THIRD TIME'S A CHARM FOR WORSHAM
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/d_worsham.jpg" alt="d_worsham" align="left"borders="0"/>
Del Worsham went to the line for the third qualifying session just as the sun was setting and the track conditions were improving, literally, by the second. He also went to the line 0-for-2 in terms of getting his CSK Chevy to the finish line, and was buried deep within the group of "also ran" participants.
As the second pair in the session, Worsham knew he'd need a good enough number to withstand the onslaught of all the stout teams behind him, but he also knew he needed to get down the track. When he did just that, and a 4.128 popped up on the board, his crew at the line were happy, but not exultant. The run moved Worsham all the way up to the No. 2 spot, at the time, but nearly every big-hitter in the class was still waiting to run.
In the end, the run did get bested by a number of teams, but Worsham's 4.128 was good enough to hold on for a slot in the provisional top-half, landing in the No. 8 position. With two more qualifying runs on Sunday, both contested in the daylight, the number is quite likely to stay right where it is on the ladder.
"I never say never and never say things are impossible, but if the sun is out it's going to be hard to run in the low teens tomorrow," Worsham said. "The odds are pretty good that most of the top 12, if not all of it, will stay right where they are. What that means to us is that we get to concentrate on the US Smokeless Showdown tomorrow, and not have to be too concerned about staying in the field for the Mac Tools US Nationals. That's a good thing.
"Our runs in the first two sessions were just awful, really, and for different reasons. We had a tune-up issue on Q1, and just flat overpowered the track, and then we knocked the rods out of it in Q2 earlier today. We went up there tonight pretty blind, in terms of getting down this track, but we trusted ourselves to make the right call. We didn't go for broke, because the stakes were too high if we would've smoked the tires, but we were aggressive enough. To be 8th right now, I'd say that was aggressive enough."
Worsham will face Robert Hight in round one of the Showdown tomorrow. The lap will also count as a qualifying session for Monday's Mac Tools US Nationals.
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/d_worsham.jpg" alt="d_worsham" align="left"borders="0"/>
Del Worsham went to the line for the third qualifying session just as the sun was setting and the track conditions were improving, literally, by the second. He also went to the line 0-for-2 in terms of getting his CSK Chevy to the finish line, and was buried deep within the group of "also ran" participants.
As the second pair in the session, Worsham knew he'd need a good enough number to withstand the onslaught of all the stout teams behind him, but he also knew he needed to get down the track. When he did just that, and a 4.128 popped up on the board, his crew at the line were happy, but not exultant. The run moved Worsham all the way up to the No. 2 spot, at the time, but nearly every big-hitter in the class was still waiting to run.
In the end, the run did get bested by a number of teams, but Worsham's 4.128 was good enough to hold on for a slot in the provisional top-half, landing in the No. 8 position. With two more qualifying runs on Sunday, both contested in the daylight, the number is quite likely to stay right where it is on the ladder.
"I never say never and never say things are impossible, but if the sun is out it's going to be hard to run in the low teens tomorrow," Worsham said. "The odds are pretty good that most of the top 12, if not all of it, will stay right where they are. What that means to us is that we get to concentrate on the US Smokeless Showdown tomorrow, and not have to be too concerned about staying in the field for the Mac Tools US Nationals. That's a good thing.
"Our runs in the first two sessions were just awful, really, and for different reasons. We had a tune-up issue on Q1, and just flat overpowered the track, and then we knocked the rods out of it in Q2 earlier today. We went up there tonight pretty blind, in terms of getting down this track, but we trusted ourselves to make the right call. We didn't go for broke, because the stakes were too high if we would've smoked the tires, but we were aggressive enough. To be 8th right now, I'd say that was aggressive enough."
Worsham will face Robert Hight in round one of the Showdown tomorrow. The lap will also count as a qualifying session for Monday's Mac Tools US Nationals.
