Del Worsham is concerned about his upcoming season in Top Fuel.

For the veteran Funny Car driver, his concerns are not rooted in whether or not he can drive a 300-inch wheelbase, nitro-burning dragster. He just doesn’t know the competition.

When Worsham lines up for his first qualifying session during the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Ca, there’s a less than one-percent chance that he’ll pair up against anyone he raced against the last time he competed in the class in 1995.

“I remember running against Eddie Hill, Don Prudhomme and Kenny Bernstein. This is like a whole new group of Top Fuel guys,” recalled Worsham, who once drove a dragster for Roger Primm. “I think the only guy that raced back then that still races now was Cory Mac and if he doesn’t race then I don’t think there’s anybody in that category I’ve ever run against. There’s a chance that I’m just going to get to race against 25 new people.”

Del Worsham is concerned about his upcoming season in Top Fuel.

For the veteran Funny Car driver, his concerns are not rooted in whether or not he can drive a 300-inch wheelbase, nitro-burning dragster. He just doesn’t know the competition.

When Worsham lines up for his first qualifying session during the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Ca, there’s a less than one-percent chance that he’ll pair up against anyone he raced against the last time he competed in the class in 1995.

“I remember running against Eddie Hill, Don Prudhomme and Kenny Bernstein. This is like a whole new group of Top Fuel guys,” recalled Worsham, who once drove a dragster for Roger Primm. “I think the only guy that raced back then that still races now was Cory Mac and if he doesn’t race then I don’t think there’s anybody in that category I’ve ever run against. There’s a chance that I’m just going to get to race against 25 new people.”

With 25 potential new opponents, Worsham plans to immerse himself in film study as if he’s a National Football League quarterback  studying opposing defenses. For him, that’s the best way to make an easier transition. He’s casually watched Top Fuel in order to keep tabs on his Al-Anabi Racing teammate and defending Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon, but there was little study involved.

This year’s NHRA Full Throttle Top Fuel chase is expected to be one of the toughest titles to procure. So what will Worsham look for in these films?

The basics, he said, knowledge that became ingrained in his memory banks from over a quarter-century’s worth of continuous Funny Car competition. Understanding a driver’s staging tendencies is a major part of the game.

“I know the Funny Car class so well and I know what they can do but I don’t know anything about the Top Fuel guys,” Worsham admitted. “I was going to watch film so I can tell how long they take and how they roll in just to get a feel for each guy.

“I’m going to watch Doug Kalitta, Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon even though I’ve watched Larry quite a bit being a teammate but I really don’t know much about them as far as their driving styles. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a new challenge.”

One thing the competition will quickly learn is that regardless of which car Worsham pilots, he’s an intense competitor who plays to win. In his two year stint behind the wheel of Primm’s dragster, Worsham won a fair share of rounds and reached the semis of Indy in 1993 where a red-light cost him a race he admits he could have, and should have, won. Two years later Worsham won his first career Top Fuel race while driving a dragster for his father Chuck and Chuck Gilchrist on the IHRA tour.

On September 28 of last season, the announcement was made that Worsham, a driver who graduated from BMX [bicycle motocross] racing directly into nitro Funny Car would drive a dragster in 2011. Even though the announcement was made, up until the last few weeks, Worsham wasn’t entirely convinced the long and skinny cars would be his destiny this season.

“You just never know; I wasn’t 100% convinced that this was going to happen until the last month,” said Worsham. “Once I was convinced of it, I was really excited about it. I raced Funny Cars for the majority of my career. I’m excited. I’ve been basically racing the same people for 15 to 20 years now. The idea of going out and racing new competitors excites me. I’d be lying to you if I didn’t tell you there’s a little unfinished business in Funny Car because I never did get a chance to win a championship.”

Worsham believes as the season progresses he will soon be forgotten as a former, prominent member of the Funny Car fraternity.  

“I’ve thought pretty hard about it and hopefully a drag racer is what I am,” Worsham explained. “Whether it’s Top Fuel or Funny Car or running a Nostalgia Funny Car I want to just do the best job I can. I’m looking forward to it. I can see the excitement that Alan Johnson has and Sheikh Khalid and the entire team. It’s created excitement and I think everyone is going to be good with it.”

Even though Worsham is a licensed Nitro Funny Car driver, he will have to complete a licensing cross-over procedure to become an official Top Fuel driver. He will be required to make a half-track pass and two full runs representative of Top Fuel competition.

Worsham will attempt the cross-over process on January 31 at Palm Beach International Raceway during a private test session.

 

---

{source}
<div style="float:left; padding:5px;"><script type="text/javascript">
google_ad_client = "pub-8044869477733334";
/* 300x250, created 4/3/09 */
google_ad_slot = "2028912167";
google_ad_width = 300;
google_ad_height = 250;
</script>
<script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</div><div style="padding:5px;">

<script type="text/javascript">
sr_adspace_id = 2000000613807;
sr_adspace_width = 300;
sr_adspace_height = 250;
sr_ad_new_window = true;
sr_adspace_type = "graphic";
</script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://ad.afy11.net/srad.js?azId=2000000613807">
</script></div>
{/source}