Dixon continued.“ He showed me how to build short blocks. He taught me how to degree cams on a fuel motor. At the time, I didn’ t think a lot about it, but looking back now, he’ s showing a 20-year-old kid how to work on race cars. Again, he gave his time to anyone who would listen. He will definitely be missed.”

Fedderly, inducted into the Drag Racing Hall of Fame, leaves behind a profound legacy, respected deeply within the racing community for his knowledge, innovation, and mentorship.

Fedderly is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Mary. DI

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK REBILAS