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TOPEKA, Kan. (May 27, 2008) -- The countdown to The Countdown has reached T-minus 10, and Del Worsham can recite every step of the way between this point and blast-off. Like an insanely twisted railway itinerary, it consists of stops in Topeka, Chicago, Englishtown, Norwalk, Denver, Seattle, Sonoma, Brainerd, Reading, and Indianapolis. All aboard!
This wild ride to the playoffs continues with this weekend's O'Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park, just minutes south of the Kansas capital, and Worsham knows his margin for error, at a track that has never treated him very kindly, is razor-thin. Still holding the 10th spot on the POWERade points list, Worsham has but a seven-point lead over Jack Beckman, while Bob Tasca and Jim Head are only 21 and 23 points behind, respectively. As the summer heats up, and all 10 participants in the Countdown to the Championship are sorted out and decided, Worsham's final fate my rest on a race like this one, where his spot in the Top 10 is at stake.
"I don't care if it's drag racing, basketball, or any other sport, you always want to be in one of those playoff positions, no matter how much of the regular season is left," Worsham said. "The points all get shuffled, every week, but as long as you're in one of those spots, someone else has to look up at you and figure out how to catch you. That's better than the other way around.
"Of course, it's so tight right now we could actually do really well and still fall out of the 10th spot, so we have to look at the bigger picture and be prepared for whatever happens, because some of it is just out of our control. Just like the last race, in Bristol, where we basically did everything right and still came up short, while at the same time Jim Head went from about 70 points behind us to right on our tail. Those kinds of weekends happen, so you have to be ready to make up for it at the next one. This is the next one, so we're ready."
Worsham's Bristol experience was a clear case of just how frustrating it can be when one is playing a sport where there is no defense. All you can do is your best, on any given lap, and sometimes your best is just not enough, no matter how terrific it is. After qualifying 12th in a very competitive field, Worsham squared off with Robert Hight in round one, where he went on to post the second-quickest lap of the round (a huge 4.790 at a stunning 327.43 mph) only to discover that Hight, in the other lane, had posted the quickest lap, not only of the round but also of the event, with a unearthly 4.746. By the time the Bristol race ended, deep into a rainy Sunday night, only Hight (who also recorded a 4.773 in round two) was able to outrun Worsham's number, but the Checker, Schuck's, Kragen driver was long-gone on an airplane and headed home, by then.
"This is drag racing, and it's a one-on-one deal on Sunday," Worsham said. "If you get run over by a freight train, there's not much you can do about it. We came up short, and that hurt is in some ways, but we chose to look at all the positives, including the fact we had a car that could've clearly dominated there, had anyone but Robert been in the other lane. And, there's absolutely no reason why it shouldn't run well the rest of the way. The car is responsive, it's not hurting itself, and it's fast. Those are pretty good qualities to have in a Funny Car, I think.
"I guess if I could change one thing about that race, it would be where we qualified. Being in the top 12 on Friday is important, and we managed to pull that off, but we need to be landing in the top half of the field if we want to give ourselves the clearest road to this deal. You just never know what the lane situation is going to be like in round one, so having that lane choice is pretty important. Plus, psychologically you know you're going up there to face a team that has to step up to beat you, and that helps a lot as well."
To pick up the pace in his quest for a Countdown spot, Worsham will need to do well at a track that has usually treated him with a bit of disdain. Over the last 10 seasons, Worsham has advanced as far as the Topeka semi-finals only once, in 2004, while he has suffered five first-round losses and one DNQ. The Topeka track also continues to avoid inclusion on Worsham's career victory list so, as he sees it, he's simply due.
"I've never won in Topeka, and I'm not sure why because it's a great track and we've shown we can run really well there," Worsham said. "We've had some good qualifying laps at Heartland Park, and we've put some good results on the board, but we've never been able to really crack the code on Sunday. As good as the car is running right now, I'm ready to take my chances on turning all of that around. I think our whole team is ready, and we'll be putting every ounce of our energy and focus into making this a fun weekend in Topeka."
Speaking of Topeka fun, there's an interesting air museum across the street at Forbes Field, some fine barbeque just up the road in the village of Pauline, tours of the state capital, and a number of other attractions in the area, but none can match the potential for revelry one might find at the hoedown Worsham would host after a trip to Heartland Park's Winner's Circle. After all, he is due.
