Bazemore roots for DSR teammates at Pomona
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 23 of 23 AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NHRA FINALS Pomona (Calif.) Raceway Nov. 3-6, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net BAZEMORE ROOTS FOR DSR TEAMMATES AT POMONA POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 1, 2005) - Whit Bazemore is out of contention in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car division as the season comes to an end this weekend at the Automobile Club of Southern California Finals at Pomona Raceway. But the driver of the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus is eager to cheer for his Don Schumacher Racing teammates Gary Scelzi and Ron Capps, as they attempt to dethrone John Force for the title. Bazemore, winner of two events this year and eighth in the standings, is coming to Pomona with a new car after a fire destroyed the one he was testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway following the NHRA national event there last week. "We'd much rather be in contention, obviously, and have the pressure on us and not on them," said the two-time U.S. Nationals champion who has two runner-up finishes in the Funny Car championship (2001 and 2003), but no crowns. "Having said that, it's great for the Don Schumacher Racing team...if we can have a successful race. It's come down to one race and I wish my two teammates all the best. I don't know which one has an advantage; it seems pretty even to me." Scelzi leads the rankings by two points over Capps, while 13-time champion John Force is in third, 28 markers back, with this last race deciding who will be crowned the 2005 Funny Car champion. "They still have a very formidable adversary," he said of Force, whose team has won the last 12 straight championships, "and they both need to have perfect races to win the championship, and that's what I certainly am hoping they can have." As for the new Matco Tools Dodge he'll race this weekend: "We haven't tested after the fire, but we're going to have a new car," he said. "Our backs are against the wall a little bit. We're finding our way. "The ideal scenario is that we would race John Force in the final round and beat him and help my guys, either Capps or Scelzi, clinch the championship. And that's what I'm hoping can happen." Bazemore has two career runner-up finishes at Pomona Raceway, but no victory. He's been low qualifier here two times. SCHEDULE: On Thursday, Nov. 3, one pro qualifying session is scheduled for 2 p.m. On Friday, Nov. 4, the second pro qualifying session is set for 2 p.m. On Saturday, Nov. 5, the last two pro qualifying sessions are at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. On Sunday, Nov. 6, Pre-race ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. TELEVISION: On Saturday, Nov. 5, ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 10 p.m. (ET). On Sunday, Nov. 6, ESPN2 will televise three hours of eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET). Also on Sunday, Nov. 6, ESPN2 will broadcast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET). WHIT BAZEMORE QUICK FACTS: * Two-time U.S. Nationals champion, 1997 and 2001 * Eighth in 2005 Funny Car point standings after 22 events * Won two events this year (Gainesville, Las Vegas), No. 1 qualifier once (Columbus) * Qualified No. 10 at 2004 Pomona 2 Nationals, lost first round to Tommy Johnson Jr. * Semifinal finisher here in 2005's first event, lost to Tommy Johnson Jr. * No. 1 qualifier twice here in 2001 (2 and 3); has two runner-up finishes here (both in 2001) * 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 317 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 ***