Flynn Helps Worsham Get His Team in Tune

By MARTIN HENDERSON

July 28, 2000 12 AM PT

His family made its reputation in the National Hot Rod Assn. by being fan friendly and learning to stretch a dollar.

Del Worsham hasn’t changed much over the years, but he has added a new wrinkle: Confidence.

Worsham, who returns to Seattle International Raceway this weekend as the defending champion of the Northwest Nationals, is even more upbeat than usual these days.

“We’re coming in on a season high,” he said. “I’d be disappointed with anything but a win. I don’t think I’ve ever gone into a race knowing our car can qualify well and have a legitimate shot at winning the race as much as I do right now. Maybe in 1991, but the competition wasn’t nearly as great as it is right now.”

Worsham, from Orange, won twice in 1991 and was the NHRA’s rookie of the year. He went eight years without a victory, but he’s thinking he won’t go eight weeks without getting another one.

Rob Flynn, who has tuned drivers to seven national event victories in 10 final-round appearances, was hired as a tuning consultant earlier this month. The Worsham & Fink Racing team, which includes Del’s father Chuck Worsham and John Fink, added a second car this season in Frank Pedregon. The shared information between the two Pontiac Firebird entries is beginning to prove fruitful.

Two weeks ago in Denver, in Flynn’s first event working with Worsham, the 30-year-old driver made three successive passes that were his best at that venue, and his semifinal appearance was his best of the season.

Currently ninth in the standings, Worsham thinks he’ll be moving up over the final eight races.

“The last few races, the cars are starting to come around,” he said. “The latter part of the year, you’re really going to see a breakthrough and we’re going to start running in the top half of the field.

“I don’t see a reason why we can’t be in the top five by the end of the year. I’m definitely at a season high, emotionally.”

That’s good news for Worsham, given that the NHRA veteran who has raced Top Fuel and Funny Cars got his official rite of passage on July 2.

Competing in a match race in Norwalk, Ohio, Worsham crashed at nearly 300 mph, hitting both sides of the quarter-mile drag strip. He was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion, bruises and a tongue bite.

“I’ve been racing 10 years and had never really hit anything,” he said. “Myself and a crew guy were talking about that a week before it happened.

“The first run back, I was a little nervous. But I’ve been extremely lucky. I had no real major accidents, and I feel lucky to do what I want to do for a living.”

Worsham has also maintained contact with the average Joe.

“We learned through all the racing as a family how to stretch a dollar, so we can make the amount of money we have look and run like a top-money operation,” Worsham said. “We’re always looking for more. The biggest thing I want to do is act like I always did and remember what got us here.”

CART

The PPI Motorsports team goes into Sunday’s oval race in Chicago with high expectations for its Toyota-powered Reynards. Earlier this month, Cristiano da Matta had the fastest time during an open test, and Oriol Servia was sixth-fastest.

Both drivers for the Rancho Santa Margarita-based race team owned by Cal Wells III were outstanding last weekend at the Michigan 500 on the two-mile superspeedway.

Yet, neither’s efforts were adequately rewarded.

Da Matta’s day ended after running in fourth place. He thought he had been signaled to leave his pit box by his crew chief, Bharat Naran, of Huntington Beach. However, da Matta’s car was still connected to the fuel hose. When da Matta lurched forward, he hit vent man Chris Moschetto, who stands between the front and rear wheels during refueling. Moschetto, of Newport Beach, suffered bruising and swelling to his right leg.

When the fuel hose disconnected from the car, it started an invisible methanol fire, and the car and da Matta were doused with water as he tried to get out of the cockpit. With the fire apparently out, da Matta settled back into the car, but the fire started up again. At that point, a CART official told the PPI team to remove the car from pit road.

Whether the car was capable of continuing was moot--it’s an automatic disqualification when it hits a crew member.

Rookie Servia had taken the first lead of his Champ car career when he encountered problems on pit road with 44 laps remaining. He committed a blend line violation, allowing two tires to drift outside a designated merging area while exiting the pits. Servia had to reenter the pits for a stop-and-go penalty, but he committed the same violation a second time. He went from being the leader to falling two laps behind.

“I really thought I was doing it correctly,” Servia said. “I think that is probably obvious, because I would not have done it twice.”

TOP BILLING

Usually a support circuit for CART, the Toyota Atlantic Series has a headliner role this weekend on the streets of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. PPI driver Andrew Bordin of Laguna Niguel is second in the standings, immediately ahead of teammate Daniel Wheldon of Costa Mesa. Bordin is coming off a victory in Toronto, where he was born.

Rocky Moran of Coto de Caza is fifth in the series, and Alex Gurney of Newport Beach is 10th.

Bordin, Wheldon and Gurney broke the track qualifying record in Toronto.

