NHRA News: Armed with frontrunner experience, Bazemore back for more in '04 (1/21/2004)

Armed with frontrunner experience, Bazemore back for more in '04

1/21/2004

"This year's Matco Tools Dodge will be the best racecar we've ever had."
– Whit Bazemore

Whit Bazemore came closer than he ever had to the POWERade championship in 2003, even taking the points lead late in the season after a win in Memphis. But eventual champ Tony Pedregon found his groove down the stretch and successfully put Bazemore and Co. away in one final head-to-head showdown in Las Vegas.

But Bazemore and his Matco Tools crew are back and up for the challenge once again, ready to take on all comers armed with the knowledge gained of coming oh-so-close in last year's race.

In this question and answer session, Bazemore discusses his ongoing Funny Car education, his relationships with crew chief Lee Beard, team owner Don Schumacher, and teammate Gary Scelzi, and who he views as his biggest challengers in 2004.

Q: How will you approach the 2004 season?

Whit Bazemore's Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T.
www.RacersEdgePhotography.com

Bazemore: We learned a lot last year and the key to having a good season will be to perform consistently well all season and take advantage of all the opportunities our opponents give us. That's something we didn't always do last year. The key is to have the car running well all the time, but at the same time not make any mistakes and just try to be steady and aggressive the whole year.

Q: Did coming so close to the championship change you?
Bazemore: I don't think so. It was a learning experience. You apply what you learned and hopefully become a better racecar driver. In that regard maybe it has. But as a person I would say no. It's why we race – to win races, contend, and hopefully win championships. It was a great experience.

Q: Any regrets?
Bazemore: There are no real regrets because we gave 100 percent every time we got in the car. During the off season, as a team, we were able to dissect the season and pinpoint some areas or some things we could have approached differently and perhaps better. I wouldn't say there are regrets but there are opportunities to learn and improve. That's how we look at it. We're going to take those lessons and move on.

Q: Who are the contenders in 2004?
Bazemore: I think John Force himself will be very strong this year, a lot stronger than last year, and he and his team were pretty damned strong. I think our team is a contender, and Gary Scelzi, my teammate, now that he's got a full season of Funny Car racing under his belt, is going to be stronger as well. I would say those three teams head the list. The (Del) Worsham team has been there the past couple of years so you certainly can't overlook those guys at all. And (Don) Prudhomme's team (Ron Capps and Tommy Johnson Jr.) certainly has the ability to be there.

Q: Are you and Scelzi friends?

The deciding race of the 2003 championship took place under the lights in Las Vegas. Tony Pedregon, far lane, won the tire-smoking duel.
www.RacersEdgePhotography.com

Bazemore: We're friends but we're also very competitive. Scelzi wants to bury everyone at the racetrack and so do I, even each other, but we overlook that at times and usually get along very well. We're different. There's a lot of mutual respect. I think we want what's best for the team and I would say that we're friends.

Q: Are you eager to start the season?
Bazemore: Yeah, I am. I am very eager to make things happen this year. Last year was good but the feeling of optimism within our team is very, very strong and we know we can improve upon our results. That kind of optimism makes it exciting.

Q: What has given you the most satisfaction in this sport?
Bazemore: Just being able to make a living doing this at a competitive level is probably the most important thing for me. Obviously the two times we won the U.S. Nationals were huge moments in my career. Given the early days, the fact we're now in a position to contend for championships and race wins at every race is the biggest accomplishment I've made and the one thing that gives me the most satisfaction.

Q: How is your relationship with Lee Beard?
Bazemore: It's really critical everyone in a team respects and supports everyone else in the team. It's especially true between the driver and the crew chief. Lee and I have a very, very strong relationship where he trusts my judgment 100 percent and he takes my opinions and thoughts into account and I trust his decisions 100 percent. I think trust is the most important ingredient between the driver and the crew chief and we have that.

Q: What will your team do differently to claim the championship?
Bazemore: The natural evolution of growing together and working together over a number of years makes us stronger. The experience of contending for the championship and actually leading the points late in the season was something I'd never experienced before. You look back and you analyze the things that you did right and the things that you did wrong and you work on those areas that you did wrong and you try to improve them. If you can do that, then naturally you're going to be better prepared and stronger the following season. That's kind of where we are.

The Matco crew grew into solid championship contenders in 2003.
www.RacersEdgePhotography.com

You can't predict results and you can't take anything for granted. You have to go out and earn it every single race. It's very easy to go out and smoke the tires in the first round three or four or five races in a row, which would just be suicide as far as your championship goes. You just have to prepare the car as best you can and go out and outperform the other teams. You also have to hope for a little racing luck when you need it.

We've made some changes to the car that should make it perform better. It should be easier for Lee to tune. That's a part of improving the team. The car is the most important thing. It's got to be competitive and that's Lee's job to make it competitive. He's on top of it and developing new components for us. This year's Matco Tools Dodge will be the best racecar we've ever had.

Q: How is your relationship with Matco Tools?
Bazemore: A team isn't going to be much without the proper funding and Matco Tools provides that for us. This will be the fifth year of my association with Matco and it's been a great time. They're a very aggressive company, growing their business every year, and the way they utilize the motorsports program to drive their business is really exciting for me. It's exciting to be part of a success story such as Matco Tools.

It's not just a matter of putting their name on the side of the car and going racing. We're a very valuable part of their marketing program. The fact it works for them and we're getting results and their business is growing, due in part to the racing program, is really satisfying.

Q: How is your relationship with Don Schumacher?
Bazemore: It's had its moments (laughing). In all seriousness, Schumacher is a very fair person. I just concentrate on doing my job as best I can. Neither one of us likes excuses, so that makes working for him very easy. He provides the very best he can for the team and he expects results. Our car doesn't want for anything. As a driver you can't ask for a better situation than that. If we didn't have what we needed to get the job done then I'd be very frustrated.

Q: Is driving for a multi-car team a pro or a con?
Bazemore: It's definitely an advantage. The amount of time in drag racing we're actually on the racetrack is so small, given the nature of the sport, that it's become more and more important over the years to be able to have as much data and experience as you can at any given time. By having a multi-car team we're able to get way more information. If you have a two-car team you're able to double your information each time you race and it makes it a lot easier to try different things. You just get way more done in the same amount of time by running two cars. It also allows Don to increase the commercial side and broaden the sponsorship base and that's always healthy for a team. Provided you have sponsorship for it, there are many, many benefits that far outweigh the downside.

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