<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/D_Worsham07.jpg" alt="D_Worsham07" align="right"borders="0"/>
LAS VEGAS (April 9, 2007) -- It's slightly bigger, far more "swoopy," clearly designed to go fast, and this Chevy Impala is brand new. It also has an odd little sunroof, no doors of any kind, and it belongs to Del Worsham, who plans to put it on the race track this weekend at the NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas. The new Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Impala Funny Car is scheduled to make its debut at "The Strip" after final preparations are complete, and if all goes well it will mark the end of Team CSK's three-year run with the venerable Monte Carlo.
New for 2007, the Impala arrived at Worsham Racing's headquarters about a month ago, and is now mounted, painted, and ready for vinyl graphics. The design of the new body is the result of extensive wind tunnel testing, and it's quite a departure from the Monte Carlo, which was radical in its own right back in 2004. Worsham is excited to get his new piece on the track, and he believes the new body will help his team make the move to the next level, as they compete for a spot in the NHRA "Countdown" playoff field.
"The Monte Carlo was pretty cool when it first came out, and it's been a great car for three years," Worsham said. "During that time, though, the other manufacturers out here have gotten a leg up on us, and our car was looking more and more like yesterday's news. The new Impala is really something, and it's going to be quite a bit different to drive, I imagine. Tommy Johnson got the first one, at the beginning of the season, and he said the first thing he noticed was that it's a bit easier to see out of. It's going to be interesting, and hopefully it's going to be fast.
"You can walk around the car and clearly see where the key design changes have been made, and they should give us a more slippery car that still produces the downforce we need. Other than the slightly different view, the only thing I hope to notice is that the car stays stuck at the top end. When you spin the tires a little down there, you tend to drop cylinders and hurt things, and that's not good. This body looks great, so I'm anxious to get it on the car and go racing with it."
Worsham's last body style switch, from the Pontiac Firebird to the Monte Carlo, came right in the midst of a serious winning streak in 2004. He had taken the trophy at two of the first four races, and was leading the points when it came time to make the change, all of which caused Worsham to have more than a little concern about fixing something that wasn't yet broken. Still, he knew the swap had to be made, and he went on to win three more races that year, all in the newer car.
"We had won Phoenix and Gainesville that season, and had won a bunch of other races in the old Firebird, so it was hard for me to make the change," Worsham said. "But, our blue team had made the switch in Las Vegas, and they went right out and won the race with it, so I knew it was something we needed to do. The Monte Carlo served us well, but this time we're in a little different situation. I haven't won a race since late in 2005, so anything that helps us be more competitive is good. Hopefully it won't take us long to figure out what the new body likes, and we'll be able to get right after it."
Though he hasn't won a race in more than a year, Worsham is coming into
Las Vegas on the upswing. After getting off to the worst start of his career, making only one race field at the first three events (and losing in the first round there,) Worsham advanced to the semi-final at the most recent race, in Houston, and is coming into Vegas in much better shape. Stuck at the bottom of the points sheet since the season opener, Worsham vaulted over seven other drivers in Houston, and is now knocking on the door for a spot in the top eight.
"Getting ourselves into position to be a top eight car is all we really have to focus on," Worsham said. "If you make the playoff field, you have a chance to win the championship. Even after the DNQs, when it was really easy to think the whole season was already lost, I knew we weren't that far out of it. In one weekend, we jumped to within a couple of rounds of the eighth spot, so we're right there already, and we still have 13 more races before the Countdown field is set.
"When you take into consideration the absolute fact that some very good teams are going to continue to DNQ all year, because there are just more good cars than spots in the field, the competition for every one of those eight spots is going to go right to the wire. We just need to focus on qualifying well and getting out of the first round. I firmly believe that if we can just do that, the wins will come and the points will come. We'll be there in the end, and hopefully this new Impala will help get us there."
In a town full of omens and superstitions, this isn't a bad string of lucky connections. The last time Team CSK brought out a new body style, the blue team's first Monte Carlo, they were in Las Vegas and that new car won the race. This time it's Del Worsham's red team making the switch, to the Impala, and the site is again Las Vegas, where the team will be staying at the Monte Carlo hotel. Put your stack on red and spin the wheel.
