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FRESNO, Calif. (July 10, 2007) - Four-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series champion Gary Scelzi left the Mopar Mile-High Nationals in 2006 with his first victory there in either Top Fuel or Funny Car, and before he hangs up his helmet (or not) at the end of 2007, he'd like to win another one for Mopar at this weekend's event at Bandimere Speedway.
After announcing he would take a sabbatical from NHRA drag racing at the end of this season, Scelzi has been rewarded with honors at several events this year, including this weekend, where Mopar will unveil a striking gold "tribute" paint scheme that he will carry on the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car.
Scelzi is also aiming to notch another championship before stepping down. He's fifth in the point standings and the top eight will compete in the final Countdown to the Championship beginning at the U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend.
"I have always said I didn't want a 'Farewell Tour,' so the media are calling this the 'hiatus tour,'" said Scelzi, who claims he is not retiring and may actually return to NHRA competition in the future - or not.
This annual Mopar-sponsored event has always been a highlight of his career.
"The Mopar Mile-Highs are always fun," said the man who has won 35 national events in 56 final rounds and has a stunning round win-loss record of 358-183. "There's always exciting things going on with the Big Block Party in Golden on Thursday night, and now the rubber raft race on Clear Creek that Mopar is hosting, which includes me, my teammate Ron Capps and the Mopar Pro Stock boys Richie Stevens Jr. and Allen Johnson. It's going to be a blast. I bet someone is going to get wet. That's a given.
"Bandimere is a really neat facility. It is certainly different from the other tracks we race on. It's hard to make cars run up there. We run on 90 percent nitromethane (instead of the usual 85 percent) and a whole different combination, which makes it interesting. It is really a terrific venue on top of the mountain.
"I had never won there before and last year Zippy (crew chief Mike Neff) got me a win!. Hopefully we can go back there and repeat."
He also has two No. 1 qualifiers at this event, in 2000 and 2001, in the Top Fuel class.
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* Fifth in Funny Car points after qualifying No. 1 and winning the 2007 season-opening Pomona event, and again qualifying No. 1 and winning the Chicago event. His other results this season are first-round losses in Phoenix, Gainesville, Las Vegas and Englishtown, quarterfinal finishes in Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Topeka and Bristol, and a DNQ in Norwalk
* Is 226 points behind leader Ron Capps, 43 points short of third
* Winner once in Denver, in Funny Car, in 2006
* No. 1 qualifier twice in Denver, in Top Fuel, in 2000 and 2001
* Qualified No. 2 in Denver in 2006, won event over Cruz Pedregon
* Seventh in 2006 Funny Car points, with a win in Denver (three final rounds), runner-up in Englishtown, N.J., runner-up in Brainerd, Minn., and three semifinal finishes in Bristol, Tenn., Joliet, Ill., and St. Louis.
* Also had seven quarterfinal finishes and no No. 1 qualifiers in '06
* Claimed the 2005 Funny Car championship, his first, by eight points over his teammate Ron Capps, 32 over third-place John Force
* Won three times in 2005 (Bristol, Chicago 1 and Sonoma); was low qualifier six times (Las Vegas 1, Atlanta, St. Louis, Reading, Las Vegas 2, Pomona 2)
* Is a three-time Top Fuel champion (1997, 1998, 2000)
* Became only the second NHRA driver to have won crowns in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. Kenny Bernstein is the first
* Has set 24 Funny Car top speeds since joining Don Schumacher Racing in 2003
* Is a member of the largest team in NHRA pro history: Don Schumacher Racing - one in Top Fuel, three in Funny Car, one in Pro Stock, two in Pro Stock Motorcycle (all four pro categories)
* Is first Funny Car driver to break the 330-mph barrier (330.15 mph at Route 66 Raceway in 2004)
* Career Funny Car bests: 4.690-second ET (Pomona 1 '07), 333.49 mph (Pomona 1 '07)
* Qualified in top five 19 times in 2005, No. 1 six times
* Age 46 (Aug. 11, 1960), born and raised in Fresno, Calif., where he lives with wife Julianne and sons Dominic and Giovanni
* Dominic, 10, races Restricted 600 Mini Sprints
* Runs Scelzi Enterprises, a custom truck body design and manufacturing business in Fresno with his two brothers
* Won his first Top Fuel crown as a rookie
* Has 10 Funny Car wins, 25 Top Fuel wins
* Sixth in 2003 Funny Car points, his first full season in that class
* 2007 is his fifth straight season racing for Don Schumacher Racing
* Is the only NHRA driver to have won in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car. He accomplished this feat by winning Nitro Funny Car at Infineon Raceway in 2003
* Is one of the few Funny Car drivers who has a round winning record against the 14-time Funny Car champion John Force: 12-9, 3-1 in final rounds
* Says he's stepping away from NHRA competition at end of 2007, but not retiring
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, July 13 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 4:45 and 7:15 p.m.
SATURDAY, July 14 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 1:15 and 4:15 p.m.
SUNDAY, July 15 - Pre-race ceremonies, 11 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at noon.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, July 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 6 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 15, ESPN2 and ESPN 2 HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 15, ESPN2 and ESPN 2 HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 9 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, July 13, 11 — 11:30 p.m. (ET) – SBS 6/Transponder 16K (Downlink frequency: 12092.5, vertical, analog)
Saturday, July 14, 8:30 — 9 p.m. (ET) – SBS 6/Transpoinder 16K (Downlink frequency: 12092.5, vertical, analog)
Sunday, July 15, 9 — 9:30 p.m. (ET) – SBS 6/Transponder 16K (Downlink frequency: 12092.5, vertical, analog)
DEFENDING DENVER CHAMP SCELZI READY FOR MOPAR MILE-HIGHS
FRESNO, Calif. (July 10, 2007) - Four-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series champion Gary Scelzi left the Mopar Mile-High Nationals in 2006 with his first victory there in either Top Fuel or Funny Car, and before he hangs up his helmet (or not) at the end of 2007, he'd like to win another one for Mopar at this weekend's event at Bandimere Speedway.
