Championship Drag Racing

K&N Filters SuperNationals
Englishtown, N.J.
(June 17-20)

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Phil Burkart Jr. Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Funny Car

Reports: Sunday Saturday Friday Pre-race

Englishtown, Sunday: One of the great standard phrases in the history of drag racing goes something like, "If you can't be good, be spectacular." On this day, Team CSK was actually both, capturing extensive minutes of national television coverage by wrestling the points lead from Whit Bazemore in a tense first round battle, putting Del Worsham's red car in its seventh semi-final in the season's first 11 races, while also managing to blow up both Worsham's red Monte Carlo as well as teammate Phil Burkart's blue CSK Chevy. If big attention, win lights, points leads, and performance were the publicity cake, two exploded motors and one big burning fireball were the unwanted icing.

The unlikely scenario of seeing the number one and two points holders facing off in round one as the eighth and ninth qualifiers was created by a sketchy track and tough conditions. The heat and humidity seemed to be a prequel to what everyone expects to encounter in just a few days when the tour heads directly to St. Louis, but in addition to getting the teams in "summer shape" the blistering conditions made it exceedingly difficult for most teams to make clean runs, and set E.T.'s back a few years. Worsham's best was his final pass, a 4.961, which put him eighth. Bazemore's final run, which came within minutes of Worsham's, was a similar but slightly slower 4.967, so the eighth and ninth pairing was set.

By out-qualifying Bazemore by one spot, Worsham also picked up one additional qualifying point. With 733 points in the back coming into this race, one might think that a single little qualifying point would not be that significant, but this one was as important as they get. It moved Worsham to within exactly 20 points of Bazemore, which is precisely what one round of racing will earn you. Round one was for the points lead. To paraphrase hockey terminology, it was "a forty point round." The winner of this first round race would not only win, he would guarantee the loss by his opponent.

On the blue side of the CSK pit, Burkart's car had more trouble with the Englishtown track than Worsham's, and the best the blue squad could come up with was a 14th position, based on a time warp 5.050. It would be an uphill climb for Burkart, as he was matched up with Cruz Pedregon, who had qualified third with a 4.885.

Both the tension and the attention started to build as soon as the pairings were set, as ESPN trotted cameras into both the Worsham and Bazemore pit areas, turning up the wick on a story which already had a flame. When dawn broke in New Jersey, the focus and stress were tangible.

"I knew it was big as soon as we finished qualifying," Worsham said. "But, honestly, I didn't anticipate it revving up like it did. I mean, we're still just half-way through the season here. If Whit and I were racing in round one for the points lead in Pomona this November, then I could understand the hub-bub, but it just kind of built on itself and before you knew it we were the center of a lot of attention.

"We tried to focus on this like it was just another first round, which is stressful enough, but we couldn't help but get wound up in it all," Worsham continued. "And the fans here, they're so knowledgeable and into it and that added a lot of excitement to it. Our guys said they stopped at a convenience store for ice on the way to the track from our hotel and the clerk clapped when they walked in and yelled "Beat Bazemore!" That's pretty wild."

Adding to the "playoff" feel of this first round race was the fact that Worsham and Bazemore surprisingly were presented with the first pair slot. Normally, the eight and nine runners will find themselves racing last in the first round, since all the higher qualifiers will usually not elect to run as the last pair. Here, the first pair was what was left, so the battle for the points lead led off the Funny Car action on a sunny but slightly cooler Sunday.

Worsham was ready, as were his teammates, but the red CSK driver saw some things he'd never before seen from his crew.

"These guys have ice water in their veins, and I've absolutely never before seen them appear to have any kind of butterflies," he said. "This morning, they were quiet, focused, but definitely feeling it. I think a few of them will admit they were nervous. It really shouldn't have felt any different from any other first round, but all the build-up, the media attention, and all the comments and shouts from the fans this morning really got the whole thing wound up pretty tight."

While every member of the red CSK crew took deep breaths, or breathed not at all, Bazemore got the jump at the lights and both cars tore down the track. Worsham's machine stayed planted well past half-track and only slightly spun the tires near the finish line, while Bazemore's mount lost traction completely near the 660-foot mark and Worsham pulled away for the win. At that particular moment, on the strength of that single extra qualifying point, Del Worsham and Whit Bazemore were tied atop the points standings. The "whoosh" sound heard at Raceway Park was the effect created by ten red-clad CSK crew members all exhaling at once.