If you have an item or idea for the motor racing report, you can fax us at (714)966-5663 or e-mail us at martin.henderson@latimes.com

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Orange County Speedway

Through July 22

Speedway motorcycles

1. Charlie Venegas, San Bernardino: 414

2. Brad Oxley, San Juan Capistrano: 282

3. Dukie Ermolenko, Cypress: 261

4. Bobby Schwartz, Costa Mesa: 249

5. Shawn McConnell, Brea: 245

6. Randy DiFrancesco, Bakersfield: 238

7. Chris Manchester, Upland: 222

8. Andy Northrup, Alta Loma: 216

9. Eddie Castro, Ojai: 179

10. Jim Estes, Winnetka: 175

Schedule

Saturday--No racing.

Aug. 5--Demolition Derby (speedway, sidecars); 12--Kids’ Night (speedway, sidecars, peewee 50s, Jr. speedway); 19--Harley-Davidson Night (speedway, sidecars, Harley races and show); 26--Dan Nay Night (championship speedway, peewee 50s, Jr. speedway).

Sept. 9--Freestyle motorcycle jumping (speedway).

Irwindale Speedway

Through July 22

Super Late Model

1. Greg Voigt, Goleta: 494

2. Ben Walker, North Hills: 442

3. Tim Woods, Chino: 412

4. David Brandon, Palmdale: 408

5. Tommy Fry, Simi Valley: 402

6. Shawn Brink, Lancaster: 346

7. A.J. DiMarzo, Saugus: 322

8. Brian Kelley, Arleta: 318

9. Dan Holtz, Bakersfield: 284

10. Rod Johnson, Saugus: 278

Late Model

1. James Weston, Goleta: 578

2. Todd Burns, Riverside: 518

3. Steve Nickolai, Simi Valley: 476

4. Tony Green, Oak Hills : 474

5. Deryk Ward, Palm Springs: 460

6. David Hessing, Canyon Country: 456

7. Richard Hooper, Palmdale: 426

8. Guy Goldstein, Cathedral City: 402

9. Dan DiGiammarino, Highland: 314

10. Nick Conti, Palm Desert: 258

Grand American

1. Rip Michels, Mission Hills: 382

2. Dean Kuhn, Oceanside: 368

3. Robert Rice, Hawthorne: 282

4. John Watkinson, Canyon Country: 274

5. Henry Ford Jr., Alta Loma: 258

6. Tom Topping, Los Angeles: 250

7. Steve Luecht, Chula Vista: 232

8. Jimmy White, Covina: 228

9. Travis Thirkettle, Newhall: 226

10. David Andrews, Frazier Park: 218

Super Stock

1. Jeff Green, Long Beach: 478

2. T.K. Karvasek, North Hills: 456

3. Mike Price, San Pedro: 382

4. Yagel Berkovitz, Burbank: 376

5. Tom Siebuhr, Canyon Country: 356

6. Kevin Wood, Saugus: 344

7. Greg Benner, Whittier: 304

8. John Wilkes, Northridge: 280

9. Don Rogers, Simi Valley: 274

10. Dean Cato, Fullerton: 266

Mini Stocks

1. Bob Reed, Riverside: 200

2. Terry Limberopoulos, Bellflower: 184

3. Lee Ladd, Thousand Oaks: 172

4. Rod Bornhop, Orange: 166

5. Gil Gillis, Simi Valley: 150

6. Randy Colling, Santa Ana: 140

7. Greg Tucker, Ojai: 104

8. Danny Rowe, Lake Elizabeth: 100

9. Pat Ackley, Huntington Beach: 94

10. Guy Tripp, Saugus: 92

Schedule

Saturday--NASCAR Southwest Series, Late Models, Super Stocks.

Aug. 5--NASCAR Super Late Models Twin 50s, Grand American Modifieds, American Race Trucks, Mini Stocks; 12--NASCAR Late Models, Super Stocks, Mini Stocks, Spec Trucks, Legends Cars, Figure 8s; 19--NASCAR Winston West 250, Late Models; 26--NASCAR Super Late Models, Super Stocks, Grand American Modifieds, T.Q. Midgets, American Race Trucks.

Sept. 2--NASCAR Super Late Models Twin 50s, Super Stocks, Speed Trucks, Mini Stocks; 9--NASCAR Super Late Models, Late Models, Grand American Modifieds, Legends Cars.

Perris Auto Speedway

Through July 22

SCRA Sprint Cars

1. Richard Griffin, Silver City, N.M.: 1349

2. Rip Williams, Yorba Linda: 1181

3. Ricky Gaunt, Torrance: 1028

4. Jeremy Sherman, Phoenix: 1021

5. Cory Kruseman, Ventura: 963

6. Tony Jones, Corona: 962

7. Steve Ostling, Corona: 899

8. Mike English, Norwalk: 895

9. Mike Kirby, Lomita: 884