BAZEMORE FINISHES FOURTH IN TOP FUEL ORDER AT GAINESVILLE

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 17, 2007) – Whit Bazemore drove his Matco Tools dragster to the No. 4 qualifying position Saturday at Gainesville Raceway with a run of 4.542-seconds. It’s his best qualifying position since making the transition to Top Fuel. He earned 29 poles during his days as a Funny Car driver.

The 2005 Gatornationals Funny Car winner made his best run of qualifying on Friday afternoon when he used a tune-up from champion crew chief Lee Beard to power to a run of 4.542 seconds at 326.24 mph. The Matco Tools dragster overpowered the track on its other three qualifying attempts. Bazemore qualified his David Powers-owned rail seventh and sixth at the first two races of the season.

“It’s really tricky out there,” Bazemore said. “We’re all over as are other teams. Lee (Beard) and the team are concerned with the consistency. We haven’t been as consistent as at the first two races. But, the track has been difficult for a lot of teams. It’s wide open. We’re ready to win. We want to win the Gatornationals like we did two years ago.”

Bazemore will match-up against No. 13 qualifier Michael Gunderson, who recorded a career-best elapsed time in qualifying. The first round of Top Fuel eliminations begins at 11 a.m. (ET). ESPN2 will air two hours of final eliminations coverage at 5 p.m. (ET).

Q1 10.636 ET, 76.92 MPH No. 17
Q2 4.542 ET, 326.24 MPH No. 2
Q3 11.096 ET, 72.72 MPH No. 2
Q4 12.571 ET, 77.72 MPH No. 4