DEFENDING EVENT CHAMP SCELZI LOOKS TO REPEAT IN VIRGINIA
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/g_scelzi.jpg" alt="g_scelzi" align="left"borders="0"/>
FRESNO, Calif. (Oct. 8, 2008) - It's been a year since perennial top runner and four-time NHRA world champion Gary Scelzi has won a national event in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. It was at the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park in 2007 where he claimed his 37th career victory in his 58th final round. The driver of the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car hopes to repeat this weekend at the third annual event at VMP before he hangs up his helmet for an undetermined duration at the end of this season.
"It's my one-year anniversary of a win, which is like a ridiculously long dry spell for me," said Scelzi, whose team has struggled most of the 2008 season and is in unfamiliar territory in 14th in the point standings with three races remaining. "The good news is that in the last few races the performance of the Mopar/Oakley Dodge has improved and we qualified in the top half and won a round in Memphis two weeks ago, so hopefully we can do well again in Virginia.
"Nothing would be better than to repeat," added Scelzi who still holds the Top Fuel elapsed-time track record of 4.494 seconds at VMP, set in 1999, and the Funny Car top-speed track record of 319.22 mph, established last year. "It's always cool there and it's always cloudy, which makes the race track have a lot of bite. And, with what (crew chief) Richard Hogan has found out over the last few races, I think we can run pretty hard."
The Don Schumacher Racing crew-chief brain trust has been hard at work combining and sharing its data and talents among all four of the DSR Funny Cars to help improve the team's results since the NHRA's rule changes earlier this year. Adapting to new chassis, a new tire, the addition of extra weight, a change in the percentage of nitromethane used, and racing to 1000 feet instead of the usual 1320 feet, has been a challenge.
"It certainly shows improvement with Jerry Toliver running well (qualified No. 2 in Memphis), because we're running the same combination he and Jack Beckman (No. 2 in the point standings) are," said Scelzi. "So, with Toliver's performance and our performance last race, hopefully we can put something together and put a win on the board.
"We all want to win. It's been a horrible year. Richard Hogan is new to the group and I think we're onto something with Jack's combination, which is basically an old combination, but we've got the balance right on the cars now and it looks like we're going in the right direction.”
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* No. 14 in points after 21 events in 2008 (one semifinal, five quarterfinal finishes, 11 first rounds and four DNQs)
* Two victories in Virginia: in Top Fuel in 1997, Funny Car in 2007
* No. 8 qualifier in Virginia in 2007, winner over Ron Capps
* Holds Top Fuel elapsed-time track record at VMP of 4.494 seconds, set in 1999
* Also holds the Funny Car top-speed track record at VMP of 319.22 mph, set in 2007
* Third in 2007 Funny Car point standings
* Won class-best four national events in 2007, in four final rounds
* Qualified No. 1 and won the 2007 season-opening Pomona event (against Robert Hight), again qualified No. 1 and won the Chicago event, then won in Memphis and Richmond
* Seventh in 2006 Funny Car points, with one win in three final rounds, no low qualifiers
* 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, was low qualifier six times
* 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 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
* Has 37 career national-event titles in 58 final rounds
* Career round win-loss record is 376-209
* Age 47 (Aug. 11, 1960), born and raised in Fresno, Calif., where he lives with wife Julianne and sons Dominic and Giovanni
* Dominic, 11, races Restricted 600 Mini Sprints; Giovanni, 6, races Junior 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 12 Funny Car wins, 25 Top Fuel wins
* Sixth in 2003 Funny Car points, his first full season in that class
* 2008 is his sixth 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 final-round-winning record against the 14-time Funny Car champion John Force: 3-1 in final rounds, 12-12 in head-to-head match-ups
* Said early in 2007 that he would step away from NHRA competition at end of season. An offer from NHRA team owner Ken Black to fly him to and from 10 races in 2008, so he could spend more time with family business and family, helped him change his mind and return with DSR in 2008
* Announced recently that he will step away from NHRA competition at the end of 2008
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/g_scelzi.jpg" alt="g_scelzi" align="left"borders="0"/>
FRESNO, Calif. (Oct. 8, 2008) - It's been a year since perennial top runner and four-time NHRA world champion Gary Scelzi has won a national event in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. It was at the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park in 2007 where he claimed his 37th career victory in his 58th final round. The driver of the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car hopes to repeat this weekend at the third annual event at VMP before he hangs up his helmet for an undetermined duration at the end of this season.
