Del Worsham - Funny Car Driver

Residence: Chino Hills, Calif.
Hometown: Whittier, Calif.
Date of Birth: February 11, 1970
Crew Chief: Dickie Venables
Al-Anabi Racing Team Owner: HH Sheikh Khalid Al-Thani
Al-Anabi Racing Team Manager:  Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson Racing Owner:  Alan Johnson
2010 wins/final rounds: 0/1
Career wins/final rounds: 25/39 (.641)
2010 No. 1 qualifiers: 1
Career No. 1 qualifiers:  5
Career-best points finish: 2nd (2004)
Countdown to the Championship appearances: 2
First professional start: Pomona 2, 1990
Career-best elapsed time for quarter mile: 4.712 seconds for quarter mile (Pomona 2, 2006)
Career-best elapsed time to 1000 feet:  4.038 seconds (Pomona 1, 2009)
Career-best speed for quarter mile: 331.36 mph for quarter mile (Pomona 2, 2005)
Career-best speed to 1000 feet:  313.15 mph (Norwalk 2010)

PERSONAL INFORMATION


  • Wife: Connie
  • Children: Katelyn and Madelyn
  • Height/weight: 5’, 9” / 180 lbs
  • Hobbies: playing with the children, reading, golf
  • Notable: Drove for his family’s race team since the beginning of his career in 1990 before joining the Al-Anabi Racing Toyota Camry-Solara Funny Car team in 2009. 

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS


  • 2009: Finished seventh in the NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car point standings in the first season with Ala-Anabi Racing; won consecutive races in the spring at St. Louis, Mo. and Bristol, Tenn.; made the Countdown to One NHRA Playoffs for the first time and won a countdown race in Richmond, Va., his third and final win of the season.
  • 2008: Finished 13th in NHRA POWERade Funny Car points; won once and earned 11th career berth in US Smokeless Showdown with dramatic final-race qualifying effort.
  • 2007: Finished ninth in NHRA POWERade Funny Car points; earned fourth-career No. 1 qualifier; advanced to the semifinals three times. 
  • 2006: Finished 11th in NHRA POWERade Funny Car points; reset career-best elapsed time with 4.712-second pass at Pomona 2.
  • 2005: Finished eighth in NHRA POWERade Funny Car points; won three races including the U.S. Nationals and the Skoal Showdown non-points event; set track speed record with 328.14 mph pass at Indianapolis; reset career best elapsed time with 4.723-second pass in Joliet, Ill.
  • 2004: Finished career-best second in NHRA POWERade Funny Car point standings; won career-best five races; led point standings for first time in career; reset career bests 329.75 mph speed in Joliet, Ill. and elapsed time with 4.728-second pass at Pomona 2.
  • 2003: Finished fourth in NHRA POWERade Funny Car points; won three races; lowered career-best elapsed time to 4.764 at Joliet, Ill.; earned eighth-career Budweiser Shootout berth.
  • 2002: Finished third in NHRA POWERade Funny Car point standings; won four races; nominated by Car Craft as Funny Car Driver of the Year.
  • 2001: Finished third in NHRA Winston Funny Car point standings for the second-consecutive year; won four races; one of only three Funny Car drivers to qualify for all 24 races; lowered career best elapsed time at Reading, Pa. with 4.778-second pass; set new career mark for round wins in a season with 35; nominated by Car Craft Magazine as Funny Car Driver of the Year.
  • 2000: Finished eighth in NHRA Winston Funny Car point standings recording sixth-career top-10 points finish; family-owned team increased program to include second Checker-Schuck’s-Kragen Pontiac Funny Car team
  • 1999: Finished seventh in NHRA Winston Funny Car point standings winning one race; earned berth in prestigious Big Bud Shootout on a dramatic come-from-behind final qualifying lap at Brainerd, Minn.
  • 1998: Finished 10th in NHRA Winston Funny Car standings; Worsham Family honored with Blaine Johnson Award at Winston Awards Ceremony.
  • 1997: Finished 11th in NHRA Winston Funny Car point standings; team acquired primary sponsorship from Checker-Schuck’s-Kragen Auto Parts; runner-up at Winston Invitational all-star race.
  • 1996: Finished seventh in NHRA Winston Funny Car point standings driving the only unsponsored Funny Car in the Winston Top 10 point standings.
  • 1995: Finished 16th in NHRA Winston Funny Car points competing in 17 races in the Worsham & Fink Nitro Funny Car; drove two races in Top Fuel dragster owned by Roger Primm.
  • 1994: Finished 19th in NHRA Winston Funny Car points running five races; finished 13th in NHRA Winston Top Fuel point standings running 12 races; missed 12-weeks of season due to burns suffered in engine fire.
  • 1993: Finished 13th in NHRA Winston Funny Car points running a limited schedule; drove eight races in Top Fuel finishing 19th in points; recorded a Top Fuel top speed of 300.20 mph.
  • 1992: Finished fourth in NHRA Winston Funny Car points; ran full season.
  • 1991: Finished sixth in NHRA Winston Funny Car points in first full season as 21-year old professional; won two races becoming youngest driver ever to win a Funny Car trophy; named NHRA Rookie of the Year.
  • 1990: Made NHRA professional debut at Winston Finals in a Nitro Funny Car.
CAREER STATISTICS
Year No. Races Pts. Fin. Won R/U Semi. Qtr. 1st Rd. No. 1 Qfy. DNQ Round W-L
2009 24 7 3 0 3 7 11 0 0 25-21
2008 24 13 1 0 1 5 10 0 7 11-16
2007 23 9 2 2 3 6 10 1 2 18-21
2006 23 11 0 1 2 8 10 0 3 12-20
2005 23 8 2 0 3 8 10 0 0 22-21
2004 23 2 5 1 7 4 6 1 0 41-18
2003 23 4 3 2 1 11 6 0 0 31-20
2002 23 4 3 2 2 9 5 0 1 35-18
2001 24 3 4 1 5 6 8 1 9 35-20
2000 23 8 0 0 5 7 10 0 1 17-22
1999 22 7 1 0 1 6 13 0 1 12-20
1998 22 10 0 1 2 6 10 0 3 13-19
1997 22 11 0 0 3 4 14 0 1 10-21
1996 19 7 0 0 5 7 5 0 2 17-17
1995^ 17 16 0 0 1 1 8 0 7 3-10
1995* 2 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0-0
1994^ 5 19 0 0 0 2 1 0 2 2-3
1994* 12 20 0 0 0 1 2 0 9 1-3
1993^ 12 13 0 1 1 2 7 0 1 7-11
1993* 8 19 0 0 1 1 4 0 2 3-6
1992 18 4 0 3 3 9 3 1 0 24-18
1991 18 6 2 0 6 5 4 0 1 25-15
1990 1 35 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0-1
Total 411   25 13 55 115 158 4 45 364-341
^Competed in both Top Fule and Funny Car
*Top Fuel statistics

