Bazemore, Matco Tools Dodge team look to keep up 2003 momentum at Pomona

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2004 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 1 of 23
K&N FILTERS WINTERNATIONALS
POMONA (Calif.) RACEWAY
RACE DATES: FEB. 19-22, 2004

Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438

BAZEMORE LOOKS TO KEEP UP 2003 MOMENTUM AT POMONA OPENER

INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 17, 2004) - Whit Bazemore enjoyed his most competitive
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car season in 2003, taking the battle
for the championship down to the penultimate race of the year and claiming
the runner-up spot for the second time in his 16-year pro NHRA career.

He came oh so close to snagging his first Funny Car title in his Matco Tools
Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus, and his goal for the season-opening K&N Filters
Winternationals this weekend at Pomona (Calif.) Raceway is to keep up that
same momentum as he chases the 2004 Funny Car championship.

"It's very important to start the season strongly," said the two-time U.S.
Nationals champion. "It's easy at this point of the year to fall into the
trap that if you have a bad race, you say, 'Well, there are 22 more or 19
more or whatever.' That's a luxury that no one can afford to have. Every
race is just as important as every other race.

"Pomona is important not only because it's the first race, but because it's
the Winternationals and it's a race with a strong legacy and a lot of
history. It's one of the granddaddy races that we'd like to have under our
belts. We want to go there and win," added Bazemore, who has claimed 15
event victories in his career, but has yet to win at Pomona.

"I'm excited about starting the season because we have the chance to pick up
where we left off last year," he said. "It's a big challenge, but hopefully
that's what we can do, and if we can we're going to have a really strong
team."

Bazemore's Matco Tools team, led by crew chief Lee Beard, has stayed
virtually intact for 2004, which Bazemore considers a valuable asset. "We
have a great team," he said. "We haven't changed the makeup of the team at
all. All the key players are here and they've been here for two or three
years now. To me that's very, very important. I think that we've got a great
opportunity this year. We just have to make the most of it."

The recent pre-season testing at The Strip in Las Vegas and at Firebird
Raceway in Chandler, Ariz., also helped prepare the team for the 2004
championship challenge. "Testing was good," said Bazemore, who was quickest
and fastest at the Feb. 6-8 test session at Firebird with a 4.929/309.98.
"We have a whole new engine combination that Lee and the team have developed
over the winter. It's something that in time is going to prove to have a lot
of potential and ultimately make our team and our race car a lot more
competitive.

"The testing for us was all about developing a baseline for the new engine
combination. Considering we did that, testing was successful. The elapsed
times didn't matter. What mattered was getting the car to run properly, get
the fuel curve right, and the air/fuel ratio right, getting the motor happy.
That's what's important. We made a lot of progress there."

The first qualifying session at Pomona Raceway will be held on Thursday,
Feb. 19, at 3 p.m. Another qualifying session is scheduled for Friday, Feb.
20, at 3 p.m., followed by the final two qualifying rounds on Saturday, Feb.
21,  beginning at noon. Final eliminations will start at 11 a.m. on Sunday,
Feb. 22.

WHIT BAZEMORE QUICK FACTS:

* Qualified second at 2003 Winternationals, 4.766/325.69, lost to Tommy
Johnson in second round
* Won three times in 2003, runner-up five times
* 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 40, 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

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