Bazemore upset in first round in Ohio

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 8 of 23
PONTIAC PERFORMANCE NHRA NATIONALS
NATIONAL TRAIL RACEWAY
HEBRON, OHIO
Race Dates: May 20-22, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438;
jstropus@earthlink.net

BAZEMORE UPSET IN FIRST ROUND IN OHIO

HEBRON, Ohio (May 22, 2005) - It can never be said that any professional
race car driver worth his salt takes winning for granted. That was certainly
the case today in the first round of eliminations for the NHRA Nationals at
National Trail Raceway, where No. 1 qualifier Whit Bazemore, was upset by
No. 16 qualifier and part-time racer Dale Creasy Jr.

After Bazemore's impressive run during qualifying, where he established a
track record elapsed time of 4.762 seconds, Bazemore and the Lee Beard-tuned
Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus Funny Car team were hopeful for a
return to the No. 1 spot in the POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car point
standings, a position Bazemore held after three of the seven races held so
far this year.

But his 4.924/315.34 loss to Creasy's 4.904/311.99 pass dashed those hopes.
Bazemore blamed himself and his .109 reaction time to Creasy's .096.

"You go up there, and anybody can win any given race and it's been done
many, many times," said Bazemore, who is now fifth in the rankings, yet
still very much in the points chase. "The way I look at it is when our Matco
Tools Dodge doesn't run within a couple of hundredths (of a second) of the
other car I should make up the difference and today we didn't do that.

"Everybody can argue their argument, but we were within 200 hundredths in
performance and I didn't make up the difference. And we've been pretty good
all year doing that and today I didn't. I'm particularly frustrated by the
outcome.

"We've won quite a few rounds this year on holeshots. Today we didn't lose
on a holeshot, but we didn't make up the difference in performance either.

"They (Creasy's team) ran only a 5.20 in qualifying. Our car was way too
conservative for that run."

Next up is this weekend's O'Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka
(Kans.), May 27-29.

FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. John Force, 602 (winner today)
2. Gary Scelzi, 522 (runner-up today)
3. Robert Hight, 510
4. Cruz Pedregon, 508
5. Whit Bazemore, 503
6. Ron Capps, 443
7. Eric Medlen, 415

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