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FRESNO, Calif. (Aug. 7, 2007) - Four-time NHRA world champion Gary Scelzi, who announced his hiatus from the sport at the end of the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season, will bring his 10-year-old son Dominic to the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals this weekend for a long-overdue "bonding experience," he says.
Dominic has been competing in a Restricted 600cc Mini-Sprint on Plaza Park Raceway's oval in Visalia, Calif., this season, while his car-owner and full-time cheering squad dad has been battling it out on the nation's premier quarter-miles.
"I'm taking Dominic with me on this trip, without his mother (Julie) or his little brother Giovanni," says Scelzi, who stands sixth in Funny Car points as the next phase of the Countdown to the Championship begins for the top eight after the next two events. "This could be one of the last trips to Brainerd for me, and Dominic starts school soon. Also, it's my birthday on Saturday.
"We haven't done this kind of trip together since I was testing a Funny Car for Schumacher about three or four years ago in Indy when Dominic and I were the only ones in the family who went. We had such a great time and we haven't been able to do it again.
"Giovanni is a little bit young, being 5 years old, but Dominic now can help me pack the parachutes and we can get him to maybe help wash some parts and to start to learn what's going on.
"There's always that chance that I may not be back at Brainerd again. So, I think it's going to be a great time for us to bond together, have Dad cook in the motor home, have to get up at a certain time to catch airplanes and all those things. I'm sure we're going to tire him out, but I'm really looking forward to spending the time with my son one on one."
Scelzi looks forward to an additional bonding experience this weekend, with a new set of crew chiefs, Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler, who will share tuning duties on Scelzi's Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T and teammate Jack Beckman's MTS Dodge Charger R/T. Okuhara and Shuler were assigned to tune both cars following former Mopar/Oakley Dodge crew chief Mike Neff's announcement that he was moving to John Force Racing in 2008 as a driver.
"Obviously we've had a major change at Schumacher Racing. I won't call it a shake-up, it's just a change," Scelzi says. "I'm going to miss Mike Neff beating on the hood of my car, but I'm also going to go into this race and I'm going to show Todd and Phil why this team won a championship (Funny Car in 2005), and I think everybody on this team is going to give it their all and then some.
"We're in the middle of this Countdown and I don't want to lose any momentum. I think if we go in there with good, positive attitudes and a strong work ethic, that I know we have, good things are going to come from it.
"I think the only way you can approach something like this is in a positive way and that's the way I'm going to look at it."
Scelzi's past Brainerd results include a 1998 win in Top Fuel, and Funny Car runner-ups in 2004 and 2006. He was low qualifier in Brainerd in Top Fuel in 1999, and in Funny Car in 2003.
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* Sixth in Funny Car 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 and Sonoma, quarterfinal finishes in Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Topeka, Bristol and Seattle, and a DNQ in Norwalk
* Is 266 points behind leader Ron Capps, 72 points short of third
* One TF win in Brainerd, in 1998; two FC runner-ups, in 2004 and 2006
* No. 1 qualifier twice in Brainerd: in TF in 1999, in FC in 2003
* Qualified No. 6 in Brainerd in 2006, runner-up to Tommy Johnson Jr.
* 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 46 (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
* Says he's stepping away from NHRA competition at end of 2007, but not retiring
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, Aug. 10 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 2:45 and 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, Aug. 11 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 11:15 a.m. and 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, Aug. 12 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Sunday, Aug. 12, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 12:30 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Aug. 12, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Aug. 12, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, Aug. 10, 9:30 – 10 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/ Transponder 20 K (Downlink frequency: 12100 MHz, vertical, analog)
Saturday, Aug. 11, 8 – 8:30 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/ Transponder 20 K (Downlink frequency: 12100 MHz, vertical, analog)
Sunday, Aug. 12, 7 – 7:30 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/ Transponder 20 K (Downlink frequency: 12100 MHz, vertical, analog)
SCELZI AND SON TO SHARE BONDING EXPERIENCE IN BRAINERD
FRESNO, Calif. (Aug. 7, 2007) - Four-time NHRA world champion Gary Scelzi, who announced his hiatus from the sport at the end of the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season, will bring his 10-year-old son Dominic to the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals this weekend for a long-overdue "bonding experience," he says.