Just minutes later, Burkart came to the line trying to make it two-for-two for Team CSK. His blue machine left hard, and was making a straight and clean run while Cruz Pedregon had to pedal his way out of early trouble on the other side. It appeared everyone in Worsham country was going to end this first round with smiles on their faces, right up until Burkart's car began to spin the tires just a little and then exploded in a large fireball.

With the orange glow filling the cockpit along with dense black smoke, Burkart pulled the trigger on the fire extinguisher bottles and worked hard to get his car to a halt. By the time he could do that, and hop out of the escape hatch, the flames had done some significant damage to the front half of the car, and Burkart's round was lost.

"I was thinking we had this one, and then it just lit up and it got black as night in there," Burkart said. "It was a big one, and plenty hot, and all I was able to do was yank on the brake and try to get it stopped. I thought it was stopped when I popped up through the roof hatch, but then I saw it was still rolling a little. I figured I could jump out safely at that point or go back down in there. It was a pretty easy decision to get out of there.

"I'm fine, no problems at all" Burkart continued. "But it's just a shame we hurt the car and hurt the body. We have a new Monte Carlo at the shop but it's not ready yet, so I'm sure we'll be racing a Firebird in St. Louis when we get there in a few days. We've got a lot to do between then and now."

Putting the memory of Burkart's fire behind them, the red team got to work on Worsham's car and had it serviced and warmed up almost by the time the Funny Car first round ended. Tommy Johnson, who qualified here in the 16th position, had taken out the number one qualifier Eric Medlen in a round one upset, and he would be Worsham's opponent in round two.

After what seemed to be an interminable wait, Worsham and Johnson faced off on the still tricky track. Worsham's best reaction time of the season, a startlingly quick .038, gave him an early jump on Johnson and he never gave it up. Putting a great lap on the board, Worsham tripped the lights at 4.998 to take over the points lead all by himself.

Heading into his seventh semi-final of the year, Worsham lined up against Gary Densham to contest the right to advance to the final. Coming off his win in Columbus, Worsham was trying to win his seventh consecutive round of racing.

At this point, things got spectacular once again.

Worsham pulled away quickly from Densham, and was stretching his lead as the cars passed the mid-way point of the race track. This semi-final appeared to be a lock until deja vu struck, all over again. When a fuel pump malfunction robbed the screaming racecar of fuel, the motor leaned out and detonated in yet another ball of fire. Fortunately, this time the very cause of the explosion robbed the fire of additional fuel to burn and the flash was quickly out, sparing the team and the driver another major inferno. Unfortunately, Densham was able to drive around the wounded Checker, Schuck's, Kragen car to win the round.

"We were on probably our best pass of the weekend, it was just hauling and not even thinking of spinning the tires," Worsham said. "But then, boom. It lit up pretty big, but I hit the bottles immediately and it went right out. I was totally confused as to why it did that, but we got back to the pit and looked at the computer and the first thing I saw was the fuel flow just dropped off right before the bang. We went out and looked at the car and saw the fuel pump problem. It was just a fluke thing, which will probably never happen again, but that's what happens in this sport. There are very few ways to win races out here, but a million ways to blow one of these things up."

With the hype and hyperbole of the first round match behind him, Worsham was quick to plant his feet on the ground and analyze his position.

"We're half done with the season," he said, matter-of-factly. "Yes, being in first place is better than any of the alternatives, but there's still so far to go. I see that first round win as being like the last shot of the first half in a basketball game. You launch it as the buzzer sounds, and for us it went in. It's great, and you get to run off the court high-fiving each other, but there's still a whole second half to play. Maybe it's the basket that wins you the game, but maybe not. You're just glad you got it and you move on."

Good, spectacular, and in the points lead. Not getting to the final was a disappointment for Team CSK, but much was accomplished here in Englishtown.

Englishtown, Saturday: Del Worsham and Phil Burkart, drivers of the Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Chevy Monte Carlo Funny Cars, after Saturday's qualifying sessions in Englishtown, N.J.

The drama is mounting, the stage is set, and after another hot day of qualifying in Englishtown Del Worsham and Whit Bazemore ended the day exactly where they started, with Worsham in the eighth spot and Bazemore ninth. The two will race each other in round one, and the implications are large, regardless of the June date. Bazemore came into this race in first place, 21 points ahead of Worsham. The difference between eighth and ninth is one qualifying point, so Bazemore now enters Sunday exactly 20 points, or one round of racing, ahead of Worsham.

Neither team could improve in the first session, but both ran tantalizingly similar times in the final session. Worsham ran a 4.961, the second-quickest E.T. of the session, while Bazemore posted a slightly slower 4.967.

