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Del Worsham wasn't quite sure how to answer the question "Does it get any better than this?" It surely can, and in the past it likely did, but on this day, during this season, it truly cannot. Worsham parlayed a strong qualifying effort into an emotional win, lifting more than two years worth of frustration off his team and himself, and he did it by simply having the best Funny Car on the property. It helped that he drove it like the pro he is.
Having started the season with back-to-back DNQs, Worsham couldn't help but question where he stood in the class, or whether he'd ever taste the most delectable champagne in the world again, but he came back strong in Gainesville with a solid qualifying effort and a quarter-final finish. He then arrived here in Houston and simply put all of that, the good and the bad, behind him. Here, he was just magnificent.
Worsham's No. 4 qualifying effort was strong, although a tricky Houston track created an eliminations ladder that featured super-strong teams sprinkled throughout while mega-hitter Robert High didn't make the show. As evidence of the haphazard seeding, Worsham was fourth-best but drew Jerry Toliver, in his Don Schumacher Racing car, in round one. The key was getting to the other end under power, and Worsham simply focused on that.
In that first-round race, he left first and never looked back, putting a 4.922 on the board as part of the first pair. No one was yet sure if that was a stellar number, or a lucky one, but by the end of the round it was clear Worsham had put a solid lap on the board.
"We went up there thinking we needed to run a 4.88 or something, so we were a little concerned when it ran 4.92," Worsham said. "But then pair after pair went down the track, and our run was right there in the thick of it. It was then, as we got back to the pit and I heard the other results, that I began to have a bit of a feeling. I began to think we could do some good here. I wasn't necessarily thinking about winning yet, but I was thinking about turning this season around and earning some points."
In round two, Worsham squared off against Tim Wilkerson, who had run low E.T. of the first round with the only 4.8 in the class. Worsham knew he'd need to step it up a bit, but the track was also feeling the sun and the heat, so it was a bit of a tightrope walk.
"You want to bet a little quicker, but you don't want to smoke the tires and hand the round away," he said. "We just kind of goosed it a little and hoped it was enough."
It was. Worsham's 4.917 was more than good enough to take out Wilkerson's 5.113, and it earned him a trip to the semi-final, where a certain guy named Force, John Force, would be waiting. If emotional story lines created the results, you almost couldn't script a better TV show than to have Papa Force win his semi-final, to move on to the ultimate round where he'd line up against his daughter. Young Ashley Force did her part, taking out Tony Bartone in her semi-final match-up, but Worsham would have none of it. He, yet again, made a clean lap from start to finish, and his 4.917 was not only good enough for a huge win, it was beginning to look like the driver of the special-edition K&N Filters/CSK Impala was really, honestly, onto something.
Having not won a race since the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in 2005, Worsham could taste it. He'd been to a pair of finals in 2007, but came away as the runner-up each time and although that result is one to be proud of, it lacks the emotional release and the primal celebration of a win. Once again, he had fate in his way, as young Miss Force was the opponent, looking for her first career win. There's no denying such an outcome would have been a hit with many fans and TV networks, but Mr. Worsham had other intentions.
Amped up and ready, he and his team headed to the starting line with a serious attitude, hardly speaking but clearly connecting. This was obviously serious business for a group of teammates who have all laid awake at night imagining this moment.
At the flash of amber, it was Worsham away first, with a huge advantage. His .033 reaction time gave him a massive headstart, and his 4.933 E.T. gave him more than enough cushion. Del Worsham crossed the line first, his team went semi-ballistic at the starting line, celebrating as if they knew just how critical and important this day had been, and the result was there for everyone to see. Del Worsham had driven his K&N/CSK Chevy through four rounds, clocking in with a 4.922, a 4.917, another 4.917, and a final-round 4.933. He left the starting line well all day. He kept his car in the middle of the lane on a weekend when many drivers found that impossible. He simply won. He earned it.
"I'm not sure I understand how huge this was, quite yet," Worsham said. "It just all came together today. We had a car that wanted to go down the track, and I was as focused and dialed-in as I've ever been. We had drama in the pit area, during the between-rounds service, after every round, but these guys handled it and we got it back together. We just had a great day, and it feels amazing."
Not just for you, Mr. Worsham.
