Vegas could be turning point for Bazemore

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2004 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
ROUND 4 of 23
NHRA SUMMITRACING.COM NATIONALS
THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
RACE DATES: April 2-4, 2004



LAS VEGAS (March 30, 2004) - It's early in the 2004 NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series season, with 20 events to go, so Whit Bazemore is not as
frustrated as a Funny Car driver might be after three outstanding qualifying
efforts in three events that were followed by three early-round upsets in
eliminations.

The driver of the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus qualified No. 5 in
the season's first event and No. 2 in the last two events, clearly
demonstrating his team's ability to conquer the fickleness of the car's new
combination. Getting past those early rounds has been the tough part.

Bazemore suffered second-round losses at the season-opener in Pomona,
Calif., and in Chandler, Ariz., as well as a first-round upset in
Gainesville, Fla., which put him eighth in the point standings.

With these three races under their belt, as well as a productive test
session at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway the Monday following that last event,
Bazemore and crew chief Lee Beard are set for a turn-around of luck at this
weekend's NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway.

"The Matco Tools Dodge is showing signs of being really strong, but we're a
little inconsistent now," said Bazemore, the 2003 NHRA Funny Car
championship runner-up. "We haven't parlayed any of our qualifying success
that we've had into race-day success for a couple of different reasons. Our
goal right now is to try to be consistent and get into the later rounds on
Sunday.

"We have a car and a team that can do that, but for several different
reasons in the first three races we haven't gotten the results that we're
capable of.

"Lee and the team made some changes after testing in Gainesville. So, we're
very hopeful that what held us back in Gainesville won't hold us back in
Vegas. I don't think it will.

"We feel good," added the Indianapolis resident and two-time U.S. Nationals
champion. "We've got a great team, a great car, the season is young and
things change awfully quickly in this sport, so you don't ever get too
excited when you're doing well. But, by the same token, you don't want to
drag yourself through the mud either when you're not winning."

Bazemore, who took the Funny Car championship chase down to the penultimate
race last season right here at The Strip, is more determined than
discouraged at this stage of 2004. "It's always nice to go out the first of
the year with victories," he said. "It doesn't always happen that way. You
have to have the ability to bounce back and we definitely have that ability.
We're working hard to make ourselves successful. We're smart enough to be
able to do that. We've done it in the past.

"We're going to be successful this year. There's no doubt about it. We're
working hard to make it happen now. We're learning our new tune-up and Lee
and the team are learning where we can go and where we can't go with it. To
be stronger later on in the year we had to make changes over the winter and
it's just part of the learning process."

Returning to The Strip at Las Vegas is always a highlight for Bazemore, who
was Funny Car runner-up at both events in 2003, as well as runner-up at the
SummitRacing.com Nationals in 2001. "It's one of the top facilities we race
on during the year, so we like it a lot. The fan base has been growing here
every single race and we certainly like that. I'm excited about racing here.
The track will be excellent."

Bazemore, who has 15 career Funny Car event wins, was low qualifier twice at
The Strip (2001 and 2003), but has not won here. He continues to hold the
elapsed-time record here, however, of 4.748 seconds, established in October
2001.

Pro Nitro qualifying is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Friday,
April 2, and 12 noon and 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 3. Final eliminations
begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 4.

ESPN2 will cover qualifying at 10 p.m. ET on April 3, eliminations at 11
p.m. ET on April 4, with a repeat eliminations show on April 9 at 1 a.m. ET.

WHIT BAZEMORE QUICK FACTS:

* Qualified No. 1 at NHRA SummitRacing.Com Nationals in 2003, was runner-up
to Tony Pedregon
* Was also runner-up to Pedregon at the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals in
2003
* Holds Funny Car track E.T. record at The Strip of 4.748 seconds
* Was No. 1 qualifier at The Strip in 2001 (second event) and 2003 (first
event)
* Has not won a pro Funny Car event at The Strip
* First Funny Car driver to break 325-mph barrier (U.S. Nationals 2001)
* 2003 Funny Car points runner-up
* Won three times in 2003, runner-up five times
* Has 15 career Funny Car event wins
* Took the 2003 championship chase to penultimate race in Las Vegas in an
exciting final round against eventual champion Tony Pedregon
* Was also second in the NHRA Funny Car championship in 2001, third in 1997
and '99 and has finished in the top five six times and 11 times in the top
10 since 1992
* Age 41, born in New York City, an avid cyclist, lives in Indianapolis with
wife Michelle, a semi-pro cyclist
* 2004 is his fourth season with Don Schumacher Racing
* Stands eighth in Funny Car points following Gainesville
* Two-time U.S. Nationals champion