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MEMPHIS, TN (8/15/06) -- The code may look indecipherable to anyone else, but Del Worsham would recognize it immediately. The string of numbers is 7, 8, 3, 3, 4, 2, 8, and it's noteworthy that all of the digits are of the single variety. Those numbers represent Worsham's finishing position on the POWERade points chart since 1999, with the high-water mark being set in 2004 when he won five races and finished second. Heading into the Brainerd race this past weekend, Worsham was tiring of toting around a cumbersome two-digit points position, having held the 10th spot for three straight races.
Now, as the tour quickly and immediately turns south and heads from the peaceful woods of central Minnesota to the hot and muggy confines of Memphis Motorsports Park for this weekend's O'Reilly Midsouth Nationals, Worsham has managed to shed that extra number to get back into the land of the single numerals, yet again. His semi-final finish in Brainerd moved him into the No. 9 position, but in his mind there is still a long way to go.
"To me, it's just awful and hard to believe that we aren't in the top five, so being ninth again isn't much consolation," Worsham said. "But, with all the struggles we've had, it's not that bad to know we've spent every week in the top ten this year, and getting back to ninth is the first step toward getting up to eighth, and so on. We're a better team than our results have shown, and I know we're good enough to lower this number a lot further. We just have to keep winning rounds."
Worsham's frustration and travails throughout the 2006 season are well documented, and the long list of indigestion-inducing narrow losses have conspired to keep him from ever being in the thick of the current points battle. His highest position this year was the No. 5 spot, which he claimed for just one race after reaching the semi-finals in Atlanta. Other than that, it's been a string of 7s, 8s, 9s, and those three oversized 10s. Now, as he heads to the diametrically opposed environment in Memphis, his main goal is to continue picking up those precious POWERade points, no matter what the conditions may be.
"Other than the drizzle on Sunday morning, the weather in Brainerd was nice," he said. "We've baked quite a bit this year, so it was good to get up there in the Minnesota woods and feel some cool air. I hope everyone enjoyed it a lot, because we're going straight to the place where we almost incinerated last year. Right now, the forecast in Memphis is for low to mid-90s, which isn't as bad as last year's 100+, but it's still going to feel pretty bad after Brainerd.
"When you run in Memphis in the heat, you better have your 'Tuning Genius' hat on. It's a decent track surface, not the best by a long shot but also not the worst, but when the track temperature gets up over 130, it's a mess. You just try to get to the other end making noise, basically. Physically, you stay hydrated and stay cool however you can, but mentally you have to be able to just block it out. It can be tough in Memphis, but you have to gut it out."
Worsham's best showing in Memphis is a runner-up finish he managed in 2002, so the track still eludes his long list of conquered facilities. Of course, in 2002 the Memphis race was held in the more forgiving climate of mid-September, rather than the blast furnace of August. Either way, Worsham looks back over his Memphis career and sees a few ongoing threads of consistency.
"We've never won here, and weather almost always plays a part in how this race goes," he said. "They've moved the Memphis race all over the board, trying to find a decent weekend, but it's not easy. There are lots of places on the tour that are hot in the summer, and we can't run all 23 events in April and September, so you just have to deal with it.
"Some of the hottest days in my racing career were in Memphis, and some of the wettest ones too. A couple of years ago, we had a flood come pouring into the pit area and teams were truly scrambling to save their equipment. I guess, in comparison, I'd rather have the heat than the flood. That flood was kind of scary."
One other thing on Worsham's agenda this weekend is points related, though they are points of a different flavor and they are very close to being out of reach. After having won the Skoal Showdown last year, as part of his historic "double up" weekend in Indianapolis, Worsham will enter Memphis (the final race at which Skoal points can be earned) all but mathematically eliminated from the 2006 special event. Sitting in the No. 9 spot on the Skoal chart, Worsham is 140 points out of the running, now trailing Whit Bazemore who holds the 8th and final position.
"We went into Brainerd 135 points behind Tony Pedregon, but instead of closing the gap on him, he picked up a few points on us by qualifying No. 2," Worsham explained. "Had Whit made the show, we would be mathematically out of it right now, but he got zero Skoal points when he missed the field and that slid him into the 8th spot. To pass him, though, we'll need to qualify in the top four spots and at the same time he has to DNQ for the second straight week. I think we can handle our side of that deal, but I don't suspect they're going to cooperate. We're not out of it until we're truly out of it, but I'm not going to Memphis focused on that. I'm counting POWERade points right now."
Strangely enough, the same character who is holding on to the No. 8 spot in the Skoal Showdown is also sitting in the same spot on the POWERade side of the chart. Bazemore's 112 point lead means Worsham is, at best, a couple of races away from even coming close to the 8th position, but that digit is one lower than 9, and Worsham has it in his sights.
