BAZEMORE EARNS TOP FUEL LICENSE
“It feels good to get the licensing out of the way,” Bazemore said. “You never know what can happen with these cars. Now we can concentrate on improving the performance of the car. It was good experience for me to run those two 4.54s. I got some good seat time in the car on Sunday. Like I keep saying, it’s so different than a Funny Car. It was important for me to make those two good runs today.”
On Saturday’s second testing attempt the avid cyclist powered to the then quickest pass of his career by driving his Matco-backed rail to a 4.629-second effort. Needing just one pass at 5.20 seconds and 260 mph, Bazemore used a tune-up from champion crew chief Lee Beard to card the 4.544, 326.24 pass in the left lane at Firebird Raceway to garner his Top Fuel license. The most recent member of the Top Fuel fraternity then posted a nearly identical lap of 4.542 seconds at a blistering 329.18 mph. Bazemore’s license was signed by teammate Rod Fuller and veteran NHRA racer-turned ESPN analyst Mike Dunn.
“We’ll continue to test for the next couple days and work on our cool-conditions setup,” Bazemore said. “I’ll get more seat time and experience as everyday I get more comfortable inside the car. I gain more and more confidence everyday and that’s key.”