The Bazemore Bulletin
19th annual FRAM-Autolite Nationals
July 27-29, 2007
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, Calif.
“We like Sonoma . It’s one of our favorite places. We love the area. We like Napa reds. We have some friends there; it’s fun to go to Sonoma . There’s only one goal and that’s to win the race. There aren’t any other goals. When we show up, we’re there to win the race. If we can get four good qualifying runs at Sonoma , that’ll help a lot. I’m excited about the next couple of races.”
Bazemore Sonoma Notebook
Bazemore qualified fourth for the fourth time this season with a 4.628-second elapsed time last weekend at Seattle . He clocked low E.T. of the first round of eliminations before falling to four-time series champion Tony Schumacher in the quarterfinals.
Bazemore enters the 15th race on the schedule ranked seventh in the POWERade Top Fuel standings. He trails sixth-place driver Bob Vandergriff, Jr. by just five points.
Last July, qualified his Matco Tools Funny Car in the No. 11 spot with a run of 4.857 seconds at 322.73 mph. He advanced to the semifinals before falling to Eric Medlen.
Bazemore has an average starting spot of 7.06 at Infineon Raceway in 16 career starts at the Sonoma track. His average starting position this season is seven.
Bazemore has three poles at the Sonoma track (1999-01). He has 30 career poles. In March, he became the 15th driver in NHRA history to earn poles in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.
Two weeks ago at Denver , Bazemore advanced to his first career Top Fuel final round. It was the 47th final round appearance in his career. He posted a runner-up finish to teammate Rod Fuller in the first all-David Powers Motorsports final round. Only 13 racers have scored wins in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.
Baze Banters About Sonoma ...
Sonoma :
“Vino”
Infineon Raceway:
“Picturesque”
Favorite local restaurant:
“French Laundry”
Favorite Infineon Raceway racing memory:
“Winning in ‘99”
Favorite Sonoma-area cycling route:
“We ride from Petaluma . There are many good routes.”
2007 NHRA Top Fuel Standings
1. ROD FULLER (2) 1,048 - - - -
2. Brandon Bernstein (4) 914 - 134
3. Larry Dixon (2) 890 - 158
4. Tony Schumacher (3) 881 - 167
5. J.R. Todd (2) 863 - 185
6. Bob Vandergriff, Jr. 701 - 347
7. WHIT BAZEMORE 696 - 352
8. David Grubnic 672 - 376
9. Melanie Troxel (1) 621 - 51
10. Cory McClenathan 602 - 70
Whit Bazemore’s Career Results at Infineon Raceway
Year Qualified Finish & Winning Driver
1991 No. 8 Second round—Mike Dunn
1992 No. 11 First round— Del Worsham
1993 No. 10 First round—Gordie Bonin
1994 No. 15 First round—Chuck Etchells
1995 No. 4 Second round—Chuck Etchells
1996 No. 6 Semifinals—Cruz Pedregon
1997 No. 9 Second round—Tony Pedregon
1998 No. 11 First round— Del Worsham
1999 No. 1 WINNER—def. Tony Pedregon
2000 No. 1 Second round—Dean Skuza
2001 No. 1 Semifinals—Del Worsham
2002 No. 4 Second round—Dean Skuza
2003 No. 4 Second round— Gary Scelzi
2004 No. 6 Second round—Tim Wilkerson
2005 No. 11 Semifinals—Ron Capps
2006 No. 11 Semifinals—def. Eric Medlen
Bazemore’s Sonoma Schedule
Date & Time Event and Location
Fri., July 27, 4:30/8 p.m. TF Qualifying 1/2, Infineon Raceway
Sat., July 28, 12:30/2:45 p.m. TF Qualifying 3/4, Infineon Raceway
Sun., July 29, Noon Final Eliminations, Infineon Raceway
Bazemore’s Career-Best Performances
E.T.—4.498 seconds (TF) Las Vegas April 2007
E.T.—4.674 seconds(FC) Joliet , Ill. June 2006
MPH—332.51 mph (TF) Englishtown , N.J. June 2007
MPH—333.25 mph (FC) Joliet , Ill. June 2004
