Two-time U.S. Nats champ Bazemore looks for consistency in Indy
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 18 of 23 NHRA U.S. NATIONALS INDIANAPOLIS RACEWAY PARK Race Dates: Sept. 2-5, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net TWO-TIME U.S. NATIONALS CHAMPION BAZEMORE LOOKS FOR CONSISTENCY IN INDY INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 30, 2005) - Qualifying well, consistency and going rounds are the basics for any good POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car driver, and it's become Whit Bazemore's mantra these days as he and the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car team work to get out of their mid-season slump. After leading the point standings early in the year and scoring two victories, Bazemore fell behind in the rankings following a string of early-round losses. A crew chief change ensued, and the team has since been making slow but steady progress back into contention. The Indianapolis resident and two-time U.S. Nationals champion posted two semifinal finishes since then and now stands seventh in Funny Car points coming into this weekend's prestigious U.S. Nationals. "We're trying to get our Matco Tools Dodge team back on track and our car back on track," said Bazemore, who won here in 1997 and 2001. "That's our goal: to qualify well, get the car to go down the track consistently, put ourselves into a good position for Monday's race, and try to win the race. "It would mean a lot to win the U.S. Nationals a third time this year, but given the situation that we're in with our performance and the fact that we have been struggling, to have a good weekend is paramount. We're not thinking about winning it right now, we're thinking about the first step, which is to run competitively and then qualify well. It's a one-step-at-a-time situation. "We have to work on the performance of the Matco Tools Dodge. We have been in the business long enough to know there are big swings that happen and you can be struggling a little bit and, in one run, you turn it all around, and vice versa. "We've got everything at our disposal. We have great people working on our car. (Co-crew chiefs) Todd Okuhara and Dan Olson are bright, but we're still going to take it one small step at a time, and go down the race track, qualify and try to win the first round." SCHEDULE: On Friday, Sept. 2, professional qualifying sessions begin at 6:15 p.m. On Saturday, Sept. 3, professional qualifying sessions are at 1:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. On Sunday, Sept. 4, pro qualifying sessions continue at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., Skoal Showdown Eliminations are at 12:30 p.m., 2:15 p.m., and 4 p.m. On Monday, Sept. 5, pre-race ceremonies are at 9:30 a.m., and final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. TELEVISION: On Saturday, Sept. 3, ESPN2 will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 1:30 a.m. (ET). On Sunday, Sept. 4, ESPN2 will televise NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute magazine show at 11:30 a.m. (ET). Also on Sunday, Sept. 4, ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at noon (ET), and ESPN2 will also televise three hours of qualifying coverage at 10:30 p.m. (ET). On Monday, Sept. 5, ESPN2 will televise a special presentation of NHRA 2Day at 11:30 a.m. (ET). Also on Monday, Sept. 5, ESPN2 will televise one hour of eliminations coverage at noon (ET), and ESPN2 will also televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 8 p.m. (ET). WHIT BAZEMORE QUICK FACTS: * Two-time U.S. Nationals champion, 1997 and 2001 * Seventh in 2005 Funny Car point standings after 17 events, 238 points out of lead, 167 points short of fifth place * Won two events this year (Gainesville, Las Vegas), No. 1 qualifier once (Columbus) * Qualified No. 6 at 2004 U.S. Nationals, lost semis to Gary Densham * Runner-up here in 1992 and 2000 * No. 1 qualifier here in 2000 * 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 312 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 ***