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FRESNO, Calif. (Sept. 11, 2007) - Now that the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series is back on his schedule, four-time NHRA champion Gary Scelzi has his sights set on making it into the Countdown to Four playoffs, as the 2007 season winds down in the next five races.
With only three races left to make it into the "favored" four to battle for the championship, beginning with the O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park this weekend, Scelzi is seventh in the standings and more than just eager to move up.
"It makes me a little more excited to know that I'm obviously going to be back next year, and that this won't be my last visit to Memphis," said Scelzi, who's driven the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T to two national-event wins this season in two final rounds.
"But it's crunch time for us. We need to do well in Memphis to get ourselves back in this Countdown. We had our throw-away in Indy (first-round loss at the U.S. Nationals, initial event of the Countdown to Four) and now it's do or die. These next events - Memphis, Dallas and Virginia - are three very important races to us.
"I don't know what the temperatures are going to be in Memphis. I think they're going to be a little cooler than we were used to last year, which is going to be great for us.
"But, if it's hot, we have a tune-up for that too. We just need to go there and pay attention. I haven't won this race since 2000 in Top Fuel, so it would be great to have a good weekend and hopefully a final-round appearance, at least, for the Mopar/Oakley Dodge.
"I know Todd (Okuhara, crew chief, along with Phil Shuler) is excited about it, so am I."
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* Seventh in Countdown to Four point standings, following first-round loss at U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend. Is 62 points out of fourth place
* Earned seventh place in Funny Car Countdown to the Championship 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, Englishtown, Denver, Sonoma, Reading and Indianapolis, quarterfinal finishes in Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Topeka, Bristol and Seattle, a semifinal finish in Brainerd, and a DNQ in Norwalk
* One Top Fuel win in Memphis, in 2000
* Qualified No. 8 in Memphis in 2006, lost first round to Mike Ashley
* 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 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 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: 12-10, 3-1 in final rounds
* Said earlier this year that he would step away from NHRA competition at end of 2007. 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
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, Sept. 14 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3:45 and 6:15 p.m.
SATURDAY, Sept. 15 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at Noon and 2:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, Sept. 16 — Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, Sept. 16, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 12:00 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Sept. 16, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Sept. 16, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, Sept. 14, 11 – 11:30 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/ Transponder 13K (Downlink frequency: 11940 MHz, vertical, analog)
Saturday, Sept. 15, 8:15 – 8:45 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/ Transponder 13K (Downlink frequency: 11940 MHz, vertical, analog)
Sunday, Sept. 16, 7:15 – 8:15 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/ Transponder 13K (Downlink frequency: 11940 MHz, vertical, analog)
"IT'S CRUNCH TIME," SAYS SCELZI
FRESNO, Calif. (Sept. 11, 2007) - Now that the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series is back on his schedule, four-time NHRA champion Gary Scelzi has his sights set on making it into the Countdown to Four playoffs, as the 2007 season winds down in the next five races.
With only three races left to make it into the "favored" four to battle for the championship, beginning with the O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park this weekend, Scelzi is seventh in the standings and more than just eager to move up.
"It makes me a little more excited to know that I'm obviously going to be back next year, and that this won't be my last visit to Memphis," said Scelzi, who's driven the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T to two national-event wins this season in two final rounds.
"But it's crunch time for us. We need to do well in Memphis to get ourselves back in this Countdown. We had our throw-away in Indy (first-round loss at the U.S. Nationals, initial event of the Countdown to Four) and now it's do or die. These next events - Memphis, Dallas and Virginia - are three very important races to us.
"I don't know what the temperatures are going to be in Memphis. I think they're going to be a little cooler than we were used to last year, which is going to be great for us.
"But, if it's hot, we have a tune-up for that too. We just need to go there and pay attention. I haven't won this race since 2000 in Top Fuel, so it would be great to have a good weekend and hopefully a final-round appearance, at least, for the Mopar/Oakley Dodge.
"I know Todd (Okuhara, crew chief, along with Phil Shuler) is excited about it, so am I."
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* Seventh in Countdown to Four point standings, following first-round loss at U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend. Is 62 points out of fourth place
* Earned seventh place in Funny Car Countdown to the Championship 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, Englishtown, Denver, Sonoma, Reading and Indianapolis, quarterfinal finishes in Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Topeka, Bristol and Seattle, a semifinal finish in Brainerd, and a DNQ in Norwalk
* One Top Fuel win in Memphis, in 2000
* Qualified No. 8 in Memphis in 2006, lost first round to Mike Ashley
* 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 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 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: 12-10, 3-1 in final rounds
* Said earlier this year that he would step away from NHRA competition at end of 2007. 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
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, Sept. 14 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3:45 and 6:15 p.m.
SATURDAY, Sept. 15 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at Noon and 2:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, Sept. 16 — Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, Sept. 16, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 12:00 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Sept. 16, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Sept. 16, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, Sept. 14, 11 – 11:30 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/ Transponder 13K (Downlink frequency: 11940 MHz, vertical, analog)
Saturday, Sept. 15, 8:15 – 8:45 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/ Transponder 13K (Downlink frequency: 11940 MHz, vertical, analog)
Sunday, Sept. 16, 7:15 – 8:15 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/ Transponder 13K (Downlink frequency: 11940 MHz, vertical, analog)
