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Del Worsham took on the challenge of the blistering Brainerd track on Friday, and put two solid laps on the board. Running in wildly uncharacteristic heat and humidity, Worsham posted a 5.046 in Q1, which may sound pedestrian but was obviously not, as it landed him 4th after the first run. In Q2, which was held under late afternoon sunshine (there are no lights in Brainerd), the track temperature was still flirting with the 118 degree mark, but Worsham knew he had to step up if his quest for a spot in the Countdown To The Championship were to remain viable. That he did, firing off a 4.909, to finish the day in the No. 5 spot. Jim Head, the driver Worsham is most directly chasing for the spot in the top eight, landed 11th today, which would translate into a gain of two qualifying points if the field were to stay as it is. Worsham came into this event 85 points behind Head, and with each round of racing counting as 20 points, the difference between making up the five additional markers within two races is the equivalent of another full round of competition.
"If you want to know what all of us think of the Countdown, just sit in the tuning room with us while we all count points," Worsham said. "Our math isn't all that good, but we finally got the official sheet and we saw we had landed No. 5, while Jim is 11th. I can tell you without much doubt that we've never been this caught up in POWERade points at Brainerd, so the countdown has obviously added a whole new phase to all of this.
"A lot can happen tomorrow, but if it's as hot as today, I bet most of what you'll see happen will go on in the mid-4.90 range. The bump spot is still a 5.24, and there are actually two guys down there with 5.24's, so there will be some action on the ladder, I think, no matter how hot it gets. If it's as brutal as it was during today's two runs, it will be tough to run better than 4.95. Not impossible, mind you, because we saw Mike Ashley run 4.88 when it was just absolutely scorching during today's first run.
"All we can do is our best, and the car is rewarding us right now with some nice solid passes, just like in Sonoma. It's a confidence boost for all the guys on this team when we put the car together and take it up there expecting it to go to the other end under power, rather than just hoping it will."
WORSHAM GOES 2-FOR-2, LANDS IN No. 5 SPOT AFTER ONE DAY
Del Worsham took on the challenge of the blistering Brainerd track on Friday, and put two solid laps on the board. Running in wildly uncharacteristic heat and humidity, Worsham posted a 5.046 in Q1, which may sound pedestrian but was obviously not, as it landed him 4th after the first run. In Q2, which was held under late afternoon sunshine (there are no lights in Brainerd), the track temperature was still flirting with the 118 degree mark, but Worsham knew he had to step up if his quest for a spot in the Countdown To The Championship were to remain viable. That he did, firing off a 4.909, to finish the day in the No. 5 spot. Jim Head, the driver Worsham is most directly chasing for the spot in the top eight, landed 11th today, which would translate into a gain of two qualifying points if the field were to stay as it is. Worsham came into this event 85 points behind Head, and with each round of racing counting as 20 points, the difference between making up the five additional markers within two races is the equivalent of another full round of competition.
"If you want to know what all of us think of the Countdown, just sit in the tuning room with us while we all count points," Worsham said. "Our math isn't all that good, but we finally got the official sheet and we saw we had landed No. 5, while Jim is 11th. I can tell you without much doubt that we've never been this caught up in POWERade points at Brainerd, so the countdown has obviously added a whole new phase to all of this.
"A lot can happen tomorrow, but if it's as hot as today, I bet most of what you'll see happen will go on in the mid-4.90 range. The bump spot is still a 5.24, and there are actually two guys down there with 5.24's, so there will be some action on the ladder, I think, no matter how hot it gets. If it's as brutal as it was during today's two runs, it will be tough to run better than 4.95. Not impossible, mind you, because we saw Mike Ashley run 4.88 when it was just absolutely scorching during today's first run.
"All we can do is our best, and the car is rewarding us right now with some nice solid passes, just like in Sonoma. It's a confidence boost for all the guys on this team when we put the car together and take it up there expecting it to go to the other end under power, rather than just hoping it will."
