Whit Bazemore Interview @ DRO (1 Viewer)

[Too many to list here]

::: DRO ::: InnerVIEW - Whit Bazemore - 12/8/06

 

[cstarns]

::: DRO ::: InnerVIEW - Whit Bazemore - 12/8/06

Great interview. I never really thought that much of Bazemore but after reading that, I have a new found respect for him.

 

[rollemup]

Great interview. I never really thought that much of Bazemore but after reading that, I have a new found respect for him.

........this attitude about Whit Bazemore people have after reading something about him just cracks me up

 

[DrRocket]

An excellent interview. The writer threw some hardballs, and Whit handled them well. Learned what I had always suspected, and most people knew, The Shue can be a hard man to work for, but when you get the job done, you get your due.

Good job, DRO.

 

[Too many to list here]

Gotta love this part

but you know, if Buster told me to do something on the starting line, I would never question it, never, never, never. I would never doubt his input and I can't say that would be true with Rick Stewart because he's their (NHRA’s) guy up there. I've seen him make decisions often times, that I personally didn’t think were right. When someone makes what you perceive as wrong decisions, then you can't trust their decision making. I will say this about that situation though, as a driver you want your crew chief to tell you to shut it off, as a driver you really want that.

Just to play the devil's advocate a little bit, even though you disagreed with Stewart's decisions, if Buster would've made those same decisions, would you have felt the same way?

WB: I'm just talking about my personal experiences as a driver here, but if I was on the starting line and Buster said, shut it off, I wouldn't question his reasoning. Someone else other than my crew chief, like Ray Alley or Dan Olson next year, I wouldn’t question their decision.

 

[Toejam]

I met Baze when he drove his fast Orange cars around '94ish. He was always one of the most Down to Earth drivers I've met. I'll admit I think he allows his frustration to get the best of him at times. But I also like the fact that he says what he thinks which very Few drivers will ever do anymore. If I was out there Competing in a Pro class, the last thing I'd want to face after a tough loss is a Camera crew sticking a Mic in my Face! I would have a tough time staying composed. Some of Whit's Biggest critics no longer have rides, what does that tell you?

 

[johnny]

I met Baze when he drove his fast Orange cars around '94ish. He was always one of the most Down to Earth drivers I've met. I'll admit I think he allows his frustration to get the best of him at times. But I also like the fact that he says what he thinks which very Few drivers will ever do anymore. If I was out there Competing in a Pro class, the last thing I'd want to face after a tough loss is a Camera crew sticking a Mic in my Face! I would have a tough time staying composed. Some of Whit's Biggest critics no longer have rides, what does that tell you?

That a lot of Whit's critics are player haters???

 

[rocketman]

That was a great interview, well worth reading!

 

[Nunz]

I thought is was cool that he thought the NHRA should give more importance to the sportsman racers, particularly the Alky classes, which really deserve to be treated the same way NASCAR treats the BUSCH series, and that is as a feeder to the top level. He's right, I think most Maters would agree that the TADs and TAFCs put on a tremendous show, are running numbers that the fuel cars ran not that long ago, yet are not being promoted to their true potential.

 

[DragFan2]

I met Baze when he drove his fast Orange cars around '94ish. He was always one of the most Down to Earth drivers I've met. I'll admit I think he allows his frustration to get the best of him at times. But I also like the fact that he says what he thinks which very Few drivers will ever do anymore. If I was out there Competing in a Pro class, the last thing I'd want to face after a tough loss is a Camera crew sticking a Mic in my Face! I would have a tough time staying composed. Some of Whit's Biggest critics no longer have rides, what does that tell you?

Joe, I have been a Baze fan since those early years too, probably cuz I like the underdog in most situations. Have followed his career through all the twists and turns, and am looking forward to seeing him in the long cars now. He does let his frustration get the best of him, and unfortunately it gets on camera too often. You're right though about having a mic stuck in your face right after a tough loss being really hard. Sometimes I think Whit should wave them off rather than saying something he'll regret, but that's the way he is, and ESPN2 lives for those moments it seems.

I'm confused by your statement about some of his biggest critics no longer have rides. Are there specific f/c racers that have come out as real critical of Whit in the press? I can't recall any, but maybe I don't keep up with that stuff as much as you. Lots of guys are without rides now, in the past 5-10 years, getting the funding to stay out there is brutal.

Later...