NHRA: Bazemore & Co. Ready to Rebound in Topeka
28 September 2000
Putnam, Conn., September 28, 2000 - The way Whit Bazemore sees it, the timing for this weekend's NHRA Advance Auto Parts Nationals could not have been better. Coming off their disappointing performance in Reading two weeks ago, Bazemore and the Kendall Motor Oil/Matco Tools Camaro Z28 Racing Team now come to Heartland Park Topeka, a track that has historically been one of their best. Although their primary objective remains the same - winning - the Etchells crew's game plan is based on a much more fundamental intent, namely rediscovering the key to consistency. "The Etchells Racing team is looking at this weekend as our chance to make a comeback," explained Bazemore. "Our goal for Topeka is to get our Kendall/Matco Camaro back on track, performing at the level at which we expect ourselves to be. "The car's performance has been up-and-down the last few months, walking a fine line between setting low elapsed time and smoking the tires. Hopefully conditions this weekend will be good enough to widen our window of tunability. That way, we can find the consistency necessary to go down the track on every run, which, of course, is the first step towards a successful weekend." As part of their pre-race preparation, crew chief Terry Manzer and the crew will review the team's past performances at Heartland Park, and they should find the results quite encouraging. Naturally, the high point came in October 1993, when team owner Chuck Etchells made NHRA history by becoming the first Funny Car driver to record an elapsed time below five seconds. In addition, the Kansas quarter-mile was the site of Whit Bazemore's first national event title in a Nitro Funny Car, having won the spring event there in 1997. Those milestones are just part of an overall history of success. Since 1992, the Etchells entry has qualified in the top half of the field for every national event contested in Topeka, including three No. 1 performances (in 1993 & 1995 with team owner Chuck Etchells behind the wheel and again in 1999 with Whit Bazemore), with only one performance outside the Top 5. The list of accomplishments extends to final eliminations, where in that same period, Bazemore and the Kendall/Matco Camaro crew have combined to post two wins (1993 & 1997) and seven semi-final finishes, including each of the last two years. As Bazemore aims to extend this string with a strong showing of his own, he is fully aware that the past offers no guarantees, and is fully prepared to tackle this weekend's challenge. "Heartland Park has been good for both myself and the Etchells Racing team, so we're looking forward to going back," stated Bazemore. "It's a great surface and they work hard to keep it that way. In addition, the fall temperatures usually produce great conditions. I have a lot of good memories there, from running my first 300 mph run in 1995, to my first win in '97. "But our past achievements aren't going to help us this weekend. We have a job to do right now, starting with the first qualifying session on Friday. We're going to ignore any outside distractions or what might have happened at the last race and concentrate on our Kendall/Matco Camaro, doing whatever it takes to be competitive for the last five races of the year, starting this weekend in Topeka." Quick Whits: This will be Whit Bazemore's 13th appearance at Heartland Park Topeka, where he looks to duplicate his winning performance from 1997 ….Whit hopes to repeat his pole-winning effort from a year ago…. Bazemore is currently 9th in the Winston Drag Racing Series season's points standings. Fast Facts WHAT: 12th Annual Advance Auto Parts Nationals, the nineteenth event on the 23-race 2000 NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series Schedule. WHEN: September 28- October 1, 2000 WHERE: Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kansas SCHEDULE: Professional qualifying begins with two sessions on Friday, September 29 at 3:00 and 7:00 p.m., and concludes with two additional attempts at noon & 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 30. Final eliminations begin at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 1. TV: TNN will provide same-day coverage with ninety minutes of highlights on Sunday, October 1 from 4:30 -6:00 p.m. (Times given are Eastern and Pacific. As always, please check your local listings.) # # #