Del Worsham
Del Worsham is an American NHRA driver who began his professional career as a driver in Pomona, California, in 1990. Worsham drives a Lucas Oil sponsored car Worsham Racing, a family team. Through the first five races of the 2011 season, he has amassed 33 career victories, eight in the Top Fuel Series and 25 in the Funny Car Series. In 1991, Worsham became the youngest driver to win a Funny Car event and went on to win the NHRA Rookie of the Year. His best finish in the Point Standings first came in 2011 when he won the NHRA Full Throttle Championship in Top Fuel. In 2015, Worsham won the NHRA Mello Yello Championship in Funny Car. He became the third driver to win championships in both Top Fuel and Funny Car, joining Kenny Bernstein and Gary Scelzi in this category.
NHRA career
Worsham made his first professional start at the last race of the 1990 NHRA season in Pomona, California. He competed primarily in the Funny Car series from his debut through the 2010 season. He did, however, split his time between Funny Car and Top Fuel from 1993 to 1995. At the beginning of the 2011 season, he switched to the Top Fuel series.His best performance came in 2004 when he finished second place in the Funny Car Point Standings. His five victories and 41 elimination round wins that came in 2004 are also personal bests.
Del drove for his family's team from the beginning of his career until joining the Al-Anabi Racing Toyota Funny Car team in 2009. In 2017, Del re-joined his family team.
| Year | Starts | Wins | Points Finish | Round W-L |
| 2010 | 23 | 0 | 6 | 21-23 |
| 2009 | 24 | 3 | 7 | 25-21 |
| 2008 | 24 | 1 | 13 | 11-16 |
| 2007 | 23 | 0 | 9 | 18-21 |
| 2006 | 23 | 0 | 11 | 12-20 |
| 2005 | 23 | 2 | 8 | 22-21 |
| 2004 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 41-18 |
| 2003 | 23 | 3 | 4 | 31-20 |
| 2002 | 23 | 4 | 3 | 35-18 |
| 2001 | 24 | 4 | 3 | 35-20 |
| 2000 | 23 | 0 | 8 | 17-22 |
| 1999 | 22 | 1 | 7 | 12-20 |
| 1998 | 22 | 0 | 10 | 13-19 |
| 1997 | 22 | 0 | 11 | 10-21 |
| 1996 | 19 | 0 | 7 | 17-17 |
| 1995 | 17 | 0 | 16 | 3-10 |
| 1994 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 2-3 |
| 1993 | 12 | 0 | 13 | 7-11 |
| 1992 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 24-18 |
| 1991 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 25-15 |
| 1990 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 0-1 |
1991-1992: NHRA Rookie of the Year
After starting the last race of the 1990 season, Worsham began his professional drag racing career in 1991 driving his father's Nitro Funny Car. Seven races into the season, he won the Southern Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia. In doing so, Worsham, who was 21 years old at the time, became the youngest driver ever to win a Funny Car event. He continued his early success by winning the Summernationals in Englishtown, New Jersey, less than three months later. At the conclusion of the 1991 season, Worsham finished sixth in the Funny Car points standings and was named the NHRA Rookie of the Year.Del followed up his strong performance in 1991 by placing second in three events: the U.S. Nationals, the Summernationals, and the Southern Nationals. Although he did not win a race, he placed fourth in the Funny Car points standings, a two-place improvement from his rookie year.
1993-1995: Top Fuel and Funny Car
In 1993, Worsham participated in select Top Fuel races, ultimately starting eight times in the Top Fuel Series. He recorded a top speed of 300.20 mph while participating in Top Fuel. In the Funny Car Series, he finished runner-up only once, losing to John Force at the Winternationals in Pomona, California.Worsham continued to participate in both the Top Fuel Series and Funny Car Series in 1994, starting 12 and five races, respectively. After an engine exploded during one of his races, Worsham missed 12 weeks of the season to heal the burns he sustained. In total, he advanced to the Quarterfinals three times and failed to advance each time.
