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MEMPHIS, TN (8/15/06) -- The guy, and his team, can't buy a break. If they were to walk into the mall and head straight for "Otto's House of Breaks," they'd be told there were none to be had. Phil Burkart may want to find a Murray's Discount Auto store before heading to Memphis Motorsports Park this weekend, just to check on their inventory while he prepares to bring his "Madman Murray" Monte Carlo back into action, but in the end he'll likely still be searching for that elusive piece of the puzzle that will bust his season open.
All year, Burkart and his teammate Del Worsham have suffered repeated letdowns at the hands of uncanny "photo finish" losses. Coming off one of the most frustrating of said cliffhangers this past weekend, Burkart feels there's little reason to keep hoping Lady Luck will ever visit his team, so he and his gang might as well just force the issue with continued hard work.
"We did just about everything right on Sunday in Brainerd, and that includes the team, the crew chiefs, and the driver, but we still lost by two feet," Burkart said. "The way to not lose that race was to not be in it, and that's where we put ourselves in a bad spot. We weren't able to get up the ladder where we belong, and we started the race out of the 16th spot. Everybody's tough, but when John Force is in the No. 1 slot, and you have to race him in first round, you have more than just the standard amount of work cut out for you.
"Like I said, we did everything right. We got a jump on him, got out on him, ran our best lap of the weekend by a long way, and ran five miles per hour faster than he did, but he still ran us down and got a fender on us. You get out of the car and you wonder when this insanity is going to end, but you know you have to make it end. Nobody feels sorry for us. Nobody is going to hand us anything. We have to make it happen ourselves."
To do that in Memphis may entail a little mastery of difficult conditions, as the standard Mississippi River-fed heat and humidity are likely to be on tap this weekend. When the temperature and the atmospheric moisture conspire to create a hot soup that passes itself off as air, running race cars can be just as difficult as running a marathon. Getting to the finish line under power can be the secret to success.
"Memphis can be a challenge, to both man and machine," Burkart said. "The cars don't like the heat, the track temp, or the humidity. The people don't like it either, but the race is scheduled for this weekend so we'll just have to deal with it. Hopefully it won't be as brutal as last year, but if it is we'll just suck it up and do what we have to do. When it gets really hot, the whole field comes together a lot more and the back-breaking low ETs go away. When everyone is running 4.95 to 5.05, weird things happen.
"Who knows, maybe the conditions for the late qualifying runs will be bearable and we'll all be running 4.80s, but I don't think you should count on that. I think you better count on getting your car from A-to-B with the candles lit. Do that, and leave the line first, and you'll have a chance. Get in the top half of the field, and you'll force the other guys to press. That's how you make your own breaks. We want to force the issue, not have Force do it to us again. Pun intended."
One break Burkart can specifically pursue this weekend is exactly the same thing Worsham accomplished in Brainerd. After trailing Cruz Pedregon in the POWERade points for three straight races, Worsham finally got past the former World Champion by moving into 9th place. Pedregon now holds the last spot in the top ten, but leads Burkart by only 20 points, which is exactly one round of racing.
"We are, absolutely, a top ten team," Burkart said. "Our goal is to get there, and the guy in the way in Cruz Pedregon. It's nothing personal at all, it's just a mission we're on. After that, we'll shoot higher, but right now we want to out-qualify Cruz and go at least one round further than he does. That's the short-term goal right now."
A little heat. A dose of humidity. A dodgy track with some squirrelly Funny Cars. Throw in a chance for a spot in the top ten, and it could all add up to a self-made break for Burkart and his "Madman Murray's" team. Tell Lady Luck to stay home.
BURKART READY TO MAKE HIS BREAKS IN MEMPHIS
MEMPHIS, TN (8/15/06) -- The guy, and his team, can't buy a break. If they were to walk into the mall and head straight for "Otto's House of Breaks," they'd be told there were none to be had. Phil Burkart may want to find a Murray's Discount Auto store before heading to Memphis Motorsports Park this weekend, just to check on their inventory while he prepares to bring his "Madman Murray" Monte Carlo back into action, but in the end he'll likely still be searching for that elusive piece of the puzzle that will bust his season open.
All year, Burkart and his teammate Del Worsham have suffered repeated letdowns at the hands of uncanny "photo finish" losses. Coming off one of the most frustrating of said cliffhangers this past weekend, Burkart feels there's little reason to keep hoping Lady Luck will ever visit his team, so he and his gang might as well just force the issue with continued hard work.
"We did just about everything right on Sunday in Brainerd, and that includes the team, the crew chiefs, and the driver, but we still lost by two feet," Burkart said. "The way to not lose that race was to not be in it, and that's where we put ourselves in a bad spot. We weren't able to get up the ladder where we belong, and we started the race out of the 16th spot. Everybody's tough, but when John Force is in the No. 1 slot, and you have to race him in first round, you have more than just the standard amount of work cut out for you.
"Like I said, we did everything right. We got a jump on him, got out on him, ran our best lap of the weekend by a long way, and ran five miles per hour faster than he did, but he still ran us down and got a fender on us. You get out of the car and you wonder when this insanity is going to end, but you know you have to make it end. Nobody feels sorry for us. Nobody is going to hand us anything. We have to make it happen ourselves."
To do that in Memphis may entail a little mastery of difficult conditions, as the standard Mississippi River-fed heat and humidity are likely to be on tap this weekend. When the temperature and the atmospheric moisture conspire to create a hot soup that passes itself off as air, running race cars can be just as difficult as running a marathon. Getting to the finish line under power can be the secret to success.
"Memphis can be a challenge, to both man and machine," Burkart said. "The cars don't like the heat, the track temp, or the humidity. The people don't like it either, but the race is scheduled for this weekend so we'll just have to deal with it. Hopefully it won't be as brutal as last year, but if it is we'll just suck it up and do what we have to do. When it gets really hot, the whole field comes together a lot more and the back-breaking low ETs go away. When everyone is running 4.95 to 5.05, weird things happen.
"Who knows, maybe the conditions for the late qualifying runs will be bearable and we'll all be running 4.80s, but I don't think you should count on that. I think you better count on getting your car from A-to-B with the candles lit. Do that, and leave the line first, and you'll have a chance. Get in the top half of the field, and you'll force the other guys to press. That's how you make your own breaks. We want to force the issue, not have Force do it to us again. Pun intended."
One break Burkart can specifically pursue this weekend is exactly the same thing Worsham accomplished in Brainerd. After trailing Cruz Pedregon in the POWERade points for three straight races, Worsham finally got past the former World Champion by moving into 9th place. Pedregon now holds the last spot in the top ten, but leads Burkart by only 20 points, which is exactly one round of racing.
"We are, absolutely, a top ten team," Burkart said. "Our goal is to get there, and the guy in the way in Cruz Pedregon. It's nothing personal at all, it's just a mission we're on. After that, we'll shoot higher, but right now we want to out-qualify Cruz and go at least one round further than he does. That's the short-term goal right now."
A little heat. A dose of humidity. A dodgy track with some squirrelly Funny Cars. Throw in a chance for a spot in the top ten, and it could all add up to a self-made break for Burkart and his "Madman Murray's" team. Tell Lady Luck to stay home.