WORSHAM BACK IN THE WINNER'S CIRCLE WITH DOMINANT HOUSTON VICTORY
Del Worsham wasn't quite sure how to answer the question "Does it get any better than this?" It surely can, and in the past it likely did, but on this day, during this season, it truly cannot. Worsham parlayed a strong qualifying effort into an emotional win, lifting more than two years worth of frustration off his team and himself, and he did it by simply having the best Funny Car on the property. It helped that he drove it like the pro he is.
Having started the season with back-to-back DNQs, Worsham couldn't help but question where he stood in the class, or whether he'd ever taste the most delectable champagne in the world again, but he came back strong in Gainesville with a solid qualifying effort and a quarter-final finish. He then arrived here in Houston and simply put all of that, the good and the bad, behind him. Here, he was just magnificent.
Worsham's No. 4 qualifying effort was strong, although a tricky Houston track created an eliminations ladder that featured super-strong teams sprinkled throughout while mega-hitter Robert High didn't make the show. As evidence of the haphazard seeding, Worsham was fourth-best but drew Jerry Toliver, in his Don Schumacher Racing car, in round one. The key was getting to the other end under power, and Worsham simply focused on that.
In that first-round race, he left first and never looked back, putting a 4.922 on the board as part of the first pair. No one was yet sure if that was a stellar number, or a lucky one, but by the end of the round it was clear Worsham had put a solid lap on the board.
"We went up there thinking we needed to run a 4.88 or something, so we were a little concerned when it ran 4.92," Worsham said. "But then pair after pair went down the track, and our run was right there in the thick of it. It was then, as we got back to the pit and I heard the other results, that I began to have a bit of a feeling. I began to think we could do some good here. I wasn't necessarily thinking about winning yet, but I was thinking about turning this season around and earning some points."
In round two, Worsham squared off against Tim Wilkerson, who had run low E.T. of the first round with the only 4.8 in the class. Worsham knew he'd need to step it up a bit, but the track was also feeling the sun and the heat, so it was a bit of a tightrope walk.
"You want to bet a little quicker, but you don't want to smoke the tires and hand the round away," he said. "We just kind of goosed it a little and hoped it was enough."
It was. Worsham's 4.917 was more than good enough to take out Wilkerson's 5.113, and it earned him a trip to the semi-final, where a certain guy named Force, John Force, would be waiting. If emotional story lines created the results, you almost couldn't script a better TV show than to have Papa Force win his semi-final, to move on to the ultimate round where he'd line up against his daughter. Young Ashley Force did her part, taking out Tony Bartone in her semi-final match-up, but Worsham would have none of it. He, yet again, made a clean lap from start to finish, and his 4.917 was not only good enough for a huge win, it was beginning to look like the driver of the special-edition K&N Filters/CSK Impala was really, honestly, onto something.
Having not won a race since the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in 2005, Worsham could taste it. He'd been to a pair of finals in 2007, but came away as the runner-up each time and although that result is one to be proud of, it lacks the emotional release and the primal celebration of a win. Once again, he had fate in his way, as young Miss Force was the opponent, looking for her first career win. There's no denying such an outcome would have been a hit with many fans and TV networks, but Mr. Worsham had other intentions.
Amped up and ready, he and his team headed to the starting line with a serious attitude, hardly speaking but clearly connecting. This was obviously serious business for a group of teammates who have all laid awake at night imagining this moment.
At the flash of amber, it was Worsham away first, with a huge advantage. His .033 reaction time gave him a massive headstart, and his 4.933 E.T. gave him more than enough cushion. Del Worsham crossed the line first, his team went semi-ballistic at the starting line, celebrating as if they knew just how critical and important this day had been, and the result was there for everyone to see. Del Worsham had driven his K&N/CSK Chevy through four rounds, clocking in with a 4.922, a 4.917, another 4.917, and a final-round 4.933. He left the starting line well all day. He kept his car in the middle of the lane on a weekend when many drivers found that impossible. He simply won. He earned it.
"I'm not sure I understand how huge this was, quite yet," Worsham said. "It just all came together today. We had a car that wanted to go down the track, and I was as focused and dialed-in as I've ever been. We had drama in the pit area, during the between-rounds service, after every round, but these guys handled it and we got it back together. We just had a great day, and it feels amazing."
Not just for you, Mr. Worsham.
