Bazemore off to strong start, heads to Phoenix
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2005 POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 2 of 23 CHECKER SCHUCK'S KRAGEN NATIONALS FIREBIRD RACEWAY CHANDLER, ARIZ. Race Dates: Feb. 25-27, 2005 BAZEMORE OFF TO STRONG SEASON START, HEADS TO PHOENIX FOR ROUND 2 CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 21, 2005) - Whit Bazemore is off to a healthy start to the 2005 POWERade Drag Racing Series, driving the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing. He opened the year with a semifinal-round finish at the season-opener at Pomona (Calif.) Raceway, and landed in third place in the point standings. The two-time U.S. Nationals champion expects even better results at the Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals this weekend at Firebird Raceway, now that the mechanical problems he and crew chief Lee Beard experienced in eliminations at Pomona have been resolved. "We're very optimistic going to Phoenix because the Matco Tools Dodge ran competitively at Pomona," said Bazemore, who defeated teammate Ron Capps and No. 1 qualifier Tony Pedregon in eliminations there, "but we had a couple of things that were holding back the performance on race day. We're excited because we feel that, when we get back on track with those things fixed, the car's performance should really pick up quite a bit. "Firebird's quarter-mile could be tricky, depending on the heat," continued Bazemore, who has not won here. "If it's hotter it could fall off considerably. But if it's like it was in testing (mid-60 degrees ambient temperature on Jan. 28-30)) then the track should be really good, and you could see the same sort of record times that we saw at Pomona (4.681 ET for Tony Pedregon; 331.53 top speed for Gary Scelzi)." Still seeking his first Funny Car crown after two runner-up finishes (2001 and 2003), Bazemore feels his team, one of eight now campaigned by Don Schumacher in the POWERade series, is growing in the right direction. "The team has expanded considerably since 2001 and we've had some people come and go," he said. "I'm excited. I feel good about the people we have. Ed McCulloch (Capps' crew chief) has been a really strong addition to the team. (Capps' co-crew chief) Dan Olson is involved, Zippy (Mike Neff, Gary Scelzi's crew chief), and Lee of course. Right now the four of them are working together and sharing information. "That's the only way I think we can seriously and strongly challenge for a championship - to uitlize the brain trust that we have to its fullest extent like some of the other teams do. If it were everybody out on their own then naturally we wouldn't be as strong. "I think everyone realizes that and we're all aiming toward a common goal. It's working out really well." SCHEDULE: On Friday, Feb. 25, professional qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3 and 6 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 26, pro qualifying sessions are at noon and 3 p.m. On Sunday, Feb. 27, pre-race ceremonies begin at 10 a.m., followed by final eliminations at 11 a.m. TELEVISION: Saturday, Feb. 26, ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 9 p.m. (ET). On Sunday, Feb. 27, 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 * Tied in third in 2005 Funny Car point standings after one event * Qualified No. 2 at 2004 CSK Nationals, lost second round to Del Worsham * 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 * 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 second twice in the Funny Car championship in 2001 and 2003, 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 competitive amateur cyclist * 2005 is his fifth season with Don Schumacher Racing ***