PLAYOFF STATISTICS
Year No. Races Won R/U Semi. Qtr. 1st Rd. No. 1 Qfy. DNQ  W-L
2009 6 0 0 1 1 4 0 0 7-6
Total 6 0 0 1 1 4 0 0 7-6


CAREER FINAL-ROUND RECORD




2010:
Englishtown runner-up (Bob Tasca III)

2009:
St. Louis winner (Ron Capps)
Bristol winner (Tony Pedregon)
Richmond Winner (Tim Wilkerson)

2008:
Houston winner (Ashley Force)

2007:
St. Louis runner-up (Ron Capps)
Sonoma runner-up (John Force)

2005
Englishtown winner (Ron Capps)
Indianapolis winner (Frank Pedregon)

2004
Phoenix winner (Tony Pedregon)
Gainesville winner (John Force)
Columbus winner (Gary Scelzi)
Dallas winner (Cruz Pedregon)
Chicago 2 winner (John Force)
Pomona 2 runner-up (John Force)

2003
Gainesville runner-up (Gary Densham)
Houston runner-up (Tony Pedregon)
Bristol winner (Whit Bazemore)
St. Louis winner (John Force)
Pomona 2 winner (Cory Lee)

2002
Pomona runner-up (John Force)
Phoenix winner (John Force)
Chicago 1 winner (Scotty Cannon)
Denver winner (Tony Pedregon)
Memphis runner-up (Tony Pedregon)
Dallas winner (Bruce Sarver)

2001
Houston winner (John Force)
Chicago 1 winner (John Force)
Columbus runner-up (John Force)
Sonoma winner (Jim Epler)
Pomona 2 winner (Whit Bazemore)

1999
Seattle winner (Whit Bazemore)

1998
Chicago runner-up (Whit Bazemore)

1993
Pomona 1 runner-up (John Force)

1992
Atlanta runner-up (John Force)
Englishtown runner-up (Chuck Etchells)
Indianapolis runner-up (Cruz Pedregon)

1991
Atlanta winner (Mark Oswald)
Englishtown winner (Mark Oswald)


Career No. 1 Qualifier Record

2010
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