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BRAINERD, Minn. -- Many racers on the NHRA POWERade tour consider the annual stop in Brainerd to be one of their favorites. There's the beautiful Minnesota scenery, the friendly fans, the legendary campgrounds, and an overall atmosphere that is truly unique to this rural race track in the middle of nowhere. Phil Burkart, driver of the blue Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Monte Carlo Funny Car, will enjoy all of those attributes when he returns to Brainerd for this weekend's Lucas Oil Nationals, but his reason for elevating the Minnesota stop to near the top of his list is more personal. It was here his career was resurrected, and a lifetime full of dreams began to come true.
Back in 2003, Burkart was home in upstate New York working in his family-owned automotive shop. Though he was officially part of a very exclusive club as a licensed Funny Car driver, he had spent much more time on the sidelines than in the game after his debut in 1998. As the 2003 Brainerd race approached, Burkart could look back over his sputtering professional career and count only 34 race appearances in more than five seasons. Of those, 16 had ended early with a DNQ, as Burkart's various low-budget teams struggled to compete. Then, Del Worsham called.
"Del and his team were running three cars at the time, with Arnie Karp driving the black car, and Arnie got hurt at home right before the Brainerd race," Burkart recalled. "About 24 hours later, I was on a plane headed toward Minneapolis, pretty wound up that I was getting a chance to drive such a good car, for such a great team. Brainerd is a unique place, but for me it was like the Taj Mahal and I was walking on red carpets. The whole weekend was a bit of blur, but it was awesome."
Burkart knew his job was to keep Karp's seat warm while the "Boston Strangler" recovered from his knee injury, but he also looked at the job as a chance to prove his ability on the big stage. Driving a car for the Worshams would give Burkart the chance he had craved, to prove to every team owner in the business that he could drive. The owner he convinced, in the end, was the one who brought him to Brainerd.
"I was just getting comfortable in the black car, and we managed to qualify at both Brainerd and Indianapolis, when some more shocking news came my way," Burkart recalled. "Johnny Gray, who had been driving the blue CSK car, decided to call it quits after Indy and Del told me I was being traded, from the black team to the blue team. In two weeks, I'd gone from sitting at home to driving the blue Checker, Schuck's, Kragen car.
"Now, it's three years later, and here I am heading back to Brainerd yet again. That first trip, in 2003, may have been a total blur, but I've enjoyed the heck out of this race every year since then. It's all about great memories, a great place, great fans, and a great race. On top of that, it's like an anniversary for me every time I come here. I may have raced from 1998 to 2003, and even won a Wally doing it that way, but my 'real career' started in Brainerd. The dream started coming true in Brainerd."
As dreams go, the 2006 season hasn't exactly been the sort that you hope to have on a nightly basis. Though far from a nightmare, the '06 campaign has still been full of frustrating turns, unlucky happenstance, and more than a few unhappy endings. For Burkart, getting back to the good karma in Brainerd can't hurt.
"You know the dream where you're trying to get somewhere, but you just aren't going fast enough and you can't quite get there? Well, in a lot of ways our season has been like that. It started well, and our confidence was sky high, but then the gremlins started nibbling at us and the thousandths of a second started going the other way. We need a good outing, and we need to get back on the positive side of the close ones.
"Brainerd fits the bill, in my book. When I drive through the gate I get excited again. When I do my first burnout, I remember 2003, driving a car I didn't even fit in, with towels taped to the seat to lift me up high enough to see. It's all good in Brainerd. It's where the dream started coming true. I don't make predictions, but I really think we're going to do well this weekend. I can feel it."
Perhaps it will be a dream weekend in the land of lake resorts, cabin retreats, and Walleyes on the hook. Such an outcome would only give Burkart one more reason to consider the rustic Minnesota track one of his favorites.
Brainerd Remains One of Burkart's Faves
BRAINERD, Minn. -- Many racers on the NHRA POWERade tour consider the annual stop in Brainerd to be one of their favorites. There's the beautiful Minnesota scenery, the friendly fans, the legendary campgrounds, and an overall atmosphere that is truly unique to this rural race track in the middle of nowhere. Phil Burkart, driver of the blue Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Monte Carlo Funny Car, will enjoy all of those attributes when he returns to Brainerd for this weekend's Lucas Oil Nationals, but his reason for elevating the Minnesota stop to near the top of his list is more personal. It was here his career was resurrected, and a lifetime full of dreams began to come true.
Back in 2003, Burkart was home in upstate New York working in his family-owned automotive shop. Though he was officially part of a very exclusive club as a licensed Funny Car driver, he had spent much more time on the sidelines than in the game after his debut in 1998. As the 2003 Brainerd race approached, Burkart could look back over his sputtering professional career and count only 34 race appearances in more than five seasons. Of those, 16 had ended early with a DNQ, as Burkart's various low-budget teams struggled to compete. Then, Del Worsham called.
"Del and his team were running three cars at the time, with Arnie Karp driving the black car, and Arnie got hurt at home right before the Brainerd race," Burkart recalled. "About 24 hours later, I was on a plane headed toward Minneapolis, pretty wound up that I was getting a chance to drive such a good car, for such a great team. Brainerd is a unique place, but for me it was like the Taj Mahal and I was walking on red carpets. The whole weekend was a bit of blur, but it was awesome."
Burkart knew his job was to keep Karp's seat warm while the "Boston Strangler" recovered from his knee injury, but he also looked at the job as a chance to prove his ability on the big stage. Driving a car for the Worshams would give Burkart the chance he had craved, to prove to every team owner in the business that he could drive. The owner he convinced, in the end, was the one who brought him to Brainerd.
"I was just getting comfortable in the black car, and we managed to qualify at both Brainerd and Indianapolis, when some more shocking news came my way," Burkart recalled. "Johnny Gray, who had been driving the blue CSK car, decided to call it quits after Indy and Del told me I was being traded, from the black team to the blue team. In two weeks, I'd gone from sitting at home to driving the blue Checker, Schuck's, Kragen car.
"Now, it's three years later, and here I am heading back to Brainerd yet again. That first trip, in 2003, may have been a total blur, but I've enjoyed the heck out of this race every year since then. It's all about great memories, a great place, great fans, and a great race. On top of that, it's like an anniversary for me every time I come here. I may have raced from 1998 to 2003, and even won a Wally doing it that way, but my 'real career' started in Brainerd. The dream started coming true in Brainerd."
As dreams go, the 2006 season hasn't exactly been the sort that you hope to have on a nightly basis. Though far from a nightmare, the '06 campaign has still been full of frustrating turns, unlucky happenstance, and more than a few unhappy endings. For Burkart, getting back to the good karma in Brainerd can't hurt.
"You know the dream where you're trying to get somewhere, but you just aren't going fast enough and you can't quite get there? Well, in a lot of ways our season has been like that. It started well, and our confidence was sky high, but then the gremlins started nibbling at us and the thousandths of a second started going the other way. We need a good outing, and we need to get back on the positive side of the close ones.
"Brainerd fits the bill, in my book. When I drive through the gate I get excited again. When I do my first burnout, I remember 2003, driving a car I didn't even fit in, with towels taped to the seat to lift me up high enough to see. It's all good in Brainerd. It's where the dream started coming true. I don't make predictions, but I really think we're going to do well this weekend. I can feel it."
Perhaps it will be a dream weekend in the land of lake resorts, cabin retreats, and Walleyes on the hook. Such an outcome would only give Burkart one more reason to consider the rustic Minnesota track one of his favorites.
