rpm.espn.com: Gary Densham

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Tuesday, January 14
Updated: January 24, 11:26 AM ET

Gary Densham
By Bill Stephens
ESPN.com

Team: Automobile Club of Southern California/John Force Racing

Gary Densham
Densham

STATS

Year
Rank
Wins
Final rounds
No. 1 qualifier
Round record

2002 4 2 4 2 31-21

Career 4 12 3 116-219

2002 recap
The good: Densham was a key player in the success of Force's three-car fleet. With John Force's eight wins, Tony Pedregon's six and Densham's two, they combined for two-thirds of the national event wins on the 2002 schedule.

Season highlight: His victory at Englishtown in May gave him the points lead for the first time in his career, and he held onto it for three more races.

The bad: A tough stretch in the last seven races -- in which he won only six rounds -- cost him third place in the points and prevented a Team Castrol 1-2-3 finish in the standings.

Season lowlight: He was low qualifier at both Gainesville and Atlanta but didn't get past the second round at either race.

Gary Densham

Key stat: Despite the cries of some critics about the unfair advantages enjoyed by Force's three-car team, out of 92 rounds of competition in 2002, Densham raced Tony Pedregon and John Force a grand total of six times.

2003 outlook
What needs to be done: Densham is as close a friend as Force has in racing and their relationship is a mutually beneficial one. Densham knows that Pedregon is next in line for the King's throne but is truly enjoying the greatest success of his career as part of Force's posse. Not in it for the glory, he'll continue to win some races, finish well in the points and help run interference for his teammates.

Prediction: There's a possibility that this may be Densham's final year with Team Castrol so he'll be motivated to take full advantage of his opportunities. Look for the 1-2-3 sweep for the Castrol crew that eluded them in '02.

Your take
Here are your thoughts on Gary Densham's prospects for the 2003 season.

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