WORSHAM RACING ON OFF WEEKEND
Tue, 2008-05-06 16:29
Del Worsham is a racer. It's what he does, it's what he loves,
and it defines him. So, faced with a string of 12 NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series events in 18 weeks, what did Worsham choose to do on the
first of only six off-weekends between now and Labor Day? He chose to
pull his popular Blue Max Nostalgia Funny Car out of the shop to take
it racing, of course.
"We've
been to the track in Tucson a lot of times, and it's a really nice
facility with a great racing surface. We used to test our Checker,
Schuck's, Kragen Funny Car there, so we've made quite a few laps at
S.I.R., and the fans in the area have always been great. Even in
pre-season testing, they'd come out in big numbers and it felt like a
real event, not just a test session. I'm sure they'll pack the place
for this nostalgia race, because these cars are so popular and people
love to come out and watch the teams run them."
Worsham has entered his Blue Max in the "Funny Car Fever II"
event, set for this Saturday (May 10) at Southwestern International
Raceway in Tucson, Ariz., where he will compete with other dedicated
nostalgia competitors in search of low E.T.'s, bragging rights,
trophies, and purse money. Though strictly a Worsham side-project, the
carefully restored version of Raymond Beadle's 1977 Mustang II Blue Max
has impressed crowds and racers alike, while either making exhibition
runs at NHRA National Events or competing at a select few sanctioned
nostalgia events and match races. Worsham's first full lap in the
car, an exhibition pass at the '05 NHRA Dallas race with Beadle in
attendance, resulted in a 5.97-second time slip, making his Blue Max
the first Nostalgia Funny Car to dip into the 5-second range.
"We
just love racing the car, and when I heard about this event in Tucson I
knew we wanted to go have some fun, if the weather didn't mess up our
NHRA schedule," Worsham said. "We've had some iffy weather at the last
two NHRA races, in Atlanta and St. Louis, so I was keeping my fingers
crossed and I couldn't commit to this deal until I knew for sure we
could go. I don't know if the fingers being crossed helped or not, but
we dodged the rain drops enough at both races to get them in on time,
and now we have the chance to go nostalgia racing this weekend.
NHRA Pro Will Race His Blue Max Nostalgia Funny Car in Tucson
Del Worsham is a racer. It's what he does, it's what he loves, and it defines him. So, faced with a string of 12 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events in 18 weeks, what did Worsham choose to do on the first of only six off-weekends between now and Labor Day? He chose to pull his popular Blue Max Nostalgia Funny Car out of the shop to take it racing, of course.
Worsham has entered his Blue Max in the "Funny Car Fever II"
event, set for this Saturday (May 10) at Southwestern International
Raceway in Tucson, Ariz., where he will compete with other dedicated
nostalgia competitors in search of low E.T.'s, bragging rights,
trophies, and purse money. Though strictly a Worsham side-project, the
carefully restored version of Raymond Beadle's 1977 Mustang II Blue Max
has impressed crowds and racers alike, while either making exhibition
runs at NHRA National Events or competing at a select few sanctioned
nostalgia events and match races. Worsham's first full lap in the
car, an exhibition pass at the '05 NHRA Dallas race with Beadle in
attendance, resulted in a 5.97-second time slip, making his Blue Max
the first Nostalgia Funny Car to dip into the 5-second range.
"We
just love racing the car, and when I heard about this event in Tucson I
knew we wanted to go have some fun, if the weather didn't mess up our
NHRA schedule," Worsham said. "We've had some iffy weather at the last
two NHRA races, in Atlanta and St. Louis, so I was keeping my fingers
crossed and I couldn't commit to this deal until I knew for sure we
could go. I don't know if the fingers being crossed helped or not, but
we dodged the rain drops enough at both races to get them in on time,
and now we have the chance to go nostalgia racing this weekend.
A
great part of drag racing's allure is its open pit area, where fans can
take in the behind-the-scenes action while just a few feet away from
the working crews. That benefit is even more personal at nostalgia
racing events, as the massive 18-wheel transporters and plush
hospitality areas are replaced by more era-specific equipment,
including the 45-foot trailer Worsham will haul to the track behind a
heavy duty pick-up. While he loves his full-time job, racing as a pro
on the NHRA tour, he sees these events as a chance to relive the early
days of Funny Car racing, and just have fun.
"That's
what it's all about, and it's why we built this car and take it out
whenever we can," Worsham said. "I guess it was about four years ago,
when my dad was helping out Nathan Bugg and his nostalgia team, and he
really got into that because it was so much like the old days. I was
just a little kid in the 70s, but my dad was racing by then so you know
it really hit home with him. When we started talking about messing
around with this ourselves, I knew I wanted to build a Blue Max
replica. It was my favorite car as a kid, and I'm sure more than a few
grade-school teachers could verify that, considering how many pictures
of it I drew in my notebooks.
"It's great to
go to these events, get our hands dirty, work out of a small trailer,
meet the fans and the other nostalgia racers, and just go back in time
for a couple of days. The only pressure I feel is just to make sure we
don't hurt the car, and make sure we have enough fun. And let me tell
you, driving this thing is serious business, but it's a ton of fun."
Worsham will be assisted by his father Chuck, as well as Marc Denner, Grant Downing, John Fink, and Robin "Silky" Silk.
The race, Funny Car Fever II,
will feature a Chicago-style format, in which each Funny Car will make
two laps during the event and the quickest two cars will be brought
back for the final round, and it will also feature plenty of memorable
machinery. In addition to Worsham and his Blue Max, the event
promoters are expecting Terry Capp in his Bubble Up Firebird, Jim Adolph in the Nitro Charger, Bucky Austin in his Northwest Hitter, James Day in the Holy Toledo Jeep, and many others.
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