Phil Burkart Prepares for Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis
- Aug 29, 2006
Phil Burkart will bring his “Madman Murray” Monte Carlo to one of the most
prestigious drag races on the planet, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Each Labor
Day weekend NHRA racers descend on O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. The
fabled ORP quarter mile is regarded by many as one of the smoothest on the
circuit. It is a staging ground for some of the seasons most sought after
championships.
Burkart and his Murray’s crew earned their way to a second-round finish at the O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals in Memphis. That steamy and hot event was followed by two days of testing on the same Indy track they will be competing on this weekend.
Murray's Discount Auto Funny Car, Photo Courtesy of Team Worsham
“Our car was coming around a bit in Memphis, under just about the worst
possible conditions,” said Burkart. “We got a big round win there, beating a car
that qualified better than we did. We raced Eric Medlen heads-up in round two
but just got beat by a bit. With that race ending on Monday, it was a mad dash
to get up here to Indy to test for two days. We arrived here Monday night,
worked on the car for half the day Tuesday, and spent a day-and-a-half making as
many runs as we could.”
Burkart and his crew use K&N Engineering’s Premium Performance Gold Oil Filters. The thick canister walls on the K&N Filters have extra strength and durability which reduce the risk of damage from debris on the race track.
As Burkart begins the four day marathon he and his team are keeping tabs on their POWERade points, as well as the competition points. “I think we need to stop worrying about the points and just focus on making every lap the best it can be,” he said. “We’ll have good runs and bad runs, everybody does, and we’ll win what we deserve to win. The points will come. We’re not in the championship hunt now, and the best thing for us is to focus on what we’re doing and where we’re going.”
Phil Burkart, Photo Courtesy of Team Worsham
This year Burkart started the season with two semi-finals, three second-round finishes and one first round defeat at the first six races. Three more round wins over the next 11 races lead the team into Indy.
“We’re going to take on every round by racing to win, instead of racing not to lose,” said Burkart. “There’s a big difference in those two approaches, racing to win means taking some chances and being aggressive without being afraid to make a mistake. It’s our time to be aggressive right now, and that is what we are going to do. We have one last race with the Murray’s car, and we’re going to take that big Madman for a twirl around the dance floor.”
Follow Phil Burkart throughout the racing season at the K&N news site. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.
Burkart and his Murray’s crew earned their way to a second-round finish at the O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals in Memphis. That steamy and hot event was followed by two days of testing on the same Indy track they will be competing on this weekend.
Murray's Discount Auto Funny Car, Photo Courtesy of Team Worsham
Burkart and his crew use K&N Engineering’s Premium Performance Gold Oil Filters. The thick canister walls on the K&N Filters have extra strength and durability which reduce the risk of damage from debris on the race track.
As Burkart begins the four day marathon he and his team are keeping tabs on their POWERade points, as well as the competition points. “I think we need to stop worrying about the points and just focus on making every lap the best it can be,” he said. “We’ll have good runs and bad runs, everybody does, and we’ll win what we deserve to win. The points will come. We’re not in the championship hunt now, and the best thing for us is to focus on what we’re doing and where we’re going.”
Phil Burkart, Photo Courtesy of Team Worsham
This year Burkart started the season with two semi-finals, three second-round finishes and one first round defeat at the first six races. Three more round wins over the next 11 races lead the team into Indy.
“We’re going to take on every round by racing to win, instead of racing not to lose,” said Burkart. “There’s a big difference in those two approaches, racing to win means taking some chances and being aggressive without being afraid to make a mistake. It’s our time to be aggressive right now, and that is what we are going to do. We have one last race with the Murray’s car, and we’re going to take that big Madman for a twirl around the dance floor.”
Follow Phil Burkart throughout the racing season at the K&N news site. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.
