Schumacher, Worsham Roar Loudest At Thunder Valley

BRISTOL, Tenn. – One year ago, Del Worsham was looking for a ride in the National Hot Rod Association after losing his sponsor.

After 18 seasons running with a family-run Funny Car, Worsham has returned to the NHRA Full Throttle ranks in style with the new Alan Johnson/Al-Anabi Racing team.

The California native won his second straight national event Sunday in the ninth annual Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

“From the time that I lost my sponsorship to the time I heard about Alan’s sponsorship, things happened almost overnight,” Worsham said. “I’m just a lucky guy to get to drive with these guys.”

Worsham punctuated his victory by posting the low elapsed time of the weekend at 4.075 seconds at 304.67 miles per hour in the finals against Tony Pedregon.

The Sarge remained in charge in Top Fuel, as Tony “The Sarge” Shumacher posted his second straight Bristol Dragway victory. Schumacher posted a run of 3.857 seconds in the finals at 310.91 mph in the finals, good enough to top Doug Kalitta.

The all-Pontiac Pro Stock final pitted top qualifier Mike Edwards against close friend Greg Anderson, who ruled the class from 2003-05. Relying on yet another quick start, Edwards collected his second victory of the season with a pass of 6.633 at 207.72. Edwards posted a perfect reaction time in the quarterfinals.

Worsham’s feat was impressive, considering that Johnson and first-year crew chief Aaron Brooks were forced to scramble after the engine on Worsham’s Toyota Solara exploded in the semifinals.

“We basically changed every part on the car before the final round, but that shows what kind of team we have,” said Worsham, who plans to test at Atlanta Dragway the next two days. “Aaron and AJ told me the car would run at least a 4.08 in the finals – a 4.07 is pretty darn close.

“We’re new as a team, but we’re definitely not new to racing.”

In addition to his NHRA win at Bristol in 2003, Worsham won an International Hot Rod Association event at Thunder Valley in 1992.

“The people in Bristol are so into racing,” Worsham said. “I see people that I remember all the way back to 1992, and I love racing in this big valley. I like the noise, the echo and the excitement this whole place brings.

“I can’t wait until next year.”

Just seconds after earning his first back-to-back victory in more than five years, Worsham placed an important phone call to Chuck Worsham, Del’s father, who formerly served as the crew chief for his son.

“I called my dad and wife down at the finish line, and they were very ecstatic,” Worsham said. “My dad just could not be happier for me now.”

Ashley Force Hood, the top qualifier in Funny Car, lost to Tony Pedregon in a compelling side-by-side battle in the semifinals.

The track temperature Sunday was just 84 degrees Sunday at the start of eliminations, a dramatic change from Saturday’s hot run.

Top Fuel points leader Antron Brown took advantage of the fast conditions, posting the top speed (315.86) of the weekend on his first pass.

The remainder of the first round digressed into a lengthy marathon of oil spills and breakdowns. It took more than two hours to complete the first round of eliminations for the pro classes.

The near collision of the John Force and Jack Beckman Funny Cars typified the bizarre start. The Force car veered into the path of Beckman’s car halfway down the track.

“There should be a minimum of a 30-foot distance between these cars,” said Beckman, who avoided an accident. “I don’t think there was more than 15 feet between us. I don’t recommend that at 200 mph unless you’re driving in left turns.”

Beckman hugged Force seconds after exiting his car.

As for Scumacher, the five-time defending NHRA champion is not finished at Bristol – he returns to Thunder Valley today to test with his Don Schumacher Racing team.

“The NHRA is putting on some outstanding races right now, and all the cars are very even,” Schumacher said. “We did exactly what we needed to do today. Now, we need to come up with a plan and figure out how through the rest of the season. That’s what a championship team does. It tries to stay ahead.”

Meanwhile, while it may have appeared flawless, Edwards said his dominant weekend was anything but routine.

“Everything went right for me,” said Edwards, following his 17th career win. “I’ve been struggling on my driving, and I feel like I gave a couple races away.

“We have just tested, tested and tested, and it’s paying off for us now.”

Edwards admitted that Sunday’s victory was special.

“There’s a lot of tradition around here with the that big ‘ol circle track next door,” Edwards said. “You kind of get chills here, so a win feels good.”

Local favorite Allen Johnson of Greeneville, Tenn., continued his struggles at Bristol Dragway, falling to Greg Anderson in the second round.

“The car shook from the time I swapped feet until I went to third gear,” said Johnson, who has won just two rounds in nine seasons at Bristol. “I didn’t read the track correctly and it bit us. When the track is really good, you have to get after it.”

That aggressive approach worked perfectly for Worsham.

“[Saturday] we ran on a very hot track above 120 degrees,” Worsham said. “When I saw that the weather was going to cool down today, it kind of played into our hands with our setup.”

Notes: Dale Pulde, driver of the iconic “War Eagle” Funny Car, was inducted into the Legends of Thunder Valley Sunday.

agregory@bristolnews.com|(276) 645-2544