Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
Indianapolis, Ind.
(Sept. 1-6)
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Whit Bazemore Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car |
Reports: Sunday Saturday Pre-race |
Indianapolis, Sunday: Whit Bazemore, a two-time winner of this prestigious event, made a strong pass down the quarter-mile in the final qualifying round for the U.S. Nationals today in hot and humid conditions as well as a slight cloud cover. Bazemore drove his Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus to a 4.876-second elapsed time at 315.56 mph for the third quickest pass of that round.
It didn't improve his No. 6 placement in the field (the 4.860/295.92 from Friday night still stood), but it was the team's first full run down the track in five qualifying sessions and it brightened the spirits of driver and crew.
"It's not the heat of the day, but it ain't nighttime either," he said in the top-end interview after that run, "so, good job (crew chief Lee) Beard and the team. Just when our heads were dragging in the sand the old hot rod stepped up. We're excited. Tomorrow is an important day. We feel a lot better going into it now, that's for sure.
"This was our first run this weekend to the finish line under power.
"We had a frustrating day certainly," he said of his first-round loss in the Skoal Showdown, "and to be able to bounce back is very important for everyone on the team and for the morale of the team. These guys make such a huge effort. It's been a long weekend.
"It's a fitting end to the day. It's important to end qualifying here at Indy on an up-note, a positive, and we did, so we'll be ready to go racing tomorrow."
Bazemore faces Tommy Johnson Jr. in the first round of eliminations for their second meeting this season. "We'll be ready for the Skoal team tomorrow, and it's going to be a tough day.
"We have a great race car when conditions are perfect. And we are still working on creating a great race car when conditions are less than ideal."
Indianapolis, Saturday: Whit Bazemore qualified No. 6 after three of five Funny Car qualifying rounds for the U.S. Nationals, with his best run of 4.860 seconds at 295.92 mph recorded last night in the Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus while slowing at the top end.
In today's second session in heat and humidity, he posted another incomplete run of 4.958/296.44, and tonight he hazed the tires for a 5.902/158.30 pass.
"Tonight we were going for low E.T. and we were on a tremendous run, by far the best run we've made in a long, long time. The Matco Tools Dodge was doing perfectly, with the front end up really nicely and charging hard until half-track when it spun the tires," he said.
"We're still trying to get a handle with this new tire. John Force did an outstanding job tonight with a 4.749 for the pole. I haven't looked at the incremental numbers yet to see how we stacked up in the early numbers against him. It was certainly our best run in a while. We were a little over-clutched right there.
"If we could do it again tonight it would be a different story, but we can't."
Indianapolis, pre-race: Whit Bazemore was a 16-year-old professional photographer with full media credentials when he witnessed his first U.S. Nationals in 1979. That was the 25th anniversary of this prestigious event and this weekend marks the 50th running of the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Bazemore, who lives in Indianapolis, barely comprehends the fact that not only has his dream of racing a Funny Car come true, but that he'll be competing this weekend at IRP as a two-time U.S. Nationals champion. "Being a part of this race 25 years later is a huge honor for me and is something I am really proud of," he said.
Taking home trophies at the U.S. Nationals in 1997 and in 2001 were milestones in Bazemore's 16-year pro NHRA career, and a third victory this weekend as well as a move up from third in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car rankings are the goals of his Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge Stratus team and crew chief Lee Beard.
"The U.S. Nationals is by far my favorite race of the year and it's a race obviously that means the most to win," said Bazemore, who is 243 points out of first place, 23 points behind teammate Gary Scelzi in second, and just two points ahead of Del Worsham in fourth, "so I'm really looking forward to having the weekend start on Friday.
"Our Matco Tools team is coming into Indy with renewed confidence following successful testing last week and we know that a win at the 50th U.S. Nationals would help make this season one of our best.
"Having said that, Indy is the toughest race on the schedule, so, in order to win, everyone on the Matco Tools team and every part of the car has to be 110 percent. It's the kind of challenge we love to tackle head-on and we know that most of our competitors will be making the same strong effort that we're going to make.
"Indy is one of the hardest races to win because – almost impossibly – everyone's able to raise his game just that little bit more than normal," said Bazemore, who posted the fastest and quickest Funny Car pass in NHRA history this year, 4.713 at 333.25 mph, "and you think that you are always giving 110 percent all year. But when you come to Indy you somehow find that extra concentration and you find that extra performance in the race car that's hard to find anywhere else.
"And I think it's because winning Indy means more than winning any other race. So, believe it or not, you want it more. And you find more ways to perform head to head at the highest level."
Bazemore is also qualified No. 3 for the $100,000 bonus event on Sunday, the Skoal Showdown, and will face Tim Wilkerson in the first of three rounds.
"Indy is always billed and looked upon as the biggest race of the year, the most prestigious single race to win," said crew chief Lee Beard, who has won the U.S. Nationals three times as a crew chief, "and therefore it would mean a great deal to me.
"I think that when people look back at a season, there are a few things they remember about it. They remember who won the championship, who won Indy and who won the Showdown. Everything else seems to be in second or third. People forget who won Atlanta or Topeka. No matter how bad of a season a team has, if you're able to pull off a win here at Indy, it turns into a spectacular season for you."
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