Bazemore turns focus on winning rounds and 2006

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 17 of 23
O'REILLY NHRA MID-SOUTH NATIONALS
MEMPHIS (Tenn.) MOTORSPORTS PARK
Race Dates: Aug. 19-21, 2005



MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Aug. 17, 2005) - Whit Bazemore has a tough road ahead for
the rest of the 2005 POWERade Drag Racing Series season if he's to win his
first Funny Car championship. It's not out of the question, he says, but it
is a longshot.

So the O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals this weekend at Memphis Motorsports Park
will be a pivotal race as he and the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus
team continue to jell (with new crew chiefs Dan Olson and Todd Okuhara) and
make advancements in the car's performance. Bazemore led the Funny Car point
standings early in the year, winning twice, but fell into a slump mid-year,
which resulted in a crew chief change.

The two-time U.S. Nationals champion, No. 1 qualifier in 2003 and '04 and
winner here in '03, is seventh in points, 192 out of the lead and 85 short
of a top-five placement. Going rounds and gaining points this weekend, and
even better, a win, could elevate him in the standings and provide a
well-needed boost to the Matco Tools team.

"Memphis will be a very hard race," he says. "Most likely we're going to
have high temperatures here racing in August . We used to race here in
October, which was quite a bit different. And even though the race will be
at 'night,' (final eliminations begin at 3 p.m.), It's still going to be
hot, but a night race is exciting for the fans."

Bazemore has gone to the semifinal round twice in the last three races, but
a first-round loss in Brainerd last weekend was a disappointment to the team
that looked like it was getting back on track.

"We lost a little bit of momentum in Brainerd, which is just a killer
because when (points leader Robert) Hight and (second in points and teammate
Gary) Scelzi both went out in the first round, we were the last pair. With
data gained from their runs we thought we had a great opportunity to really
elevate ourselves up in the points chase, but it just didn't happen.

"Basically, the season now, in my opinion, is for us to really focus on
getting the best out of our Matco Tools Dodge and ourselves and prepare for
next year - to see if we can really, truly build this team into a team that
can go out and win a championship.

"To me that starts in Memphis. We're not conceding this year. It's awfully
tough, though. I think we just need to focus on our car and make it our goal
to go down the race track every single run and what happens, happens, and
prepare for next season."

SCHEDULE:      
On Friday, Aug. 19, professional qualifying sessions are at 4:30 and 7 p.m.
On Saturday, Aug. 20, pro qualifying sessions continue at 3:30 and 6 p.m. On
Sunday, Aug. 21, pre-race ceremonies are at 2 p.m., and final eliminations
begin at 3 p.m. 

TELEVISION:    
On Saturday, Aug. 20, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of
qualifying highlights at 8 p.m. (ET). On Sunday, Aug. 21, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD
will televise three hours of eliminations at 10 p.m. (ET). Also on Sunday,
Aug. 21, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will broadcast 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
* Seventh in 2005 Funny Car point standings after 16 events,192 points out
of lead, 85 points short of fifth place
* Won two events this year (Gainesville, Las Vegas), No. 1 qualifier once
(Columbus)
* Qualified No. 1 at 2004 O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals, lost second round to
Del Worsham
* Runner-up here in 1992 and 2000
* No. 1 qualifier here in 2003 and 2004
* 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 43 final rounds in 311 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 (same as Bazemore's birthday)
* 2005 is his fifth season with Don Schumacher Racing