"Whit's been saying all day on the P.A. that this is what he wants, so here we go," Worsham said. "I know what he means, and I agree completely. If you really think you're a championship caliber team, you want your fate in your own hands. Running each other makes quick work of it, and we'll all know after round one who is going to be leaving here in first place. Whoever does win the round has the chance to put some points on the board. If you're tight in points with a guy, and you win the race but he's the runner-up, your win only nets you 20 points. Race him in the first round, and you can do some damage.

"It's big. It is June, and frankly whoever wins this round tomorrow won't be that far ahead and whoever loses has all sorts of time to make it up, but it will still be a big deal when we line up tomorrow. I know Bob Frey on the P.A, and the guys on television, are already making a big deal out of it. That's great, and it's great for the sport and the fans. We'll bring our best stuff up there, and we expect them to do the same. We'll see how it all works out."

Worsham is 2-3 versus Bazemore this season.

The CSK blue team suffered the same fate as nearly every team racing today, as they were unable to improve on their Friday evening effort. In Burkart's case, however, the lack of improvement actually led to a slide down the ladder to the number 14 spot. The team worked on making a full pass in the final run, and did that with a conservative but complete run.

Burkart will face Cruz Pedregon in round one.

"It was as tough out there as we've maybe ever seen it," Burkart said. "This is a good track, but the combination of the sun and the heat on the racing surface, compounded with the humidity slowing the cars down, kind of made it a mess. If you tuned the car up to overcome the air, you smoked the tires. If you slowed it down to get down the track, it was easy to shake. On our last run, the object was to find a tune-up that would go down the track so that we had a baseline to work with on Sunday. We did that, and everyone in our camp is actually pretty excited about what we can do tomorrow. Obviously, if you've been following Team CSK at all this year you know that qualifying in the bottom half doesn't bother us, so we'll just tune it up and see what we can do.

"It will be tough running Cruz. They've been qualifying extremely well, but we've been racing well all year. We'll just have to wait until Sunday morning and see what Mother Nature brings us here. If it's like this, we might see a lot of pedaling out there, and a lot of smoke, just like last weekend in Columbus. If it cools off, all bets are off and it will be a matter of which tuners make the right calls completely out of the blue."

Burkart is 1-1 versus Cruz Pedregon this season.

Englishtown, Friday: Del Worsham and Phil Burkart, drivers of the Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Chevy Monte Carlo Funny Cars, were pleased with Friday's qualifying sessions in Englishtown, N.J.

The good news in Englishtown was that the team managed to stay dry, while the bad news came under the heading of "heat and humidity" as both were at season highs for the NHRA professionals. Challenging track conditions faced all the teams in round one, when only one driver (John Force) was able to record an E.T. under 5.0-seconds.

In the late session, run under the lights, only slight cooler conditions met the racers.

Worsham, driver of the red Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Funny Car, was No. 8 after one run, then picked up his pace by a whopping 71-hundredths of a second in the second session, to end the day in the same position.

Worsham's first pass, a 5.674 featured the standard first session tire smoke, one extra stab at the pedal, and an early shut-off. His second pass was a wire-to-wire run, successful in its length but slightly disappointing in its performance, a 4.964.

"The first lap was pretty much of a mess, for nearly everyone," Worsham said. "It was very hot, very humid, and the track was particularly loose from 660-feet on. Only the fact that John Force made a full pull kept me from thinking it was impossible to do, or at least improbable. We were hoping it would cool down quite a bit tonight and really help the track come around, but it only cooled down a little and the humidity didn't go anywhere.

"The track was a lot better for the second session, but we had a bad combination of a slightly soft tune-up and an underperforming motor. Sometimes they just don't run as crisply or dig as hard, and it's our assignment now to find out why it was a bit off on that run. A 4.96 was all it had. The forecast is promising for tomorrow and Sunday, with maybe some cooler air coming in. Whatever happens, we have to be a little more aggressive."

Burkart, driving the blue Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Monte Carlo, shut off very early after tire shake on his first pass, then ran a 5.050 on his second run. Such an E.T. would normally leave you well down the sheet if not below the 16th spot, but on this challenging day it put Burkart in the No. 11 spot overnight.

"We shook very hard on the first run, there wasn't anything I could do but lift," he said. "We wanted to come back in the second one and get a good lap on the board but the tires started spinning at half-track. I pedaled it once, and it kept spinning them but I felt like we better get as good a number as possible on the board so I kept after it. Then, with the tire spin, it dropped two cylinders, which just slowed us down some more. If we can tame it down, to get it down there without spinning the tires, we can run 4.8's. We just have to get that done tomorrow."

