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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 11, 2008) - Gary Scelzi joined his Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car teammate Jerry Toliver at South Georgia Motorsports Park the last few days testing new chassis in advance of the NHRA Gatornationals this weekend, the third of 24 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events.
The results were positive said the four-time NHRA world champion who drives the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing. Scelzi is hoping the new Murf McKinney chassis the team will run in Gainesville will help him win his first national event here. Since joining the Funny Car class full-time in 2003 with DSR, Scelzi's won 12 Funny Car titles to go with his 25 Top Fuel victories, but none of those wins were earned at the Gatornationals.
Before the Norwalk, Ohio, and Charlotte, N.C., races were added to the NHRA schedule, Scelzi had only Gainesville and Englishtown, N.J., to check off his list. Now, there are four NHRA venues at which he has yet to win.
"Maybe not everybody knows this," said Scelzi, a Fresno, Calif., native, "but I certainly know that I have never won the Gatornationals, and it's just one of those deals. It's so old and so prestigious. The Gatornationals to me may not be as important as the U.S. Nationals (which he won in Top Fuel in 1998), but it's pretty damned close.
"We're going to the Gators with a new naturalized tubing Murf McKinney car," he added. "We just finished testing at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Ga. We had a great test with the Brad Hadman car and the Murf McKinney car. We found out that the two cars have different characteristics, but they're both pretty good.
"We're very happy with the test, and I'm very excited to go to Gainesville," said Scelzi, who is fifth in the point standings after the first two events of the season. "We're looking for some big things. We've been fortunate enough, and unfortunate enough, to only go out in the second round both times this season. Those aren't first-round losses, so that's big. Now we need to carry it a little bit further and try to get this Mopar/Oakley Dodge team a win at Gainesville.
"We've also got Rob Richard coming to the Gators," said Scelzi. "He's the new Director of Global Mopar Parts, Sales and Service Marketing, Chrysler LLC. This is his first race as the 'boss' and we'd like to give him his first race win as well."
Scelzi's Gainesville record includes low qualifier in 1998, 2000 and 2001 (all in Top Fuel), a 2001 runner-up finish in Top Fuel, and a Funny Car runner-up finish in 2002.
In 2007, he qualified No. 2, but lost to Kenny Bernstein in the opening round of eliminations.
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* Fifth place in points after two events in 2008
* Has never won a national event at Gainesville Raceway in his 37 career victories
* Was low qualifier at Gatornationals in 1998, 2000 and 2001 (in TF)
* TF runner-up in 2001; FC runner-up in 2002
* Qualified No. 2 at 2007 Gatornationals, lost first round to Kenny Bernstein
* 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
* His other results in 2007 are first-round losses in Phoenix, Gainesville, Las Vegas, Englishtown, Denver, Sonoma, Reading, Indianapolis, Dallas, Las Vegas 2 and Pomona 2, quarterfinal finishes in Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Topeka, Bristol and Seattle, a semifinal finish in Brainerd, and a DNQ in Norwalk
* 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 371-194
* Age 47 (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 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
HAPPY WITH VALDOSTA TEST, SCELZI LOOKS FOR FIRST GATORS WIN
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 11, 2008) - Gary Scelzi joined his Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car teammate Jerry Toliver at South Georgia Motorsports Park the last few days testing new chassis in advance of the NHRA Gatornationals this weekend, the third of 24 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events.
The results were positive said the four-time NHRA world champion who drives the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing. Scelzi is hoping the new Murf McKinney chassis the team will run in Gainesville will help him win his first national event here. Since joining the Funny Car class full-time in 2003 with DSR, Scelzi's won 12 Funny Car titles to go with his 25 Top Fuel victories, but none of those wins were earned at the Gatornationals.
Before the Norwalk, Ohio, and Charlotte, N.C., races were added to the NHRA schedule, Scelzi had only Gainesville and Englishtown, N.J., to check off his list. Now, there are four NHRA venues at which he has yet to win.
"Maybe not everybody knows this," said Scelzi, a Fresno, Calif., native, "but I certainly know that I have never won the Gatornationals, and it's just one of those deals. It's so old and so prestigious. The Gatornationals to me may not be as important as the U.S. Nationals (which he won in Top Fuel in 1998), but it's pretty damned close.
"We're going to the Gators with a new naturalized tubing Murf McKinney car," he added. "We just finished testing at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Ga. We had a great test with the Brad Hadman car and the Murf McKinney car. We found out that the two cars have different characteristics, but they're both pretty good.
"We're very happy with the test, and I'm very excited to go to Gainesville," said Scelzi, who is fifth in the point standings after the first two events of the season. "We're looking for some big things. We've been fortunate enough, and unfortunate enough, to only go out in the second round both times this season. Those aren't first-round losses, so that's big. Now we need to carry it a little bit further and try to get this Mopar/Oakley Dodge team a win at Gainesville.
"We've also got Rob Richard coming to the Gators," said Scelzi. "He's the new Director of Global Mopar Parts, Sales and Service Marketing, Chrysler LLC. This is his first race as the 'boss' and we'd like to give him his first race win as well."
Scelzi's Gainesville record includes low qualifier in 1998, 2000 and 2001 (all in Top Fuel), a 2001 runner-up finish in Top Fuel, and a Funny Car runner-up finish in 2002.
In 2007, he qualified No. 2, but lost to Kenny Bernstein in the opening round of eliminations.
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* Fifth place in points after two events in 2008
* Has never won a national event at Gainesville Raceway in his 37 career victories
* Was low qualifier at Gatornationals in 1998, 2000 and 2001 (in TF)
* TF runner-up in 2001; FC runner-up in 2002
* Qualified No. 2 at 2007 Gatornationals, lost first round to Kenny Bernstein
* 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
* His other results in 2007 are first-round losses in Phoenix, Gainesville, Las Vegas, Englishtown, Denver, Sonoma, Reading, Indianapolis, Dallas, Las Vegas 2 and Pomona 2, quarterfinal finishes in Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Topeka, Bristol and Seattle, a semifinal finish in Brainerd, and a DNQ in Norwalk
* 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 371-194
* Age 47 (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 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
