Three-time Rte. 66 champ Bazemore eyes another win
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 10 of 23 CARQUEST NHRA NATIONALS Route 66 Raceway Joliet, Ill. Race Dates: June 10-12, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net THREE-TIME ROUTE 66 CHAMP BAZEMORE EYES ANOTHER WIN JOLIET, Ill. (June 7, 2005) - With three victories, Whit Bazemore is tied with Del Worsham for most Funny Car wins at the super-fast, record-breaking Route 66 Raceway which opened in 1998. But only Bazemore, driver of the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus Funny Car from Don Schumacher Racing, can claim having won the inaugural event here. The two-time U.S. Nationals champion who makes his home in Indianapolis defeated Worsham in that race, and went on to triumph again in the fall event in 2001 from the No. 1 qualifying spot, and the spring race in 2003. He was also runner-up last year at the spring race against John Force, whom he beat in 2001, and low qualifier a second time in the fall of 2003. Route 66 is where Bazemore set his career quickest ET of 4.713 seconds, and his career fastest speed of 333.25 mph, both set in 2004 in what was at the time the quickest and fastest speed in Funny Car history. Bazemore and crew chief Lee Beard hope that their past success at this ultra-smooth track and the data they acquired in a test session following the last event in Topeka will help them overcome their recent slump. Their goal is to get back closer to the top of the POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car standings with a strong showing in this weekend's CARQUEST Nationals. Bazemore has won twice this year, led the point standings through three events, but has since dropped to fifth in the rankings. He's still very much in the championship mix and only 51 points out of second place. It's the 178-point deficit to No. 1 John Force that is the team's largest hurdle at this stage of the season, with 14 races remaining. "Route 66 has turned into the quickest and fastest track on the calendar, so it's always exciting to come here," said Bazemore, who is seeking his first Funny Car championship. "It's a place that we really enjoy going to. It will hopefully be a track where we can get our season back going in the direction that it needs to go in. "The Matco Tools Dodge team is working very hard. I feel for the guys on the team because they're making a huge effort. We've won a couple of races this year, and that's been good, but we've also had a huge run of first-round disasters that really hurt us. "All we can do right now is just try to be as aggressive as we can be and go for race wins, which is what we always do. We need to go to each race like it's our last one and try to win. "We're looking forward to hopefully running some low 4.70-second runs and contending for a win." SCHEDULE: On Friday, June 10 professional qualifying sessions are at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. On Saturday, June 11 Pro qualifying sessions continue at 11:45 a.m. and 3 p.m. King Demon Crown elimination rounds are at 11:30 a.m., 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. On Sunday, June 12, Pre-race ceremonies are at 10 a.m., final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. TELEVISION: On Saturday, June 11, ESPN2 will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 6 p.m. (ET). On Sunday, June 12, ESPN2 will televise three hours of eliminations at 3 p.m. (ET). Also on Sunday June 12, ESPN2 will telecast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute weekly news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET). WHIT BAZEMORE QUICK FACTS: * Two-time U.S. Nationals champion, 1997 and 2001 * Fifth in 2005 Funny Car point standings after eight events, 178 points out of lead * Qualified No. 2 at 2004 CARQUEST Nationals, runner-up to John Force * Won here in 1998, 2001 (Chi 2), 2003 (Chi 1). Qualified No. 1 in 2001 (Chi 2) and 2003 (Chi 2) * 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 19 career Funny Car event wins in 303 races * 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 42, born in New York City, an avid cyclist, lives in Indianapolis with wife Michelle, a competitive amateur cyclist, and son Dashiell Aidan, born March 12, 2005 * 2005 is his fifth season with Don Schumacher Racing ***