Densham - Houston - pre-race

BAYTOWN, Tex. (Mar. 27) A weekend of testing in San Antonio proved that the Torco Racing Fuels/Racebricks Collectibles Funny Car team has what it takes to win the upcoming O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park. Drag racing veteran and former high school teacher Gary Desham piloted the nitro-breathing, Chevy-bodied machine to a final-round appearance at a race Sunday near the Alamo City.

“We accomplished exactly what we set out to do,�?? Densham said. “Track time is very valuable and hard to come by, so we felt by spending a little more time here in Texas, we could figure out how to get faster earlier in each run. That’s been one of our biggest problems.

“We learned some stuff in both the clutch and engine departments, approached the problems from a different mind-set and made some progress in getting quicker during the first 330-foot of the run.

“Because every run is so important in the NHRA and there are so many cars making almost flawless passes, we had to step it up. The Houston race will prove if this new approach of ours works, but we made significant gains that have given us a renewed sense of enthusiasm.

Qualifying for the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals takes place Friday and Saturday with final eliminations set for Sunday.