WORSHAM'S GOALS: A HEARTLAND HOEDOWN AND POINTS ON THE PLAINS
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 27, 2008) -- The countdown to The Countdown has reached T-minus 10, and Del Worsham can recite every step of the way between this point and blast-off. Like an insanely twisted railway itinerary, it consists of stops in Topeka, Chicago, Englishtown, Norwalk, Denver, Seattle, Sonoma, Brainerd, Reading, and Indianapolis. All aboard!
This wild ride to the playoffs continues with this weekend's O'Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park, just minutes south of the Kansas capital, and Worsham knows his margin for error, at a track that has never treated him very kindly, is razor-thin. Still holding the 10th spot on the POWERade points list, Worsham has but a seven-point lead over Jack Beckman, while Bob Tasca and Jim Head are only 21 and 23 points behind, respectively. As the summer heats up, and all 10 participants in the Countdown to the Championship are sorted out and decided, Worsham's final fate my rest on a race like this one, where his spot in the Top 10 is at stake.
"I don't care if it's drag racing, basketball, or any other sport, you always want to be in one of those playoff positions, no matter how much of the regular season is left," Worsham said. "The points all get shuffled, every week, but as long as you're in one of those spots, someone else has to look up at you and figure out how to catch you. That's better than the other way around.
"Of course, it's so tight right now we could actually do really well and still fall out of the 10th spot, so we have to look at the bigger picture and be prepared for whatever happens, because some of it is just out of our control. Just like the last race, in Bristol, where we basically did everything right and still came up short, while at the same time Jim Head went from about 70 points behind us to right on our tail. Those kinds of weekends happen, so you have to be ready to make up for it at the next one. This is the next one, so we're ready."
Worsham's Bristol experience was a clear case of just how frustrating it can be when one is playing a sport where there is no defense. All you can do is your best, on any given lap, and sometimes your best is just not enough, no matter how terrific it is. After qualifying 12th in a very competitive field, Worsham squared off with Robert Hight in round one, where he went on to post the second-quickest lap of the round (a huge 4.790 at a stunning 327.43 mph) only to discover that Hight, in the other lane, had posted the quickest lap, not only of the round but also of the event, with a unearthly 4.746. By the time the Bristol race ended, deep into a rainy Sunday night, only Hight (who also recorded a 4.773 in round two) was able to outrun Worsham's number, but the Checker, Schuck's, Kragen driver was long-gone on an airplane and headed home, by then.
"This is drag racing, and it's a one-on-one deal on Sunday," Worsham said. "If you get run over by a freight train, there's not much you can do about it. We came up short, and that hurt is in some ways, but we chose to look at all the positives, including the fact we had a car that could've clearly dominated there, had anyone but Robert been in the other lane. And, there's absolutely no reason why it shouldn't run well the rest of the way. The car is responsive, it's not hurting itself, and it's fast. Those are pretty good qualities to have in a Funny Car, I think.
"I guess if I could change one thing about that race, it would be where we qualified. Being in the top 12 on Friday is important, and we managed to pull that off, but we need to be landing in the top half of the field if we want to give ourselves the clearest road to this deal. You just never know what the lane situation is going to be like in round one, so having that lane choice is pretty important. Plus, psychologically you know you're going up there to face a team that has to step up to beat you, and that helps a lot as well."
To pick up the pace in his quest for a Countdown spot, Worsham will need to do well at a track that has usually treated him with a bit of disdain. Over the last 10 seasons, Worsham has advanced as far as the Topeka semi-finals only once, in 2004, while he has suffered five first-round losses and one DNQ. The Topeka track also continues to avoid inclusion on Worsham's career victory list so, as he sees it, he's simply due.
"I've never won in Topeka, and I'm not sure why because it's a great track and we've shown we can run really well there," Worsham said. "We've had some good qualifying laps at Heartland Park, and we've put some good results on the board, but we've never been able to really crack the code on Sunday. As good as the car is running right now, I'm ready to take my chances on turning all of that around. I think our whole team is ready, and we'll be putting every ounce of our energy and focus into making this a fun weekend in Topeka."
Speaking of Topeka fun, there's an interesting air museum across the street at Forbes Field, some fine barbeque just up the road in the village of Pauline, tours of the state capital, and a number of other attractions in the area, but none can match the potential for revelry one might find at the hoedown Worsham would host after a trip to Heartland Park's Winner's Circle. After all, he is due.
