NHRA SuperNationals
this weekend
Racetrack hosting
NHRA SuperNationals
this weekend
By tim morris
Staff Writer
Raceway Park has always been No. 1 to Funny Car driver Whit Bazemore.
A native of New York City, Bazemore grew up in the shadows of Raceway Park and it was there that he got his introduction to drag racing.
"I don’t remember the exact time and place and when I decided I wanted to be a Funny Car driver," said Bazemore, who currently drives the Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T. "But I do know, without a doubt, that it happened when I was very young, and it happened at Old Bridge Township’s Raceway Park."
Even through his parents moved to the Carolinas before settling in Atlanta, Ga., shortly after Bazemore was born, he spent his summers in New Jersey at his grandparents’ beachfront home near Atlantic City. He would always find his way to Raceway Park, he said.
"Like anyone else that grew up around here, I always thought of this track as the epicenter of drag racing," Bazemore said. "It has and always will be the East Coast headquarters for drag racing, especially Funny Car drag racing.
"I grew up reading the exploits of Funny Car racers, and whenever they’d be at Old Bridge for the national event, or even a match race, you’d hear those ads on the radio: ‘Sunday, Sunday, Sunday, the fire-breathing Funny Cars are back at Old Bridge Township’s Raceway Park,’ " he said. "It’s a part of growing up here."
When Bazemore got his driver’s license at age 16, he received permission to drive to Raceway Park for the Summer Nationals.
"It was a big deal for a 16-year-old kid," he said.
In 1982, Bazemore actually got a paying gig for the nationals, taking photographs for the company sponsoring one of Funny Car’s legends, Don ‘the Snake’ Prudhomme.
"I met ‘Jungle’ Jim Lieberman there," said Bazemore. "He was my all-time hero as a kid. To me, ‘Jungle’ Jim owned that track. He raced there all the time. It was like meeting Superman or something, just big beyond description."
This weekend, Bazemore returns to where it all began for him for the K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals, presented by Pep Boys, tomorrow through Sunday.
Bazemore comes back to Raceway Park as one of the top Funny Car drivers on the National Hot Rod Association circuit. He has had at least one victory in each of the last six seasons, and started the 2003 campaign with 12 wins and 30 final-round appearances in a career that began in 1992. One of the fastest drivers in the division, he set a world speed record of 313.04 in 1997, and over the last two years was the fastest qualifier 12 times.
A win is a win, no matter where, but for Bazemore, a win this weekend at Raceway Park would be indescribable.
"This will be the 34th running of this event," he said. "It’s been around a long time, and it’s still one of the premier races on the circuit.
"They’re all important and they all count the same in the points, but for me, nothing compares to Englishtown," he said. "I really want to win this one just to see what it feels like. It’s mythical to me."
Raceway Park has been hosting the NHRA Nationals since July 1971. In May, the event was moved from the summer to May to take advantage of cooler weather and it paid off with record times. Last year, quick fields in Pro Stock (6.815) and Pro Stock Bike (7.270) highlighted the weekend.
Angella Savoie recorded a bike record 7.049. Retiring Kenny Bernstein went out with his seventh win at Raceway Park in Top Fuel. Veteran Gary Densham won the Funny Car final and Greg Anderson won in Pro Stock.
For ticket information, call (732) 446-7800 or (609) 520-8383, or visit racewaypark.com.