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NHRA: Bazemore hopes frantic fortnight will finish with Houston victory

14 April 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Putnam, Connecticut - A common question posed by fans is how a racecar driver occupies his or her time between races. For a detailed answer, one must simply make a quick review of Kendall Motor Oil/Matco Tools Camaro Z28 pilot Whit Bazemore's schedule for the two weeks prior to this weekend's O'Reilly Nationals at Houston Raceway Park. Although more hectic than normal, it still provides an insight into what occupies this "hired gun" beyond the racetrack.

"It's been a pretty busy couple of weeks, but in a good way," explained Bazemore. "As far as I'm concerned, my motivation increases in direct proportion to how demanding my schedule is. But no matter how hectic it gets, my primary focus always remains on racing the Kendall/Matco Camaro to the best of my abilities."

Turning the clock back to March 26, we find Bazemore participating with the Etchells Racing Team in a two-day test session in Tucson, Arizona. After that, he headed through Phoenix to Sedona, where he logged two days of intense mountain biking as part of his personal fitness routine. From there, he drove up to Las Vegas for last weekend's event. However, his work resumed the moment he arrived at his hotel with a late-night radio interview on Wednesday.

The next morning, Bazemore was at the track before dawn to start filming a series of spots for primary sponsor Kendall Motor Oil which will air in the near future on the Winston Vision screens during NHRA events. After a quick drive back into Las Vegas, he took part in a daylong media-training program hosted by Chevrolet. His day concluded with a personal appearance on behalf of Action Performance at the Race Rock Caf, where he signed autographs for over two hours, followed by a dinner with his sponsors.

Friday and Saturday mornings dawned with Bazemore back at the racetrack completing the commercial shoot, followed by his customary at-track routine for qualifying. In addition to his driving responsibilities and packing the chutes on the Kendall/Matco Camaro, Bazemore spent time speaking with sponsor representatives and interacting with the fans. A similar pattern followed on Sunday following his premature departure from competition.

The next week began in the middle of the Nevada desert, where Bazemore joined fellow Chevy drag racers in a one-day class at Bragg-Smith Advanced Driving School, where they were schooled on the finer points of car control, including some spirited sessions in specially designed "skid cars" and in stock Camaro SS's on a demanding road course. After a quick drive back to Phoenix, Bazemore boarded a plane to Acapulco, Mexico the next morning in order to attend a sales meeting on behalf of associate sponsor Matco Tools, where he would have the opportunity to meet and speak with Matco distributors from around the country.

Finally, Bazemore will return to the United States on Thursday in time to compete at Houston Raceway Park. As he will attest, this final assignment will be the most demanding, as the Etchells crew searches for a consistent and competitive combination that will allow them to return to form and climb back into contention for the Winston Funny Car championship.

"The experience of these past two weeks will be exciting, but it all takes a back seat to what we must accomplish in Houston," stated Bazemore. "The bottom line is we have to find answers and produce results. I know this Etchells Racing Team is a good one, and we will get things turned around. I promise we will keep pounding the ground until we get our Kendall/Matco Camaro back to where it belongs - the winner's circle."

BAZEMORE BANTER: This will be Whit Bazemore's fourteenth appearance at Houston Raceway Park, where he looks to improve upon his runner-up performance from 1998 .... Bazemore's best HRP qualifying performance to date came last October, when he placed 2nd.... Bazemore is also looking to move up from his current 10th place position in the Winston Drag Racing Series season's points standings.

Text provided by Jon G. Knapp

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