Dominic has been competing in a Restricted 600cc Mini-Sprint on Plaza Park Raceway's oval in Visalia, Calif., this season, while his car-owner and full-time cheering squad dad has been battling it out on the nation's premier quarter-miles.
"I'm taking Dominic with me on this trip, without his mother (Julie) or his little brother Giovanni," says Scelzi, who stands sixth in Funny Car points as the next phase of the Countdown to the Championship begins for the top eight after the next two events. "This could be one of the last trips to Brainerd for me, and Dominic starts school soon. Also, it's my birthday on Saturday.
"We haven't done this kind of trip together since I was testing a Funny Car for Schumacher about three or four years ago in Indy when Dominic and I were the only ones in the family who went. We had such a great time and we haven't been able to do it again.
"Giovanni is a little bit young, being 5 years old, but Dominic now can help me pack the parachutes and we can get him to maybe help wash some parts and to start to learn what's going on.
"There's always that chance that I may not be back at Brainerd again. So, I think it's going to be a great time for us to bond together, have Dad cook in the motor home, have to get up at a certain time to catch airplanes and all those things. I'm sure we're going to tire him out, but I'm really looking forward to spending the time with my son one on one."
Scelzi looks forward to an additional bonding experience this weekend, with a new set of crew chiefs, Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler, who will share tuning duties on Scelzi's Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T and teammate Jack Beckman's MTS Dodge Charger R/T. Okuhara and Shuler were assigned to tune both cars following former Mopar/Oakley Dodge crew chief Mike Neff's announcement that he was moving to John Force Racing in 2008 as a driver.
"Obviously we've had a major change at Schumacher Racing. I won't call it a shake-up, it's just a change," Scelzi says. "I'm going to miss Mike Neff beating on the hood of my car, but I'm also going to go into this race and I'm going to show Todd and Phil why this team won a championship (Funny Car in 2005), and I think everybody on this team is going to give it their all and then some.
"We're in the middle of this Countdown and I don't want to lose any momentum. I think if we go in there with good, positive attitudes and a strong work ethic, that I know we have, good things are going to come from it.
"I think the only way you can approach something like this is in a positive way and that's the way I'm going to look at it."
Scelzi's past Brainerd results include a 1998 win in Top Fuel, and Funny Car runner-ups in 2004 and 2006. He was low qualifier in Brainerd in Top Fuel in 1999, and in Funny Car in 2003.
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* Sixth in Funny Car 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 and Sonoma, quarterfinal finishes in Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Topeka, Bristol and Seattle, and a DNQ in Norwalk
* Is 266 points behind leader Ron Capps, 72 points short of third
* One TF win in Brainerd, in 1998; two FC runner-ups, in 2004 and 2006
* No. 1 qualifier twice in Brainerd: in TF in 1999, in FC in 2003
* Qualified No. 6 in Brainerd in 2006, runner-up to Tommy Johnson Jr.
* 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 46 (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
* Says he's stepping away from NHRA competition at end of 2007, but not retiring
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, Aug. 10 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 2:45 and 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, Aug. 11 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 11:15 a.m. and 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, Aug. 12 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Sunday, Aug. 12, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 12:30 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Aug. 12, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Aug. 12, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, Aug. 10, 9:30 – 10 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/ Transponder 20 K (Downlink frequency: 12100 MHz, vertical, analog)
Saturday, Aug. 11, 8 – 8:30 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/ Transponder 20 K (Downlink frequency: 12100 MHz, vertical, analog)
Sunday, Aug. 12, 7 – 7:30 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/ Transponder 20 K (Downlink frequency: 12100 MHz, vertical, analog)