WORSHAM HEADS TO MEMPHIS, BACK IN SINGLE DIGITS
MEMPHIS, TN (8/15/06) -- The code may look indecipherable to anyone else, but Del Worsham would recognize it immediately. The string of numbers is 7, 8, 3, 3, 4, 2, 8, and it's noteworthy that all of the digits are of the single variety. Those numbers represent Worsham's finishing position on the POWERade points chart since 1999, with the high-water mark being set in 2004 when he won five races and finished second. Heading into the Brainerd race this past weekend, Worsham was tiring of toting around a cumbersome two-digit points position, having held the 10th spot for three straight races.
Now, as the tour quickly and immediately turns south and heads from the peaceful woods of central Minnesota to the hot and muggy confines of Memphis Motorsports Park for this weekend's O'Reilly Midsouth Nationals, Worsham has managed to shed that extra number to get back into the land of the single numerals, yet again. His semi-final finish in Brainerd moved him into the No. 9 position, but in his mind there is still a long way to go.
"To me, it's just awful and hard to believe that we aren't in the top five, so being ninth again isn't much consolation," Worsham said. "But, with all the struggles we've had, it's not that bad to know we've spent every week in the top ten this year, and getting back to ninth is the first step toward getting up to eighth, and so on. We're a better team than our results have shown, and I know we're good enough to lower this number a lot further. We just have to keep winning rounds."
Worsham's frustration and travails throughout the 2006 season are well documented, and the long list of indigestion-inducing narrow losses have conspired to keep him from ever being in the thick of the current points battle. His highest position this year was the No. 5 spot, which he claimed for just one race after reaching the semi-finals in Atlanta. Other than that, it's been a string of 7s, 8s, 9s, and those three oversized 10s. Now, as he heads to the diametrically opposed environment in Memphis, his main goal is to continue picking up those precious POWERade points, no matter what the conditions may be.
"Other than the drizzle on Sunday morning, the weather in Brainerd was nice," he said. "We've baked quite a bit this year, so it was good to get up there in the Minnesota woods and feel some cool air. I hope everyone enjoyed it a lot, because we're going straight to the place where we almost incinerated last year. Right now, the forecast in Memphis is for low to mid-90s, which isn't as bad as last year's 100+, but it's still going to feel pretty bad after Brainerd.
"When you run in Memphis in the heat, you better have your 'Tuning Genius' hat on. It's a decent track surface, not the best by a long shot but also not the worst, but when the track temperature gets up over 130, it's a mess. You just try to get to the other end making noise, basically. Physically, you stay hydrated and stay cool however you can, but mentally you have to be able to just block it out. It can be tough in Memphis, but you have to gut it out."
Worsham's best showing in Memphis is a runner-up finish he managed in 2002, so the track still eludes his long list of conquered facilities. Of course, in 2002 the Memphis race was held in the more forgiving climate of mid-September, rather than the blast furnace of August. Either way, Worsham looks back over his Memphis career and sees a few ongoing threads of consistency.
"We've never won here, and weather almost always plays a part in how this race goes," he said. "They've moved the Memphis race all over the board, trying to find a decent weekend, but it's not easy. There are lots of places on the tour that are hot in the summer, and we can't run all 23 events in April and September, so you just have to deal with it.
"Some of the hottest days in my racing career were in Memphis, and some of the wettest ones too. A couple of years ago, we had a flood come pouring into the pit area and teams were truly scrambling to save their equipment. I guess, in comparison, I'd rather have the heat than the flood. That flood was kind of scary."
One other thing on Worsham's agenda this weekend is points related, though they are points of a different flavor and they are very close to being out of reach. After having won the Skoal Showdown last year, as part of his historic "double up" weekend in Indianapolis, Worsham will enter Memphis (the final race at which Skoal points can be earned) all but mathematically eliminated from the 2006 special event. Sitting in the No. 9 spot on the Skoal chart, Worsham is 140 points out of the running, now trailing Whit Bazemore who holds the 8th and final position.
"We went into Brainerd 135 points behind Tony Pedregon, but instead of closing the gap on him, he picked up a few points on us by qualifying No. 2," Worsham explained. "Had Whit made the show, we would be mathematically out of it right now, but he got zero Skoal points when he missed the field and that slid him into the 8th spot. To pass him, though, we'll need to qualify in the top four spots and at the same time he has to DNQ for the second straight week. I think we can handle our side of that deal, but I don't suspect they're going to cooperate. We're not out of it until we're truly out of it, but I'm not going to Memphis focused on that. I'm counting POWERade points right now."
Strangely enough, the same character who is holding on to the No. 8 spot in the Skoal Showdown is also sitting in the same spot on the POWERade side of the chart. Bazemore's 112 point lead means Worsham is, at best, a couple of races away from even coming close to the 8th position, but that digit is one lower than 9, and Worsham has it in his sights.
