Del Worsham honestly believed a No. 4 qualifying effort at the NHRA
Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., signified his fortunes were
changing for the better. Then he lost in the first round on a holeshot
to his closest rival for a playoff spot.
Worsham characterized his first round hole shot loss to Bob Tasca III, as a "crushing blow."
"It's a crushing blow, because it's on me and we had it right there in
our hands to make a strong move for the Countdown," Worsham said. "It's
not over yet, and we still have two more races to go before the 10
Countdown spots are filled, but I'm the guy in the car and that was the
best I had right then. I wasn't distracted, I did everything like I
always do, and that was just the best I had. I'm a little frustrated at
myself, but I'm just crushed for all these people in our pit who came
to cheer us on.
"The way this all set up, with us having to race Tasca in the first
round, made the drama just about as thick as it can get. It was so
tense in the pit hardly anyone was talking, but we felt really good
about the car and really good about the tune-up. It ran just about
flawlessly, and our 4.25 was right there with just about all the best
runs in the round. We just didn't get there first. Like I said, I don't
have an easy answer because I did the best I could, and it wasn't
enough. It hurts in a lot of ways, but we're not folding up and
quitting. We're going straight to Reading to win that race."