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BRAINERD, Minn. (August 7, 2007) -- The two tracks share many similarities, not the least of which is a rustic setting deep in the woods, but for Checker, Schuck's, Kragen driver Del Worsham, Brainerd International Raceway (B.I.R.) and Maple Grove Raceway share one, very important, common denominator. They host the final two stops on the NHRA POWERade tour before the Countdown To The Championship begins, and
Worsham enters this pair of back-to-back events in 9th place, one spot out of the playoffs and just a hair over four rounds behind the man on the Countdown bubble, Jim Head.
The "make-or-break" doubleheader begins this weekend amid the bucolic forests and beautiful lakes of central Minnesota, at the Lucas Oil Nationals, and the very fact Worsham is even thinking about a late dash into the playoff field is a credit to his tenacity and relentless dedication. Just three races ago, in Denver, Worsham was sitting in 13th place after having lost in the first round at six consecutive races. At the time, any hope of making the 8-team playoff system seemed unrealistic at best. But then, a second-round finish in Seattle
and a runner-up result in Sonoma brought Worsham's name back to the forefront, while catapulting his chances from "slim" to "possible." It won't be easy, but at least there's a chance.
"After the year we've had, I can't ask for much more than a chance, and now we have it," said Worsham, who also plans on being back in a standard red CSK Impala this weekend, after running a blue CSK Chevy since Denver. "We were left for dead after the first two races this year, because we didn't make the field at either one of them. We got back on track and won a few rounds, then made it to the final in St. Louis. At the time, that put us 8th and we were back in the hunt, but right after that we went on a long skid of first round losses, a few of them by inches, and I'm sure everybody was writing us off again. Now, here we are, coming off a runner-up and 85 points behind Jim Head. Although it's going to be gigantically tough to catch him, it can be done.
"Of course, unless the ladder creates a deal where we line up against Jim in round one, the entire thing won't be in our hands. All we'll be able to control is how we do, and we'll probably need some help on the other end. Even if we start going rounds in Brainerd, if Jim is going rounds at the same time we won't be gaining anything, so it's going to be a deal where we may need both performance and luck. We need performance to handle our side of the equation, because we need to run fast to win rounds. We may need some luck on the other side, hoping that someone can step up and knock Jim out early. A few extra qualifying points wouldn't hurt either. That could make the difference between being five rounds behind, or four."
Worsham is no stranger to miraculous comebacks in Brainerd, having needed to sink a few half-court buzzer-beaters to make the annual Skoal Showdown in years past. He will not be in the Showdown field in 2007, but the stress of needing last-second heroics at B.I.R. rings a bell, while it also gives Worsham reason for tempered confidence.
"Over the years, this race used to be the last one before Indy and the showdown, and we seemed to always come in here either barely holding on to the 8th spot, or needing a huge save to move up from 9th," Worsham said. "In 1991, we actually came in here needing to qualify in the top three, while we also needed Tom Hoover to qualify 14th or worse, and we somehow pulled that off by qualifying No. 1 while he was 16th. Then, in 1999, we needed to out-qualify Al Hofmann by three spots, and as we rolled to the line for the last session, we were actually three spots behind him. We jumped up exactly six places to take the last spot in the Showdown.
"So, the way I look it at it, we're in the same situation but we have two races to do it. We're trying to be in the top eight, which is just like how the Showdown works, and we need some big plays to do it. Basically, we absolutely have to gain at least two rounds on Jim at each race, while we also out-qualify him. If he out-qualifies us, or if we're right there together on the sheet, we need five rounds total, and that would be tough. Either way, we have to win rounds. Period."
Winning rounds, miracle shots, and a place in the woods. The story line works for both this weekend and the next, but the Maple Grove chapter of the story is apt to be irrelevant if Worsham can't keep the ball rolling in Brainerd. With under a minute to play, Del Worsham has the ball. Now the crowd can only wait to see if he can score.
