Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Densham team still working out kinks after three races

Thursday, March 31, 2005 | 10:08 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Three races into the 2005 NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series season, Gary Densham has failed to qualify for two national events and is a distant 18th in the NHRA Funny Car standings.

But Densham, who left John Force Racing after four years to start his own team this season, isn't reaching for the panic button.

"When I went to work for John Force Racing and we had Jimmy Prock as the crew chief, it still took us about eight months to get that car running consistently quick," Densham said. "There are so many ways to mess up a run and there are very few ways to make the car go down the track.

"Even though you have individuals that can do their jobs very well, until they do it well together, it doesn't matter. You see it every time they have an all-star game -- whether it's football, baseball or basketball: The quarterback may be the best in the league and the receiver may be the best in the league, but they don't shine like the players on the same team who play day in and day out together."

Densham, a former high school shop teacher who ran his own Funny Car operation for two decades before joining John Force Racing in 2001, finished in the top five in points each of the past three seasons and won eight races in four years. Last season, Densham earned two victories and finished fourth in points.

"During my last season with Force Racing, the team had been together for three years and we had virtually all the same people, all working well together," he said. "We had all the money, all the parts and we made 20 test runs before we even went to the first race of the season. We were just much more prepared than I am this year."

Even though he is off to a slow start this season, Densham insisted that he is having a great time.

"There are advantages to having my own team again," he said. "I don't have a boss and I get to surround myself with the people I really like, and that's what makes this sport enjoyable. I'm not saying we didn't have the best crew last year because I loved all of those guys. This is great, too.

"I love driving the car and it's a thrill you can't imagine. But the amount of work it takes to make a five-second run is amazing and most of the time, it's not worth the effort. The fans and the people in the racing business make all the effort worthwhile. The camaraderie from the other racers and the crew guys makes me want to be out here because we always have a good time together. This is a great atmosphere to be around."

After two weeks off, the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series resumes next weekend with the 18th annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park, followed by the sixth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals April 14-17 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

SPREADING THE WEALTH: Jason Line became the third different Pro Stock winner in three races when he captured the Gatornationals in the most recent event -- a marked difference from a year ago, when there were only four different winners in 23 events.

Line joined Dave Connolly and Allen Johnson as Pro Stock winners this season.

AT THE STRIP: The second installment of the "Thursday Night Street Wars" for street-legal cars will be held at 8 p.m. today at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"Thursday Night Street Wars" is open to any licensed driver with proof of insurance. All cars and motorcycles must be street legal, driven to the track and pass a safety inspection. The entry fee is $20 for racers and spectator admission is $5. Gates open at 7 p.m.

Mark Piel (Super Pro), Ty Ishibashi (Pro), Stephanie Wong (Street), Lonnie Woodruff (Motorcycle) and Bill Dudley (Sport Compact) were the class winners at last weekend's 2005 Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series season opener at The Strip. Frankie Randall (Thunder Division) and Ryan Valandingham (Lightning Division) won the first Meadow Gold NHRA Junior Dragster Series points event of the season.