Bazemore eager to start 2005 POWERade Series
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 1 of 23 CARQUEST AUTO PARTS WINTERNATIONALS POMONA (CALIF.) RACEWAY FEB. 10-13, 2005 POMONA, Calif. (Feb. 8, 2005) - Whit Bazemore is eager to get the 2005 POWERade Drag Racing Series started with this weekend's season-opening CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at Pomona Raceway. The two-time U.S. Nationals champion who has won 17 Funny Car events in his 16-year drag-racing career is still looking for his first win at Pomona Raceway and with successful pre-season testing under his and crew chief Lee Beard's belts in the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus Funny Car he's ready to attack a new season. Winning the first event of 2005 would definitely kick-start his chase for his first Funny Car championship. "The testing went well and a win at the Winternationals would be a tremendous way to start the year," he said. "It's a race that has eluded me. Real success at Pomona has been very hard for me to achieve. I'm not sure why that is. We were runner-up a couple of times, once at the 50th Anniversary race and the World Finals, both in 2001." Both finishes came from the No. 1 qualifying position. "It's important to have a good first race, and the Matco Tools Dodge team is prepared as best as we can be. We'll come to Pomona, do what we know how to do and make things happen. I'm excited about it and ready to go. I can't wait, actually," he smiled. It's a new season, but the challenges haven't changed, said the Indianapolis resident and avid cyclist. "They are the same as always. You have to tune the car for the conditions and get a good baseline established early in the weekend and then hopefully qualify in the top five, if not better, and then make the right calls on race day and drive perfectly. It's the same every weekend. "We're looking at the big picture," he added. "It's a long year, but it's important to have good results at every race, and to challenge for a championship we have to minimize the number of bad races." SCHEDULE: On Thursday, Feb. 10, one professional qualifying sessions will be held at 2:30 p.m. On Friday, Feb. 11, another pro qualifying session is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 12, two final qualifying sessions will take place at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 13. TELEVISION: On Saturday, Feb. 12, ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 10:30 p.m. (ET). On Sunday, Feb. 13, ESPN2 will televise three hours of eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET). WHIT BAZEMORE QUICK FACTS: * Two-time U.S. Nationals champion, 1997 and 2001 * Qualified No. 2 at 2004 Winternationals, lost second round to Tommy Johnson Jr. * Qualified in the top two in nine events in 2004, four times in No. 1 * No. 6 in 2004 Funny Car points, with two wins, five final rounds * First Funny Car driver to break 325-mph barrier (U.S. Nationals 2001) * Career quickest ET is 4.713 seconds, career fastest speed is 333.25 mph, both set at Route 66 Raceway in 2004 in what was at the time the quickest and fastest speed in Funny Car history * 2003 Funny Car points runner-up * Won three times in 2003, runner-up five times * Has 17 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 Funny Car championship in 2001, third in 1997 and '99 and has finished in the top five six times and 12 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 * 2005 is his fifth season with Don Schumacher Racing ***