JEFF AREND NAMED DRIVER OF CSK BLUE CAR
Erie Educational Services Joins Team As New Major Associate Sponsor
Veteran Funny Car driver Jeff Arend has joined Worsham Racing and the Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Funny Car team for 2007, and will be the driver of the team's blue car, replacing Phil Burkart Jr., who piloted the blue CSK machine for more than three seasons. Arend began racing Funny Cars professionally in 1995, and has one career victory on his record (Maple Grove, 1996.) He has spent much of his career driving for legendary tuner and car owner Paul Smith, but did join Team CSK for one race in 2006, when he drove the team's special edition Murray's car in St. Louis.
In conjunction with Arend's appointment as the driver of Del and Chuck Worsham's blue Checker, Schuck's, Kragen car, the team also announced the addition of Erie Educational Services as a major associate sponsor. Arend was instrumental in bringing the industry leader in the area of student loan consolidation into the sport in 2006, and has nurtured the program for more than a year. The company will now be a part of the Team CSK program, and will embrace the opportunity to make Worsham Racing a key part of its marketing strategy.
Del Worsham announced the moves from the team's Orange, Calif. headquarters, and emphasized the critical need to push his program to new heights after a disappointing 2006 campaign, which saw him miss the POWERade Top 10 for the first time since 1997.
Erie Educational Services Joins Team As New Major Associate Sponsor
Veteran
Funny Car driver Jeff Arend has joined Worsham Racing and the Checker,
Schuck's, Kragen Funny Car team for 2007, and will be the driver of the
team's blue car, replacing Phil Burkart Jr., who piloted the blue CSK
machine for more than three seasons. Arend began racing Funny Cars
professionally in 1995, and has one career victory on his record (Maple
Grove, 1996.) He has spent much of his career driving for legendary
tuner and car owner Paul Smith, but did join Team CSK for one race in
2006, when he drove the team's special edition Murray's car in St.
Louis.
In conjunction with Arend's appointment as the driver of Del and Chuck
Worsham's blue Checker, Schuck's, Kragen car, the team also announced
the addition of Erie Educational Services as a major associate sponsor.
Arend was instrumental in bringing the industry leader in the area of
student loan consolidation into the sport in 2006, and has nurtured the
program for more than a year. The company will now be a part of the
Team CSK program, and will embrace the opportunity to make Worsham
Racing a key part of its marketing strategy.
Del Worsham
announced the moves from the team's Orange, Calif. headquarters, and
emphasized the critical need to push his program to new heights after a
disappointing 2006 campaign, which saw him miss the POWERade Top 10 for
the first time since 1997.
"There's no debate about the historic level of competition we face in
today's Funny Car class," Worsham said. "There's also no getting around
the fact the cost of competing at the highest level is going up at a
very rapid pace, so we knew we had to make some critical decisions this
off-season. Before I address the positive impact today's moves will
have on our team, I want to publicly thank Phil Burkart for everything
he has done to make our team better over the last three full
seasons. Phil has been a great teammate and friend, a great driver, and
a real asset to our organization and to Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Auto
Parts. Sometimes, the right move for a team is one that comes with some
difficult choices, and replacing Phil as the blue team driver was one
of the most difficult things we've ever had to do as an organization.
"At the same time, we feel very strongly that we've improved our team,
provided ourselves more resources, and moved ourselves forward by
making these changes. We're adding Jeff Arend, a great driver in his
own right, who has learned from Paul Smith, who is clearly one of the
best in the history of this sport. In addition, Jeff also becomes a new
full-time employee who will work with us year-round, putting 100% of
his focus into helping Team CSK. Finally, with Erie Educational
Services coming aboard, I think we're a better team, as of this very
minute. Jeff has some big shoes to fill, but I'm confident he'll do a
great job in the car and will help us win. With a respected new sponsor
on our team, we're going to have a better chance of contending for the
POWERade championship."
Arend, a San Dimas, Calif. resident, has known Worsham for many years,
and has long hoped for a chance to join the Worsham Racing
organization. His one-race stint in the Murray's car, last summer, gave
him a taste of what he was looking for and he considers today's
announcement to be the biggest, and most important, step in his career.
"I've
known Del for a long time, and I've always been very outspoken about
the huge amount of admiration and respect I have for him, his father
Chuck, and the entire Checker, Schuck's, Kragen team" Arend
said. "Since the first time I strapped into a Funny Car, I've wanted to
drive for a contending team with a strong primary marketing partner
like CSK Auto, and a full slate of major associates who all believe in
the program, so I can't overstate how important this is to me. I'll be
forever grateful to Paul Smith, who taught me a lot more than just how
to drive from point A to point B, because without Paul's help and
guidance over the last decade, I wouldn't be in this position today.
"Looking to the future, I'm extremely excited to get going with
(co-crew chiefs) Marc Denner and Chris Cunningham, as well as everyone
on Team CSK. I know we all have a lot of work to do, in order to be
ready for pre-season testing in January, but I'm so charged up right
now I wish we were racing tomorrow. When we do get out there, and I'm
wearing a Checker, Schuck's, Kragen uniform for the first time, I'm
sure it will be an emotional moment for me. This is what I've dreamed
about for years, so I'm going to do every single thing I can to help
this team reach its potential. Between Del and myself, we're going into
2007 with a healthy dose of realism, because the competition is
enormous, but we're not thinking in terms of just being two of the
eight drivers to make 'The Countdown.' Our goals are loftier than that."
Marc Burling, Chairman and CEO of Erie Educational Services, made it
clear he and his company are also thrilled to be making the move to the
Worsham organization, while also joining Checker, Shuck's, Kragen, Mac
Tools, and an elite group of other highly respected sponsors.
"All of us are extremely excited to join Jeff Arend, Del Worsham, and
the fine people at Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Auto parts as we continue
to develop our presence in the NHRA marketplace," Burling said. "Jeff
has proven himself, to us, as a hard charger who can make the
difference on the race track, and we think both he and Del will be
fantastic representatives for our company.
"We're looking forward to a very competitive, and hopefully very
successful, 2007 season with a tight-knit family racing organization,
and when I say 'family' I mean that in terms that go beyond just Del
and his father Chuck. The entire Worsham program is clearly a family
from top to bottom, and we're joining a fantastic group of sponsors who
all see the same things we see. To be associated with CSK Auto, Mac
Tools, and a long list of other great partners is an honor. We're as
anxious to get going as Jeff is, and we're looking forward to the 2007
season."