BRISTOL, Tenn. — Del Worsham, one of drag racing’s most gifted drivers and tuners of 330 mile per hour nitromethane vehicles, is the 2025 inductee for the prestigious Legends of Thunder Valley, historic Bristol Dragway’s Hall of Fame.
Worsham is one of only three NHRA drivers in history to win world championship crowns in both the Top Fuel (2011) and Funny Car (2015) categories, the top two divisions in the sport. The Southern California native, who in 1990 became the youngest driver to win an NHRA race in Funny Car at age 21, earned 33 career victories in NHRA competition, including 25 in Funny Car and eight in Top Fuel. In IHRA competition, Worsham’s Bristol IHRA victory in a tough final over Whit Bazemore helped him clinch the IHRA crown in the 1992 season.
Worsham, who raced in many competitive races at Bristol Dragway and competed at the track under both NHRA and IHRA sanction, will be inducted during the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, June 6-8.
Worsham, 55, is the 22nd inductee in the Legends of Thunder Valley and joins the exclusive club that also includes Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, NHRA founder Wally Parks, John Force, Don Schumacher, last year’s inductee Shirley Muldowney, Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher and Scotty Cannon, to name a few. He will be presented with the customary Legends of Thunder Valley plaque by Bristol Motor Speedway & Dragway president and general manager Jerry Caldwell during pre-race ceremonies, which begin at 11 a.m. The accompanying signage showcasing his name in brilliant red will be installed upon the grandstand suite fascia as part of the ceremony.
In his career, Worsham claimed three victories at Bristol Dragway as a driver, including two in NHRA (2003 and 2009) and one in IHRA (1992). He also scored one win and one runner-up finish as a crew chief at Bristol, tuning Alexis DeJoria to victory in 2021 and a runner-up finish in 2012. He also tuned DeJoria to the No. 1 qualifying position at Bristol in 2021. In 2019, Worsham also had success as a crew chief guiding Funny Car rookie Shawn Langdon to the No. 2 qualifying position and a quarterfinal finish.
Worsham was always fast at Bristol. He set low ET in 2009 and 2014 and top speed in 2008, 2010, 2014 and 2016. He claimed No. 1 qualifying awards in 2013 and 2014 in Funny Car. Both of his No. 1 qualifying performances in 2013 (4.008 seconds) and 2014 (3.992 seconds) were certified official Bristol Dragway Track Records at the time.
In his lone NHRA season in Top Fuel he won the world championship, which included a quarterfinal finish at Bristol to Spencer Massey and leaving the event as the series points leader.
“Del is one of those rare individuals who can do it all in the drag racing arena,” Caldwell said. “In addition to his superlatives on the national stage including world championship titles in both Top Fuel and Funny Car, Del really performed great at Bristol Dragway during his career, earning multiple victories, No. 1 qualifying performances and posting track record times and speeds. He did it as both a driver inside the cockpit and a crew chief turning the wrenches in the pits. We are thrilled to induct Del into Bristol Dragway’s Legends of Thunder Valley, in recognition of all that he has accomplished over the years at Thunder Valley and in NHRA competition.”