TWO RACES IN THE WOODS - ONE SHOT AT THE COUNTDOWN, FOR WORSHAM
BRAINERD, Minn. (August 7, 2007) -- The two tracks share many similarities, not the least of which is a rustic setting deep in the woods, but for Checker, Schuck's, Kragen driver Del Worsham, Brainerd International Raceway (B.I.R.) and Maple Grove Raceway share one, very important, common denominator. They host the final two stops on the NHRA POWERade tour before the Countdown To The Championship begins, and
Worsham enters this pair of back-to-back events in 9th place, one spot out of the playoffs and just a hair over four rounds behind the man on the Countdown bubble, Jim Head.
The "make-or-break" doubleheader begins this weekend amid the bucolic forests and beautiful lakes of central Minnesota, at the Lucas Oil Nationals, and the very fact Worsham is even thinking about a late dash into the playoff field is a credit to his tenacity and relentless dedication. Just three races ago, in Denver, Worsham was sitting in 13th place after having lost in the first round at six consecutive races. At the time, any hope of making the 8-team playoff system seemed unrealistic at best. But then, a second-round finish in Seattle
and a runner-up result in Sonoma brought Worsham's name back to the forefront, while catapulting his chances from "slim" to "possible." It won't be easy, but at least there's a chance.
"After the year we've had, I can't ask for much more than a chance, and now we have it," said Worsham, who also plans on being back in a standard red CSK Impala this weekend, after running a blue CSK Chevy since Denver. "We were left for dead after the first two races this year, because we didn't make the field at either one of them. We got back on track and won a few rounds, then made it to the final in St. Louis. At the time, that put us 8th and we were back in the hunt, but right after that we went on a long skid of first round losses, a few of them by inches, and I'm sure everybody was writing us off again. Now, here we are, coming off a runner-up and 85 points behind Jim Head. Although it's going to be gigantically tough to catch him, it can be done.
"Of course, unless the ladder creates a deal where we line up against Jim in round one, the entire thing won't be in our hands. All we'll be able to control is how we do, and we'll probably need some help on the other end. Even if we start going rounds in Brainerd, if Jim is going rounds at the same time we won't be gaining anything, so it's going to be a deal where we may need both performance and luck. We need performance to handle our side of the equation, because we need to run fast to win rounds. We may need some luck on the other side, hoping that someone can step up and knock Jim out early. A few extra qualifying points wouldn't hurt either. That could make the difference between being five rounds behind, or four."
Worsham is no stranger to miraculous comebacks in Brainerd, having needed to sink a few half-court buzzer-beaters to make the annual Skoal Showdown in years past. He will not be in the Showdown field in 2007, but the stress of needing last-second heroics at B.I.R. rings a bell, while it also gives Worsham reason for tempered confidence.
"Over the years, this race used to be the last one before Indy and the showdown, and we seemed to always come in here either barely holding on to the 8th spot, or needing a huge save to move up from 9th," Worsham said. "In 1991, we actually came in here needing to qualify in the top three, while we also needed Tom Hoover to qualify 14th or worse, and we somehow pulled that off by qualifying No. 1 while he was 16th. Then, in 1999, we needed to out-qualify Al Hofmann by three spots, and as we rolled to the line for the last session, we were actually three spots behind him. We jumped up exactly six places to take the last spot in the Showdown.
"So, the way I look it at it, we're in the same situation but we have two races to do it. We're trying to be in the top eight, which is just like how the Showdown works, and we need some big plays to do it. Basically, we absolutely have to gain at least two rounds on Jim at each race, while we also out-qualify him. If he out-qualifies us, or if we're right there together on the sheet, we need five rounds total, and that would be tough. Either way, we have to win rounds. Period."
Winning rounds, miracle shots, and a place in the woods. The story line works for both this weekend and the next, but the Maple Grove chapter of the story is apt to be irrelevant if Worsham can't keep the ball rolling in Brainerd. With under a minute to play, Del Worsham has the ball. Now the crowd can only wait to see if he can score.