After announcing he would take a sabbatical from NHRA drag racing at the end of this season, Scelzi has been rewarded with honors at several events this year, including this weekend, where Mopar will unveil a striking gold "tribute" paint scheme that he will carry on the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car.
Scelzi is also aiming to notch another championship before stepping down. He's fifth in the point standings and the top eight will compete in the final Countdown to the Championship beginning at the U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend.
"I have always said I didn't want a 'Farewell Tour,' so the media are calling this the 'hiatus tour,'" said Scelzi, who claims he is not retiring and may actually return to NHRA competition in the future - or not.
This annual Mopar-sponsored event has always been a highlight of his career.
"The Mopar Mile-Highs are always fun," said the man who has won 35 national events in 56 final rounds and has a stunning round win-loss record of 358-183. "There's always exciting things going on with the Big Block Party in Golden on Thursday night, and now the rubber raft race on Clear Creek that Mopar is hosting, which includes me, my teammate Ron Capps and the Mopar Pro Stock boys Richie Stevens Jr. and Allen Johnson. It's going to be a blast. I bet someone is going to get wet. That's a given.
"Bandimere is a really neat facility. It is certainly different from the other tracks we race on. It's hard to make cars run up there. We run on 90 percent nitromethane (instead of the usual 85 percent) and a whole different combination, which makes it interesting. It is really a terrific venue on top of the mountain.
"I had never won there before and last year Zippy (crew chief Mike Neff) got me a win!. Hopefully we can go back there and repeat."
He also has two No. 1 qualifiers at this event, in 2000 and 2001, in the Top Fuel class.
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* Fifth in Funny Car points after qualifying No. 1 and winning the 2007 season-opening Pomona event, and again qualifying No. 1 and winning the Chicago event. His other results this season are first-round losses in Phoenix, Gainesville, Las Vegas and Englishtown, quarterfinal finishes in Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Topeka and Bristol, and a DNQ in Norwalk
* Is 226 points behind leader Ron Capps, 43 points short of third
* Winner once in Denver, in Funny Car, in 2006
* No. 1 qualifier twice in Denver, in Top Fuel, in 2000 and 2001
* Qualified No. 2 in Denver in 2006, won event over Cruz Pedregon
* Seventh in 2006 Funny Car points, with a win in Denver (three final rounds), runner-up in Englishtown, N.J., runner-up in Brainerd, Minn., and three semifinal finishes in Bristol, Tenn., Joliet, Ill., and St. Louis.
* Also had seven quarterfinal finishes and no No. 1 qualifiers in '06
* Claimed the 2005 Funny Car championship, his first, by eight points over his teammate Ron Capps, 32 over third-place John Force
* Won three times in 2005 (Bristol, Chicago 1 and Sonoma); was low qualifier six times (Las Vegas 1, Atlanta, St. Louis, Reading, Las Vegas 2, Pomona 2)
* Is a three-time Top Fuel champion (1997, 1998, 2000)
* Became only the second NHRA driver to have won crowns in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. Kenny Bernstein is the first
* Has set 24 Funny Car top speeds since joining Don Schumacher Racing in 2003
* Is a member of the largest team in NHRA pro history: Don Schumacher Racing - one in Top Fuel, three in Funny Car, one in Pro Stock, two in Pro Stock Motorcycle (all four pro categories)
* Is first Funny Car driver to break the 330-mph barrier (330.15 mph at Route 66 Raceway in 2004)
* Career Funny Car bests: 4.690-second ET (Pomona 1 '07), 333.49 mph (Pomona 1 '07)
* Qualified in top five 19 times in 2005, No. 1 six times
* Age 46 (Aug. 11, 1960), born and raised in Fresno, Calif., where he lives with wife Julianne and sons Dominic and Giovanni
* Dominic, 10, races Restricted 600 Mini Sprints
* Runs Scelzi Enterprises, a custom truck body design and manufacturing business in Fresno with his two brothers
* Won his first Top Fuel crown as a rookie
* Has 10 Funny Car wins, 25 Top Fuel wins
* Sixth in 2003 Funny Car points, his first full season in that class
* 2007 is his fifth straight season racing for Don Schumacher Racing
* Is the only NHRA driver to have won in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car. He accomplished this feat by winning Nitro Funny Car at Infineon Raceway in 2003
* Is one of the few Funny Car drivers who has a round winning record against the 14-time Funny Car champion John Force: 12-9, 3-1 in final rounds
* Says he's stepping away from NHRA competition at end of 2007, but not retiring
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, July 13 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 4:45 and 7:15 p.m.
SATURDAY, July 14 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 1:15 and 4:15 p.m.
SUNDAY, July 15 - Pre-race ceremonies, 11 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at noon.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, July 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 6 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 15, ESPN2 and ESPN 2 HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 15, ESPN2 and ESPN 2 HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 9 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, July 13, 11 — 11:30 p.m. (ET) – SBS 6/Transponder 16K (Downlink frequency: 12092.5, vertical, analog)
Saturday, July 14, 8:30 — 9 p.m. (ET) – SBS 6/Transpoinder 16K (Downlink frequency: 12092.5, vertical, analog)
Sunday, July 15, 9 — 9:30 p.m. (ET) – SBS 6/Transponder 16K (Downlink frequency: 12092.5, vertical, analog)
