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LAS VEGAS (April 7, 2008) -- There's probably no better time to head to Las Vegas than when you're on a certifiable hot streak. Whether it's drawing to an inside straight, putting a pile of chips on that one lucky number, watching 7-7-7 come up on a slot machine, or finding your drag racing stride after two and a half years of frustration, the payoffs in Sin City can be large, and Del Worsham is headed to the Nevada desert looking to cash in.
After having won 18 races in five years (2001-2005), capped off by his memorable victory at the '05 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Worsham seemingly lost his map to the Winner's Circle, and the exasperation born of his winless skein was made worse when he led off each of the last two seasons with a pair of back-to-back DNQs. Less than two weeks ago, Worsham finally erased a losing streak that was one of the most confusing and frustrating in the sport, by dominating four rounds of racing in Houston, and all of those negative thoughts were relegated to the dusty files of ancient history. Worsham now shifts his sights to Las Vegas, where he has never won.
"Our team has won at The Strip but it was our blue car when Phil Burkart was driving, so I haven't had the pleasure," Worsham said. "The Strip is one of the best, and most major-league tracks on the tour, and it's definitely at the top of my list for places I'd like to add to the scrapbook, but I've never approached a race in my life looking all the way ahead to think about winning. Houston was just like every other race we've ever won; we went there trying to do our best and hoping to go rounds. Some weekends, it just all comes together and you get rewarded. Some weekends, you run even better and it doesn't happen. You just never know."
The "you just never know" theme applies to Las Vegas as a whole, where an enormous industry is based on the unlikely, but still possible, chance that the next play could deliver riches. It happens every day, though it usually seems to happen to someone else.
"Yeah, when I'm in the casino I see people screaming, yelling, and jumping up and down, but it's hardly ever me," Worsham said. "But that's the beauty of the casino, just like it is in our sport. If you've got half a clue, and you're playing with a plan, it is possible to win. I guarantee you'll never win the big bucks if you stay in your room and don't play. On the track, you have to get in the game, have a plan, execute the plan, and then hope for some luck. For more than two years, the luck part might have been missing for us, and maybe some of the plan I guess, but you have to play if you want to win.
"As well as we ran in Houston, there have been times when we'd do just exactly the same thing and somehow get tripped up before the final, or maybe in the final. When it happens once, you're disappointed. When it happens multiple times, you start to wonder if you'll ever win again. Sunday in Houston proved to us that hard work and doing it the right way will pay off. It was a huge win for us, and we just want to keep rolling right now."
If Worsham can let it ride and keep the numbers rolling, he'll be able to maintain or improve an unlikely surge in the POWERade points standings. The season is now four races old, but after two events Worsham was mired in 20th place, with nothing more than the 20 points he was awarded for making qualifying attempts in Pomona and Phoenix. While other teams were winning rounds, and races, Worsham was just trying to come up for air.
After a second-round finish in Gainesville, and his win in Houston, Worsham leapfrogged over 11 other drivers, and now finds himself in the No. 9 slot on the points sheet. The POWERade Top 10 is a place the popular driver wants to stay.
"Being in the Top 10 has always been an honor, and something every one of us has aimed for," he said. "Now, with the Countdown adjusted to 10 teams instead of eight, it's the biggest key thing this season. We just made a huge jump to get out of the basement and back in the game, so it would really be great to keep winning some rounds right now, hopefully solidifying a spot. As tight as the points are, and will be for quite a few more races, you can fall just as fast as you climbed, so right now we have to focus on qualifying and then getting to the second round. If we didn't win another race, but got to the second round at each one until the cut-down, we'd be in the playoff deal. You never know, but it's in our hands now."
Just like the spin of the reels or the toss of the dice; you never know. But you can't win if you don't play.
WORSHAM AIMS TO LET IT RIDE IN LAS VEGAS
LAS VEGAS (April 7, 2008) -- There's probably no better time to head to Las Vegas than when you're on a certifiable hot streak. Whether it's drawing to an inside straight, putting a pile of chips on that one lucky number, watching 7-7-7 come up on a slot machine, or finding your drag racing stride after two and a half years of frustration, the payoffs in Sin City can be large, and Del Worsham is headed to the Nevada desert looking to cash in.
After having won 18 races in five years (2001-2005), capped off by his memorable victory at the '05 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Worsham seemingly lost his map to the Winner's Circle, and the exasperation born of his winless skein was made worse when he led off each of the last two seasons with a pair of back-to-back DNQs. Less than two weeks ago, Worsham finally erased a losing streak that was one of the most confusing and frustrating in the sport, by dominating four rounds of racing in Houston, and all of those negative thoughts were relegated to the dusty files of ancient history. Worsham now shifts his sights to Las Vegas, where he has never won.
"Our team has won at The Strip but it was our blue car when Phil Burkart was driving, so I haven't had the pleasure," Worsham said. "The Strip is one of the best, and most major-league tracks on the tour, and it's definitely at the top of my list for places I'd like to add to the scrapbook, but I've never approached a race in my life looking all the way ahead to think about winning. Houston was just like every other race we've ever won; we went there trying to do our best and hoping to go rounds. Some weekends, it just all comes together and you get rewarded. Some weekends, you run even better and it doesn't happen. You just never know."
The "you just never know" theme applies to Las Vegas as a whole, where an enormous industry is based on the unlikely, but still possible, chance that the next play could deliver riches. It happens every day, though it usually seems to happen to someone else.
"Yeah, when I'm in the casino I see people screaming, yelling, and jumping up and down, but it's hardly ever me," Worsham said. "But that's the beauty of the casino, just like it is in our sport. If you've got half a clue, and you're playing with a plan, it is possible to win. I guarantee you'll never win the big bucks if you stay in your room and don't play. On the track, you have to get in the game, have a plan, execute the plan, and then hope for some luck. For more than two years, the luck part might have been missing for us, and maybe some of the plan I guess, but you have to play if you want to win.
"As well as we ran in Houston, there have been times when we'd do just exactly the same thing and somehow get tripped up before the final, or maybe in the final. When it happens once, you're disappointed. When it happens multiple times, you start to wonder if you'll ever win again. Sunday in Houston proved to us that hard work and doing it the right way will pay off. It was a huge win for us, and we just want to keep rolling right now."
If Worsham can let it ride and keep the numbers rolling, he'll be able to maintain or improve an unlikely surge in the POWERade points standings. The season is now four races old, but after two events Worsham was mired in 20th place, with nothing more than the 20 points he was awarded for making qualifying attempts in Pomona and Phoenix. While other teams were winning rounds, and races, Worsham was just trying to come up for air.
After a second-round finish in Gainesville, and his win in Houston, Worsham leapfrogged over 11 other drivers, and now finds himself in the No. 9 slot on the points sheet. The POWERade Top 10 is a place the popular driver wants to stay.
"Being in the Top 10 has always been an honor, and something every one of us has aimed for," he said. "Now, with the Countdown adjusted to 10 teams instead of eight, it's the biggest key thing this season. We just made a huge jump to get out of the basement and back in the game, so it would really be great to keep winning some rounds right now, hopefully solidifying a spot. As tight as the points are, and will be for quite a few more races, you can fall just as fast as you climbed, so right now we have to focus on qualifying and then getting to the second round. If we didn't win another race, but got to the second round at each one until the cut-down, we'd be in the playoff deal. You never know, but it's in our hands now."
Just like the spin of the reels or the toss of the dice; you never know. But you can't win if you don't play.
