Del Worsham had an unforgettable weekend at the O’Reilly Fall Nationals at Texas
Motorplex near Dallas. He qualified 4th and beat Jim Head in round one. He lost in
the next round to Ashley Force.
Del Worsham Defeated Jim Head in Round One
Moments later, Worsham and his team headed back to their pit area and had
a close-up view of the horrible wreck that collected both Kenny Bernstein and
John Force. His thoughts shifted from his own race to the well being of two
friends and legends. Bernstein walked away from the collision, but Force was
airlifted to the hospital for reconstructive surgery on his feet, legs and
hands.
Del Worsham in CSK Funny Car
In the wreck, Force’s car was broken in two. The front wheels and motor headed
off down the track into the sand trap, as the driver’s compartment and rear axle
stayed behind with Force enclosed.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, as we came back up the return road,” said
Worsham. “We saw the two cars get together, and they both hit the wall hard.
Then we saw them skid down the track toward the sand. It took a second for us to
realize John was still down there by us, in the back half of the car. More than
anything I wanted to help him, but a security guard wouldn’t let me. I’m a
driver, with clearance to go anywhere on the track and she was just doing her
job. It was frustrating and I was very concerned for John, but I’m also relieved
that he is recovering, because that was a horrendous crash.”
Prior to the crash, Worsham did all he could to put his Checker, Schuck’s Kragen
Impala with K&N Engineering Products in a position to win at Dallas. Worsham
entered Saturday’s qualifying runs in the 4th spot and earned a first round
match up with Jim Head.
“We were chasing Jim for a couple of months, and came up two rounds short of
getting ourselves into the eighth spot,” said Worsham. “We faced Jim at Texas in
the first round and it still felt like we were chasing him. Maybe we just feel
that way because it’s another chance to show what we’re made of, even though
we’re not in the countdown and all we’re battling for right now is 9th place.”
Worsham left first at the tree with a 17-thousandths advantage before leading
the whole way. Crossing the stripe, it was Worsham’s 4.830 taking out Head’s
4.873.
In round two, Worsham faced Ashley Force who streaked by him while Worhsam
smoked the tires just short of half-track. At that moment, Worsham said he was
mostly concerned about his missed tuning call on that round, until he witnessed
the Force/Bernstein collision. “We did okay here, though I’m always
disappointed that we have one of the fastest cars and we don’t get the win,” he
said. “I was bummed about that until we saw the crash, and now we’re just
thinking about John and his family. I fully expect to see John back out here as
soon as he can do it. We’re pulling for him. Some things are more important than
round wins.”
Follow Del Worsham's progress throughout the racing season at the
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