MOPAR/OAKLEY DODGE PILOT SCELZI SET FOR HISTORIC CHANGES AT MOPAR MILE-HIGH NATIONALS
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/g_scelzi.jpg" alt="g_scelzi" align="right"borders="0"/>
FRESNO, Calif. (July 7, 2008) - Four-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series champion and 2006 Mopar Mile-High Nationals Funny Car titlist Gary Scelzi is set to compete on a 1000-ft. dragstrip (instead of 1320 ft.) for the first time at this weekend's 2008 edition of the Mopar Mile-Highs at Bandimere Speedway.
Scelzi, driving the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing, lauds the NHRA for the immediate steps it has taken to help improve the safety in a sport where Funny Car speeds have exceeded 330 mph in recent years and following the fatal accident which took the life of Scott Kalitta in Englishtown, N.J., June 21.
"I'm very proud to see that NHRA has taken immediate action starting at Denver (to shorten the track from 1320 ft. to 1000 ft. for the nitro cars)," said Scelzi, who is No. 12 in the Funny Car point standings, just 54 points short of the top 10. "I don't know what their reaction is going to be for Seattle and Sonoma (the two events immediately following the Mopar Mile-High Nationals outside of Denver this weekend), but I think we should all band together and applaud the NHRA for trying to make things safer.
"There's not a lot of downforce in Denver, obviously (because of the altitude). We try to run these cars harder and the cars don't stop as well; the parachutes don't hit as hard because the air is so thin. I commend Bandimere Speedway for doing whatever it takes to put mile-per-hour clocks in at 1000 ft.
"Bandimere Speedway has been one of the toughest race tracks for me in my whole professional career," said Scelzi, "but we finally broke through there in 2006 and had a great time. It is a lot like Gainesville (Fla.) and a lot like Englishtown (N.J.). It's been around forever and has a lot of prestige.
"There is no better racing family than the Bandimeres who always take good care of the racers. Everyone in the family works countless hours to take care of the race track, and they take it to heart. It's the Mopar Mile-High Nationals, but it's Bandimere Speedway and they're very proud of it, and I'm very proud to be a part of it.
"Sometimes it's hot, it always rains at least a little bit, and it's just a totally different combination than you run anywhere else. It plays havoc on the tuners, it plays havoc on the drivers. It's tough up there on the mountain because there's not much air, but I feel healthy, strong and determined, and I am ready for the mountain."
Scelzi will be eyeing a move up into the top 10 in the standings in time for the Countdown to the Championship which begins for the top 10 following the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend.
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* No. 12 in points after 12 events in 2008 (one semifinal, three quarterfinal finishes, six first rounds and one DNQ and one DQ)
* Just 54 points out of a spot in the top 10 for the Countdown to the Championship
* Qualified No. 11 at 2007 Mile-Highs, lost first round to John Force
* No. 1 qualifier at Bandimere in TF in 2000 and 2001
* 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 374-202
* 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
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/g_scelzi.jpg" alt="g_scelzi" align="right"borders="0"/>
FRESNO, Calif. (July 7, 2008) - Four-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series champion and 2006 Mopar Mile-High Nationals Funny Car titlist Gary Scelzi is set to compete on a 1000-ft. dragstrip (instead of 1320 ft.) for the first time at this weekend's 2008 edition of the Mopar Mile-Highs at Bandimere Speedway.
Scelzi, driving the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing, lauds the NHRA for the immediate steps it has taken to help improve the safety in a sport where Funny Car speeds have exceeded 330 mph in recent years and following the fatal accident which took the life of Scott Kalitta in Englishtown, N.J., June 21.
"I'm very proud to see that NHRA has taken immediate action starting at Denver (to shorten the track from 1320 ft. to 1000 ft. for the nitro cars)," said Scelzi, who is No. 12 in the Funny Car point standings, just 54 points short of the top 10. "I don't know what their reaction is going to be for Seattle and Sonoma (the two events immediately following the Mopar Mile-High Nationals outside of Denver this weekend), but I think we should all band together and applaud the NHRA for trying to make things safer.
"There's not a lot of downforce in Denver, obviously (because of the altitude). We try to run these cars harder and the cars don't stop as well; the parachutes don't hit as hard because the air is so thin. I commend Bandimere Speedway for doing whatever it takes to put mile-per-hour clocks in at 1000 ft.
"Bandimere Speedway has been one of the toughest race tracks for me in my whole professional career," said Scelzi, "but we finally broke through there in 2006 and had a great time. It is a lot like Gainesville (Fla.) and a lot like Englishtown (N.J.). It's been around forever and has a lot of prestige.
"There is no better racing family than the Bandimeres who always take good care of the racers. Everyone in the family works countless hours to take care of the race track, and they take it to heart. It's the Mopar Mile-High Nationals, but it's Bandimere Speedway and they're very proud of it, and I'm very proud to be a part of it.
"Sometimes it's hot, it always rains at least a little bit, and it's just a totally different combination than you run anywhere else. It plays havoc on the tuners, it plays havoc on the drivers. It's tough up there on the mountain because there's not much air, but I feel healthy, strong and determined, and I am ready for the mountain."
Scelzi will be eyeing a move up into the top 10 in the standings in time for the Countdown to the Championship which begins for the top 10 following the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend.
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* No. 12 in points after 12 events in 2008 (one semifinal, three quarterfinal finishes, six first rounds and one DNQ and one DQ)
* Just 54 points out of a spot in the top 10 for the Countdown to the Championship
* Qualified No. 11 at 2007 Mile-Highs, lost first round to John Force
* No. 1 qualifier at Bandimere in TF in 2000 and 2001
* 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 374-202
* 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
