Once the NHRA season concludes, the 12 off weeks in the months of November,
December and January are referred to as the off season. For most NHRA teams,
there is no off season. Other than some time off around the holidays, NHRA teams
spend the winter months gearing up for upcoming 23-race cross-country grind and
preseason testing at Las Vegas and Phoenix.
For an expanding
race team, as is the case for David Powers Motorsports, timing in those 12 short
weeks becomes even more crucial. A few months back, it was announced that Matco
Tools would be joining David Powers Motorsports with a second Top Fuel dragster
to be piloted by 20-time NHRA Funny Car winner Whit
Bazemore. Having watched “Hot” Rod Fuller drive his
Valvoline-backed rail to a fifth-place ranking in the Top Fuel division in 2006,
Powers is even more energized about the ’07 season with his Lee Beard-led
two-car effort.
“Things are finally
coming into fruition,” Powers said. “Before that, it’s just a vision or a dream.
Once things start arriving at the Indy shop, it becomes a reality. It’s like
seeing your dreams come true.”
On Monday, November
27, the Powers camp will take delivery of three Brad Hadman chassis and
one-piece carbon fiber Top Fuel dragster bodies. Two chassis will be for
Bazemore’s Matco Tools team, while the third chassis will serve as a spare for
the “Hot” Rod Fuller-driven dragster. Shortly thereafter, two bodies will be
transported to Olson Paint & Body in Peru, Ind., to be painted by veteran race painter
Brian Olson before receiving vinyl graphics from Indianapolis-based Freelance
Lettering, Inc. to complete the look of the new Matco Tools Iron Eagle
dragster.
“Right now, we’re
full speed ahead getting everything prepared for next season,” Bazemore said.
“It’s different starting a team from scratch as opposed to just rebuilding.
We’ve hired some very talented people and all the parts are rolling in the door
everyday. It’s an exciting time for the new Matco team. It’s like Christmas
every day at the shop leading up to testing in January. I can’t
wait!”
Last week, the team
received a new 56-foot transporter from Henderson, Texas-based Competition
Trailers that will house the Matco Tools Top Fuel team. The Matco Tools pit
crew, which includes championship members from both Larry Dixon’s Miller Lite
team and Gary Scelzi’s Oakley Funny Car crew, will begin at Powers’ Pittsboro, Ind. race shop on Nov. 27. The plan is for the
Matco Tools Top Fuel team to debut at the fifth annual Nitro Blast Off, Jan.
19-21, 2007, at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where Bazemore will see
his first seat time in a Top Fuel car.
The DPM team also
will add a tech trailer to its growing pit compound, along with a modern
hospitality area that will serve up to 200 Matco Tools employees and guests. The
hospitality setup will offer a unique outlook to its valued guests. With the two
Top Fuel dragsters situated on each side, guests will have an unobstructed view
of both race teams as the pit crew members work and prepare the 8,000 horsepower
nitro-burning machines
