Phoenix: Whit Bazemore preview

"I'm going to my second race in Top Fuel. I have a better idea of what to expect and more experience in the car. Confidence-wise, I'll be way more confident in Phoenix than at Pomona and that's important. I feel really good about every aspect of our ...

"I'm going to my second race in Top Fuel. I have a better idea of what to expect and more experience in the car. Confidence-wise, I'll be way more confident in Phoenix than at Pomona and that's important. I feel really good about every aspect of our team. I'm confident that I can compete."

Bazemore CSK Nationals Notebook

Last February, Bazemore qualified 11th at the CSK Nationals with a run of 4.780 seconds at 315.71 mph. He was defeated in the opening round of eliminations to then teammate Ron Capps.

Four weeks ago, Bazemore cross-graded his NHRA Funny Car license for eligibility to compete in the Top Fuel category. Bazemore had driven Funny Cars since 1989. He first-ever pass in a Top Fuel dragster came on Jan. 26, 2007, at the Phoenix-area track. He made a testing-best run of 4.500 seconds on Jan. 31.

Firebird International Raceway is one of 9 current tracks where Bazemore has yet to win a race. He has claimed victories at 12 tracks and multiple wins at 6 tracks. He has advanced to the semifinals four times at the Phoenix-area track.

The highest Bazemore has qualified at the Phoenix race is second in 2004 when he clocked a run of 4.782 seconds at 322.34 mph.

At the 2007 NHRA season-opener, Bazemore qualified in the No. 7 position (4.507 seconds) and advanced the second round of eliminations before falling in a narrow match to teammate Rod Fuller, 4.557 to 4.561. He currently sits sixth in the Top Fuel standings.

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Baze Banters About Phoenix...

Firebird International Raceway:
"Desert Dirt"

Favorite Firebird Int'l Raceway memory:
"Several times doing well at testing and you start the year off well."