1995 was the last year Worsham raced in the Top Fuel Series until the 2011 season. He raced only twice in the Top Fuel Series, however, while he made 17 starts in Funny Car. He made it to the semifinals once, and he finished 16th overall in the Point Standings.
1996-1997: The Return to Funny Car
Racing in only the Funny Car Series in 1996, Del reached the semifinals five times within his 19 starts. Although he never made it to the final round, he finished seventh overall in the Point Standings, his best finish in three years.In 1997, Checker-Schuck’s-Kragen Auto Parts became the primary sponsor of Worsham's team. Similar to the previous year, Worsham advanced to the semifinals three times but lost each time. He would finish 11th in the Point Standings.
1998: Blaine Johnson Award Winner
In 1998, Worsham advanced to the final round at the inaugural race at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois, marking the first time in six years he advanced past the semifinal round. He would lose to Whit Bazemore, however, and finished the season in 10th place in the Point Standings.NHRA presented the 1998 Blaine Johnson Award to Del and his family at the end of the season. This prestigious award was created by NHRA to commemorate late Top Fuel driver Blaine Johnson, who died during a crash in August 1996 at the U.S. Nationals. According to the official NHRA website, "the award is presented to the individual, team or family who best demonstrates perseverance and dedication to NHRA Drag Racing."
1999-2000
Through 22 Funny Car starts, Worsham qualified for the championship rounds every time except once in 1999. In addition, Worsham won his first race since his rookie year by ousting Whit Bazemore at the Prolong Super Lubricants Northwest Nationals in Seattle, Washington. He would go on to finish seventh in the Point Standings.In 2000, Worsham made 23 Funny Car starts and failed to qualify for the Sunday rounds only once. He advanced to the semifinals five times, but failed to advance to the final round. Overall, Worsham finished eighth in the Point Standings, marking the sixth time he had finished in the Top Ten in his career.
2001-2003: Top-4 Finishes
| Year | Starts | Wins | Points Finish | Round W-L |
| 2011 | 22 | 8 | 1 | 53-14 |
| 1995 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0-0 |
| 1994 | 12 | 0 | 20 | 1-3 |
| 1993 | 8 | 0 | 19 | 3-6 |
Worsham was one of only three Funny Car drivers to qualify for the championship rounds in all 24 Funny Car events in 2001. He advanced to the semifinals 10 times, winning five of those races. In the five Final Round races he participated in, Worsham won four, the most single-season victories of his career at the time. His wins came at Houston, Texas ; Joliet, Illinois ; Sonoma, California ; and Pomona, California. He also posted 35 victories in the elimination rounds against 20 losses. Those 35 victories would be a career-best for Worsham until 2004. Overall, he scored 1490 points, good enough for third place in the 2001 NHRA POWERade Championship Point Standings, 510 points behind 2001 Funny Car champion John Force. Because of his outstanding performance in 2001, Car Craft Magazine nominated Worsham for Funny Car Driver of the Year.
Worsham continued to race well in 2002, qualifying for all but one of the championship rounds. He advanced to the semifinals eight times, winning six of the eight races. He matched his win total from the previous year, winning at Chandler, Arizona ; Joliet, Illinois ; Denver, Colorado ; and Ennis, Texas. He also matched his 2001 victory total in the elimination rounds. This was the second consecutive year he won the June race at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois. His four wins and six Final Round berths helped him finish third in the Point Standings for the second consecutive year, 337 points behind champion John Force.
Worsham qualified for all 23 Funny Car events in 2003; only three other drivers accomplished this feat that year. In six semifinal appearances, he advanced to the final round five times. He went on to win three races in 2003, which were at Bristol, Tennessee ; Madison, Illinois ; and Pomona, California. In addition, he won 31 elimination rounds, only four less than the 35 wins he amassed in 2001 and 2002. Worsham would finish fourth in the Funny Car Series in 2003, 371 points behind champion Tony Pedregon.