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FRESNO, Calif. (June 18, 2008) - Four-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series champion Gary Scelzi has a hit list of NHRA tracks at which he's never won since he began his professional drag-racing career in 1997. Before the NHRA added the Norwalk, Ohio, and the upcoming inaugural Charlotte, N.C., events, Scelzi only had two tracks to conquer: Gainesville Raceway in Florida, and Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J. This season he has four to hopefully add to his collection of 37 career victories in 58 final rounds.
He missed a win at Gainesville earlier this year and the next in his sights is Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, where he'll compete in the NHRA SuperNationals this weekend driving the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing.
His Englishtown record includes a 2000 Top Fuel runner-up, a 2006 Funny Car runner-up and two Top Fuel No. 1 qualifiers, in 1998 and 1999.
"I've been in the final there in Top Fuel and Funny Car and that's one on my hit list to get done," said Scelzi, a Fresno, Calif., native. "And I think now is a good a time as any.
"It seems like the Mopar/Oakley Dodge has turned the corner," he said of the team's struggles this season to adapt to a new car and rules. "We qualified in the top half of the field for the fourth time this year last week in Chicago and we're just eight points out of the top 10 for the Countdown to the Championship (which begins for the top 10 following the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend).
"More than likely Englishtown is going to be hot and humid. And we seem to have a really good tune-up for that. If Friday night cools down and we have a good Friday night session I think we can run with all the top guys. And, even if it's hot and humid, we can run with them and race with them on Sunday.
"I like my chances going into Englishtown. I don't know if I'll be any more motivated than I've been all year long. It's definitely one that I want. I'm going to try to not let this one slip through my fingers."
Scelzi still holds the national top-speed record at Raceway Park, a 322.42 mph run he set in 2003. "I don't think my speed record is in jeopardy with the conditions that we're going to probably have," he said, "because we're there later in the year now. You know, track records are great and world records are great, but I want wins. That's all I'm concerned about.
"We're really close to busting into the top 10 and that's another goal of ours, to go further than the rest of these guys and get ourselves in the top 10, get in there solid and start moving up. Now is crunch time. We need to make things happen."
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* No. 11 in points after nine events in 2008 (one semifinal, three quarterfinal finishes, five first rounds and a DNQ)
* Just eight points out of a spot in the top 10 for the Countdown to the Championship
* Has no wins in Englishtown; TF runner-up in 2000, FC runner-up in 2006
* Qualified No. 1 in E-town in TF in 1998 and 1999
* 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 374-201
* 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 round-winning record against the 14-time Funny Car champion John Force: 3-1 in final rounds, 12-11 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
E-TOWN ON SCELZI'S HIT LIST
FRESNO, Calif. (June 18, 2008) - Four-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series champion Gary Scelzi has a hit list of NHRA tracks at which he's never won since he began his professional drag-racing career in 1997. Before the NHRA added the Norwalk, Ohio, and the upcoming inaugural Charlotte, N.C., events, Scelzi only had two tracks to conquer: Gainesville Raceway in Florida, and Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J. This season he has four to hopefully add to his collection of 37 career victories in 58 final rounds.
He missed a win at Gainesville earlier this year and the next in his sights is Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, where he'll compete in the NHRA SuperNationals this weekend driving the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing.
His Englishtown record includes a 2000 Top Fuel runner-up, a 2006 Funny Car runner-up and two Top Fuel No. 1 qualifiers, in 1998 and 1999.
"I've been in the final there in Top Fuel and Funny Car and that's one on my hit list to get done," said Scelzi, a Fresno, Calif., native. "And I think now is a good a time as any.
"It seems like the Mopar/Oakley Dodge has turned the corner," he said of the team's struggles this season to adapt to a new car and rules. "We qualified in the top half of the field for the fourth time this year last week in Chicago and we're just eight points out of the top 10 for the Countdown to the Championship (which begins for the top 10 following the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend).
"More than likely Englishtown is going to be hot and humid. And we seem to have a really good tune-up for that. If Friday night cools down and we have a good Friday night session I think we can run with all the top guys. And, even if it's hot and humid, we can run with them and race with them on Sunday.
"I like my chances going into Englishtown. I don't know if I'll be any more motivated than I've been all year long. It's definitely one that I want. I'm going to try to not let this one slip through my fingers."
Scelzi still holds the national top-speed record at Raceway Park, a 322.42 mph run he set in 2003. "I don't think my speed record is in jeopardy with the conditions that we're going to probably have," he said, "because we're there later in the year now. You know, track records are great and world records are great, but I want wins. That's all I'm concerned about.
"We're really close to busting into the top 10 and that's another goal of ours, to go further than the rest of these guys and get ourselves in the top 10, get in there solid and start moving up. Now is crunch time. We need to make things happen."
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* No. 11 in points after nine events in 2008 (one semifinal, three quarterfinal finishes, five first rounds and a DNQ)
* Just eight points out of a spot in the top 10 for the Countdown to the Championship
* Has no wins in Englishtown; TF runner-up in 2000, FC runner-up in 2006
* Qualified No. 1 in E-town in TF in 1998 and 1999
* 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 374-201
* 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 round-winning record against the 14-time Funny Car champion John Force: 3-1 in final rounds, 12-11 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