Englishtown, pre-race: The states of New Jersey and New York share a common border, a few sports teams, and one gigantic metropolitan area. But beyond the New York city metro, the differences begin to come to light, and for Yorkville, NY resident Phil Burkart, who happens to drive the blue Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Monte Carlo Funny Car on the NHRA tour, the differences between his upstate New York home and the area around Old Bridge Township Raceway Park are vast and startling.

Heading to Englishtown for this weekend's K35th annual K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals presented by Strauss Discount Auto, Burkart will make one of his shortest commutes of the season, coming down to New Jersey from his home 60-miles east of Syracuse. Even for this New Yorker, however, the trip to historic Raceway Park is a vivid one, and evidence enough that a shared border does not necessarily create a homogenized setting. Burkart, like most racers, is quick to point out how different "E-Town" is from most of the other stops on the tour.

"We circle around America a number of times throughout the season, and most of the places we go seem so much alike it's hard to remember what town you're in," Burkart said. "We tend to stay in very similar hotels, on very similar interstates, not too far from very similar malls and restaurants. Sometimes the accents change, but everything really does look a lot alike.

"When you're in Englishtown, though, there is absolutely no mistaking where you are. This place is so unique, and the people who live here are proud of that and proud of their heritage. I think it's very neat, and most of the racers really look forward to Englishtown. We just have to figure out those jug handle exits off the highways, because those mess us up every year."

The local flavor, which is almost too real to be real, almost too "Soprano's" to be authentic, is a but one reason Burkart and his team enjoy the visit to Jersey. Once the breakfast has been eaten at the Seville Diner, or dinner has been consumed at Vitale's, the rest of the weekend takes place at the most historic track in the eastern United States. Old Bridge Township Raceway Park is not only a venerable site, it is filled with some of the most fervent and knowledgeable race fans on the tour.

"There are no race fans like Englishtown fans, period," Burkart said. "They love drag racing, they know the sport, and they get very excited at the track. At some of the tracks we've only been going to for a few years, in new regions for us, we meet a lot of fans who are almost shy. They're not really sure what to say or what to do, and you sometimes have to let them know it's okay to ask for an autograph.

"In E-Town, it's like we're really racing in their place. So many of them show up wearing t-shirts or jackets from the 70's and 80's, talking about legendary cars they watched back before some of our guys were born. Even the young fans have been taught the history by their parents and they really get into this. Nitro Funny Cars at Raceway Park are as much a part of growing up here as calzones, going down to the shore, and Bruce Springsteen."

Once the action does move to the track for qualifying and eliminations, Burkart firmly believes his blue CSK squad is ready to bust their way back into the winner's circle. Running as well as they have all year, the blue team has only been stopped at the last two races by teammate Del Worsham, who looks to be on a serious roll himself.

"We had a complete neck-and-neck race against Del in the second round at Topeka, then we ran into his buzz saw in Columbus this past weekend," Burkart said. "Del had that look, and we knew he'd run well against us, so we tuned it up to take a shot at him. We were very upset that we smoked the tires, not only because it ended our day, but also because we didn't uphold our end of the bargain. We have a commitment here, to race as well as we can when we face Del, and we let him down. Next time, though I hope we don't have to race him until the final round, we'll give him everything he can handle."

Burkart's semifinal appearance in Columbus, where teammate Worsham went on to win the race, did serve to push the blue CSK Monte Carlo back into the seventh spot in the POWERade standings. Burkart, who has ranked as high as 5th after his victory in Las Vegas, had been holding down the eighth spot for three races. He now owns 559 POWERade points, which leaves him only ten points behind Gary Densham in sixth, and 20 points behind Gary Scelzi in fifth. One round of racing could, therefore, propel Burkart back into the top five.

"All you can do is try to win every round, because the other guys may be winning their rounds too," he said. "You never have control out here, it's always up for grabs no matter who you're racing, but even when you win you only guarantee that one other guy is going to lose. If the stars lined up right and we picked up a round on both Densham and Scelzi, that would be awesome. We think we're top-five caliber, but I sincerely doubt those other guys are willing to cooperate with what we think. We'll just have to win as many rounds as we can, because these other guys around us are awesome drivers on fantastic teams."

Winning those rounds can't happen until Sunday at Raceway Park, but enjoying everything New Jersey has to offer begins as soon as the team arrives on Thursday. They just need to watch out for those jug handle exits.