Bazemore out in first round at Gateway (NHRA)

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
ROUND 12 OF 23
SEARS CRAFTSMAN NHRA NATIONALS
GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
MADISON, ILL.
RACE DATE: JUNE 27-29, 2003


MADISON, Ill. (June 29, 2003) - For the first time all season, No. 5
qualifier Whit Bazemore did not advance his Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge
Stratus R/T to the second round, losing today to Ron Capps with a
tire-smoking 5.220/271.30 to Capps' 5.078/297.35. Despite the 4:30 p.m.
start of final eliminations, today's first two rounds were held under the
heat of an afternoon sun, with the track temperature hovering around the
136-degree mark.

"It's frustrating and surprising because we made four really good runs in
qualifying, two of them in the heat of the day," said the two-time U.S.
Nationals champion who remains second in the POWERade Drag Racing Series
despite this defeat with 963 points. "The car never showed signs of smoking
the tires early at all the entire weekend. We had a tune-up to go down the
track today and we knew it was a little hotter, obviously, and the team
tuned accordingly. It just wasn't meant to be today."

Crew chief Lee Beard opted to make a lane change to the left side just
before the pair lined up for the start. "We ran well in both lanes in
qualifying," said Bazemore. "We liked the left lane more than the right.
People smoked the tires in both lanes. I think the lanes today were pretty
even, actually, so I don't think it was really an issue."

Bazemore lost some more ground to Tony Pedregon in the Funny Car
championship, but it's not something he dwells on, he says. "Our goal is to
be consistent and to do the best we can every race. We don't get caught up
in any championship hoopla. We don't wake up thinking about a championship.
We wake up thinking about being the best we can be and trying to win rounds
and win races. That's how you win championships, by digging deep and doing
your best every day.

"It's not the best result today for our Matco Tools Dodge team, obviously.
We'll test between now and the West Coast swing probably quite a bit. We'll
go there and hopefully be stronger and better and ready to get back to where
we were."