NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Two-time NHRA champion Del Worsham will race six 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events with primary sponsorship from Lucas Oil. 

Worsham, 46, of Villa Park, Ca, stepped away from his role as driver for Kalitta Motorsports in November, to join his father Chuck Worsham with the family-owned team.

The signing of Lucas Oil represents a major milestone for Worsham-Fink Racing. 

“We’re very lucky and very fortunate,” Worsham said. “After a conversation with Morgan Lucas, where I told him my plans, he was very excited about our program. It didn’t take long for him after that for him to come back and accept our agreement. 

“The six races with Lucas Oil are just a start of what has snowballed into a group of companies that have stepped up; individuals with companies and individuals in general that want to help out. The six-race race agreement with Lucas Oil was just kind of the platform to get started.” 

Worsham will race the NHRA Winternationals (Pomona, Ca.), NHRA Arizona Nationals (Phoenix, Az.), NHRA Gatornationals (Gainesville, Fla.), Denso Spark Plus NHRA Nationals (Las Vegas), Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals (Brainerd, Minn.) and NHRA U.S. Nationals (Indianapolis) with Lucas Oil as primary sponsor on his Toyota Camry Funny Car. 

Past NHRA Top Fuel driver Morgan Lucas, who brokered the program, believes Worsham certainly represents the image Lucas Oil seeks.

“Lucas Oil is a family run business and we have always tried to create products that help the working man; the people out there really getting the job done on a daily basis,” Lucas said. “Del Worsham epitomizes the hard-working blue collar spirit that Lucas Oil represents. He pours his heart and soul in to his family and in to drag racing. He’s the ultimate racer’s racer. Some of Del's plans for his 2017 campaign are going to bring a lot of fun and excitement to NHRA drag racing, and as a fan of drag racing I’m really looking forward to Del hitting the track in his Lucas Oil Funny Car.”

Joining Lucas Oil, Worsham-Fink Racing have forged solid alliances with include Toyota and their TMS and TRD programs, Hi-Tech Finishing, CP-Carillo, C2C Industries, Boninfante Friction, Mac Tools, AAP, Mahle-Clevite, ARP Fasteners, BMRS, Bullet Cams, Walery's Pizza, and Woody’s Custom Headers. 

Kalitta Motorsports will offer assistance as well for Worsham-Fink Racing. 

Worsham’s drag racing story is one of a kid who grew up in drag racing, and while he’d never exceeded 100 miles per hour in a car, jumped behind the wheel and licensed in a nitro Funny Car in his first attempt. The only racing experience Worsham had was as a BMX racer. 

Worsham carried this same kind of spirit into his present situation starting in December without any sponsorship, and it has snowballed to the point the team can be considered a competitive second-tier operation. 

“I am ecstatic right now,” Worsham said. “I was in the shop last night working with my dad, which is what I came back to do, and I was welding on fire bottle brackets, and I had flashbacks to when I was 18 years old, in his small garage doing it. I wanted to get the old band together.”

Putting the old band back together includes John Fink, a partner in the formative years of his career who will return this season in the same capacity. In the end, Worsham admits, each day becomes a dream come true scenario. 

“I knew getting started this late in the season that most people’s budgets as far as advertising for big corporations were probably pretty well locked up,” Worsham said. “Somebody who has a passion for drag racing like the Lucas Oil family does, and they know drag racing, they love NHRA drag racing, and for them to step up is amazing.”