Bazemore No. 6 in Sonoma qualifying

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Round 15 of 23
FRAM-AUTOLITE NHRA NATIONALS
INFINEON RACEWAY
SONOMA, Calif.
Race Dates: July 30-Aug. 1, 2004

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

BAZEMORE NO. 6 IN SONOMA QUALIFYING

SONOMA, Calif. (July 31, 2004) - Whit Bazemore and crew chief Lee Beard are
making strides in developing a new setup for the Matco Tools Iron Eagle
Dodge Stratus Funny Car under the recent new NHRA regulations, including  a
newly-mandated Goodyear tire. Bazemore ended up No. 6 in qualifying for the
Fram-Autolite NHRA Nationals, based on the 4.908/315.12 lap he posted in
last night's session.

The two-time U.S. Nationals champion and fastest Funny Car driver on the
planet (333.25 mph) hazed the tires in the third round of qualifying today
(6.399/139.86), then helped to produce a picture-perfect side-by-side pass
against his teammate Gary Scelzi in the final round. Bazemore nipped
Scelzi's 4.998/306.67, with a quicker 4.963/310.27.

"It was really very smooth," he said of that last pass. "That's what we're
working on, trying to get the car smooth. It seems to be very important with
this tire, because if it goes into any kind of rattle at all the tire won't
recover. The tire basically has to be nearly perfect. I think we made really
good progress today. I actually feel a lot better.

"We struggled in the heat at Denver (ousted in the first round) and we
struggled in the heat at Seattle when the sun came out in the semifinals
(lost in semis). And I think today Lee made good progress with the tune-up
and it's starting to come around and react to his inputs in a consistent
way. We feel better and it will be a good race tomorrow."

Bazemore meets Ron Capps in the first round of final eliminations on Sunday,
which begin at 11 a.m.

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