WORSHAM READY TO FOLLOW HIS IMPALA IMPULSE
LAS VEGAS (April 9, 2007) -- It's slightly bigger, far more "swoopy," clearly designed to go fast, and this Chevy Impala is brand new. It also has an odd little sunroof, no doors of any kind, and it belongs to Del Worsham, who plans to put it on the race track this weekend at the NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas. The new Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Impala Funny Car is scheduled to make its debut at "The Strip" after final preparations are complete, and if all goes well it will mark the end of Team CSK's three-year run with the venerable Monte Carlo.
New for 2007, the Impala arrived at Worsham Racing's headquarters about a month ago, and is now mounted, painted, and ready for vinyl graphics. The design of the new body is the result of extensive wind tunnel testing, and it's quite a departure from the Monte Carlo, which was radical in its own right back in 2004. Worsham is excited to get his new piece on the track, and he believes the new body will help his team make the move to the next level, as they compete for a spot in the NHRA "Countdown" playoff field.
"The Monte Carlo was pretty cool when it first came out, and it's been a great car for three years," Worsham said. "During that time, though, the other manufacturers out here have gotten a leg up on us, and our car was looking more and more like yesterday's news. The new Impala is really something, and it's going to be quite a bit different to drive, I imagine. Tommy Johnson got the first one, at the beginning of the season, and he said the first thing he noticed was that it's a bit easier to see out of. It's going to be interesting, and hopefully it's going to be fast.
"You can walk around the car and clearly see where the key design changes have been made, and they should give us a more slippery car that still produces the downforce we need. Other than the slightly different view, the only thing I hope to notice is that the car stays stuck at the top end. When you spin the tires a little down there, you tend to drop cylinders and hurt things, and that's not good. This body looks great, so I'm anxious to get it on the car and go racing with it."
Worsham's last body style switch, from the Pontiac Firebird to the Monte Carlo, came right in the midst of a serious winning streak in 2004. He had taken the trophy at two of the first four races, and was leading the points when it came time to make the change, all of which caused Worsham to have more than a little concern about fixing something that wasn't yet broken. Still, he knew the swap had to be made, and he went on to win three more races that year, all in the newer car.
"We had won Phoenix and Gainesville that season, and had won a bunch of other races in the old Firebird, so it was hard for me to make the change," Worsham said. "But, our blue team had made the switch in Las Vegas, and they went right out and won the race with it, so I knew it was something we needed to do. The Monte Carlo served us well, but this time we're in a little different situation. I haven't won a race since late in 2005, so anything that helps us be more competitive is good. Hopefully it won't take us long to figure out what the new body likes, and we'll be able to get right after it."
Though he hasn't won a race in more than a year, Worsham is coming into
Las Vegas on the upswing. After getting off to the worst start of his career, making only one race field at the first three events (and losing in the first round there,) Worsham advanced to the semi-final at the most recent race, in Houston, and is coming into Vegas in much better shape. Stuck at the bottom of the points sheet since the season opener, Worsham vaulted over seven other drivers in Houston, and is now knocking on the door for a spot in the top eight.
"Getting ourselves into position to be a top eight car is all we really have to focus on," Worsham said. "If you make the playoff field, you have a chance to win the championship. Even after the DNQs, when it was really easy to think the whole season was already lost, I knew we weren't that far out of it. In one weekend, we jumped to within a couple of rounds of the eighth spot, so we're right there already, and we still have 13 more races before the Countdown field is set.
"When you take into consideration the absolute fact that some very good teams are going to continue to DNQ all year, because there are just more good cars than spots in the field, the competition for every one of those eight spots is going to go right to the wire. We just need to focus on qualifying well and getting out of the first round. I firmly believe that if we can just do that, the wins will come and the points will come. We'll be there in the end, and hopefully this new Impala will help get us there."
In a town full of omens and superstitions, this isn't a bad string of lucky connections. The last time Team CSK brought out a new body style, the blue team's first Monte Carlo, they were in Las Vegas and that new car won the race. This time it's Del Worsham's red team making the switch, to the Impala, and the site is again Las Vegas, where the team will be staying at the Monte Carlo hotel. Put your stack on red and spin the wheel.