"It's my one-year anniversary of a win, which is like a ridiculously long dry spell for me," said Scelzi, whose team has struggled most of the 2008 season and is in unfamiliar territory in 14th in the point standings with three races remaining. "The good news is that in the last few races the performance of the Mopar/Oakley Dodge has improved and we qualified in the top half and won a round in Memphis two weeks ago, so hopefully we can do well again in Virginia.
"Nothing would be better than to repeat," added Scelzi who still holds the Top Fuel elapsed-time track record of 4.494 seconds at VMP, set in 1999, and the Funny Car top-speed track record of 319.22 mph, established last year. "It's always cool there and it's always cloudy, which makes the race track have a lot of bite. And, with what (crew chief) Richard Hogan has found out over the last few races, I think we can run pretty hard."
The Don Schumacher Racing crew-chief brain trust has been hard at work combining and sharing its data and talents among all four of the DSR Funny Cars to help improve the team's results since the NHRA's rule changes earlier this year. Adapting to new chassis, a new tire, the addition of extra weight, a change in the percentage of nitromethane used, and racing to 1000 feet instead of the usual 1320 feet, has been a challenge.
"It certainly shows improvement with Jerry Toliver running well (qualified No. 2 in Memphis), because we're running the same combination he and Jack Beckman (No. 2 in the point standings) are," said Scelzi. "So, with Toliver's performance and our performance last race, hopefully we can put something together and put a win on the board.
"We all want to win. It's been a horrible year. Richard Hogan is new to the group and I think we're onto something with Jack's combination, which is basically an old combination, but we've got the balance right on the cars now and it looks like we're going in the right direction.”
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* No. 14 in points after 21 events in 2008 (one semifinal, five quarterfinal finishes, 11 first rounds and four DNQs)
* Two victories in Virginia: in Top Fuel in 1997, Funny Car in 2007
* No. 8 qualifier in Virginia in 2007, winner over Ron Capps
* Holds Top Fuel elapsed-time track record at VMP of 4.494 seconds, set in 1999
* Also holds the Funny Car top-speed track record at VMP of 319.22 mph, set in 2007
* Third in 2007 Funny Car point standings
* Won class-best four national events in 2007, in four final rounds
* Qualified No. 1 and won the 2007 season-opening Pomona event (against Robert Hight), again qualified No. 1 and won the Chicago event, then won in Memphis and Richmond
* Seventh in 2006 Funny Car points, with one win in three final rounds, no low qualifiers
* 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, was low qualifier six times
* 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 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
* Has 37 career national-event titles in 58 final rounds
* Career round win-loss record is 376-209
* Age 47 (Aug. 11, 1960), born and raised in Fresno, Calif., where he lives with wife Julianne and sons Dominic and Giovanni
* Dominic, 11, races Restricted 600 Mini Sprints; Giovanni, 6, races Junior 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 12 Funny Car wins, 25 Top Fuel wins
* Sixth in 2003 Funny Car points, his first full season in that class
* 2008 is his sixth 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 final-round-winning record against the 14-time Funny Car champion John Force: 3-1 in final rounds, 12-12 in head-to-head match-ups
* Said early in 2007 that he would step away from NHRA competition at end of season. An offer from NHRA team owner Ken Black to fly him to and from 10 races in 2008, so he could spend more time with family business and family, helped him change his mind and return with DSR in 2008
* Announced recently that he will step away from NHRA competition at the end of 2008
