[coverattach=1]FRESNO, Calif. (Nov. 11, 2008) - This weekend's NHRA Finals at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Calif.) will also be Gary Scelzi's last national event as a competitor in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series...at least for now. Scelzi, who entered his first pro race in 1997 and has driven the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing since 2003, will be stepping down to tend to the family business and his family following this race. But he won't say he is retiring from the sport in which he's captured four world championships and 37 national-event wins in 58 final rounds as one of the most popular racers on the circuit.
"Well, this is it for a while," said Scelzi, who still hopes to win his first event of the season this weekend, "unless something really crazy happens over the winter. I'm going to one of my favorite race tracks. It's where I won my first national event back in 1985 in Alcohol Dragster, won my first Top Fuel race here at the Winternationals in 1997 (and both events in 2000), and won a Funny Car race here (2007 Winternationals).
"It's got a lot of meaning, a lot of history, and it's going to be an emotional race for me. A lot of friends and family will be there, and a lot of the fans who have followed my career since the '80s. I have no idea what it's going to be like, but I have a feeling when it's all said and done it's going to be a little bit overwhelming because that's when it's probably going to hit me, that I'm not coming back...at least for who knows how long. It could be forever. I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see what the cards hold for Gary Scelzi."
Emotions aside, he's ready to get back to racing following his first-round loss at the last event in Las Vegas despite having a strong-performing car under him. "I'm excited about going to Pomona,” said Scelzi, whose team has struggled this year. “I'm still stinging a little bit about Vegas, but (crew chief) Richard Hogan came in late in the season and changed a lot of things and made the Mopar Dodge better. He's done a great job. It's just that we've thrown a lot on him at once and we're just not there yet.
"So, we'll see what we can do in Pomona, see if I can drive to the best of my ability and Hogan can tune to the best of his ability, and if the cards fall our way maybe we can end up in victory lane Sunday night. And that's why I'm going there."
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* No. 14 in points after 23 events in 2008 (one semifinal, five quarterfinal finishes, 13 first rounds and three DNQs)
* Has three career Pomona Top Fuel wins: 1997 (1) and both 2000 events
* Has one Funny Car career Pomona win: 2007 (1)
* TF No. 1 qualifier in Pomona in 1997 (1), 1998 (2), 1999 (2), 2001 (3)
* FC No. 1 qualifier in Pomona in 2005 (2)
* Qualified No. 3 at 2007 Pomona 2 event, lost first round to Robert Hight
* 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 376-211
* 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
"Well, this is it for a while," said Scelzi, who still hopes to win his first event of the season this weekend, "unless something really crazy happens over the winter. I'm going to one of my favorite race tracks. It's where I won my first national event back in 1985 in Alcohol Dragster, won my first Top Fuel race here at the Winternationals in 1997 (and both events in 2000), and won a Funny Car race here (2007 Winternationals).
"It's got a lot of meaning, a lot of history, and it's going to be an emotional race for me. A lot of friends and family will be there, and a lot of the fans who have followed my career since the '80s. I have no idea what it's going to be like, but I have a feeling when it's all said and done it's going to be a little bit overwhelming because that's when it's probably going to hit me, that I'm not coming back...at least for who knows how long. It could be forever. I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see what the cards hold for Gary Scelzi."
Emotions aside, he's ready to get back to racing following his first-round loss at the last event in Las Vegas despite having a strong-performing car under him. "I'm excited about going to Pomona,” said Scelzi, whose team has struggled this year. “I'm still stinging a little bit about Vegas, but (crew chief) Richard Hogan came in late in the season and changed a lot of things and made the Mopar Dodge better. He's done a great job. It's just that we've thrown a lot on him at once and we're just not there yet.
"So, we'll see what we can do in Pomona, see if I can drive to the best of my ability and Hogan can tune to the best of his ability, and if the cards fall our way maybe we can end up in victory lane Sunday night. And that's why I'm going there."
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* No. 14 in points after 23 events in 2008 (one semifinal, five quarterfinal finishes, 13 first rounds and three DNQs)
* Has three career Pomona Top Fuel wins: 1997 (1) and both 2000 events
* Has one Funny Car career Pomona win: 2007 (1)
* TF No. 1 qualifier in Pomona in 1997 (1), 1998 (2), 1999 (2), 2001 (3)
* FC No. 1 qualifier in Pomona in 2005 (2)
* Qualified No. 3 at 2007 Pomona 2 event, lost first round to Robert Hight
* 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 376-211
* 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
