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FRESNO, Calif. (April 30, 2008) - Four-time NHRA champion Gary Scelzi is the all-around winningest driver at Gateway International Raceway, with three Top Fuel victories (2000, 1999, 1998) and one Funny Car title (2004). He also holds the Funny Car elapsed-time track record of 4.724 seconds, set in 2004. He's also been low qualifier at Gateway five times!
So, you can understand why the driver of the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car is looking forward to this weekend's NHRA Midwest Nationals, the seventh round of the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. After a tough start to the 2008 season, in which his best results were two quarterfinal finishes, "Wild Thing" is aching to get to a track where he's enjoyed past rewards.
"I think now the timing is absolutely perfect to go to Gateway," said Scelzi, of the track located just over the bridge from St. Louis, Mo., in Madison, Ill. "With the beginning of the season that we've had, we need to go to a place that I've had success at.
"Sometimes no matter what happens during a season you find yourself at certain places, for whatever reason, that you just do well at. We did extremely well at Gateway with Alan Johnson (his crew chief when he won Top Fuel there), we did well with Mike Neff (his former Funny Car crew chief) and we hope now that (current crew chief) Todd Okuhara and Gary Scelzi and the Mopar team can make something happen here.
"We know we've got a good car, we know that we're so close to making something happen, and it just hasn't happened yet. And it really needs to. We need it for all of us. So, I'm excited. I'm leaving Thursday morning early. We have a big dirt race going on at Tri-City Speedway that night that should be fun. I've never driven a Modified. I've driven dirt Late Models, but I've never driven a Modified, but I think they're pretty similar.
"I like racing on dirt. I finished second to Doug Kalitta on the Bull Ring in Vegas with the Thunder Roadsters. I consider that a win because Doug is a USAC champion. Now we've got Cappsie (teammate Ron Capps) and me and all those other NHRA guys racing at Tri-City. So, our plan is for Capps and me to go one-two and it doesn't matter who's first and who's second. But we want to beat Doug and we want to beat the rest of these guys. Because Capps and I do this stuff pretty often. Capps has driven a Modified. He does the Prelude to the Dream ad he does a good job there.
"We've also got Cruz Pedregon, and he has raced a midget at the Chili Bowl with me and he also does the Prelude. It's going to be fun. I am really, really looking forward to it and I hope the fans are too. Because it's something different, it's relaxing, big bragging rights, and I understand there's a huge trophy. I'd love to put that in the old Monaco motor home and bring it back to California."
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* No. 13 in points after six events in 2008 (two quarterfinal finishes, three first rounds and a DNQ)
* Has three Top Fuel national event wins at Gateway (2000, 1999, 1998), one Funny Car win (2004)
* Was low qualifier in Top Fuel at Gateway in 1997, 1999, 2001; in Funny Car in 2004 and 2005
* Qualified No. 8 at 2007 Midwest Nationals, lost second round to Mike Ashley
* 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 371-197
* 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
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, May 2 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, May 3 - Sportsman eliminations begin at 8:30 a.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, May 4 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, May 3, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 9 p.m. (ET).
Sunday May 4, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day, at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, May 4, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final round eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, May 2, 10-10:30 p.m. (ET) - Horizons 2, Transponder 19 K (12140 MHz, vertical)
Saturday, May 3, 7:30-8 p.m. (ET) - Horizons 2, Transponder 19 K (12140 MHz, vertical)
Sunday, May 4, 7-7:30 p.m. (ET) - Horizons 2, Transponder 19 K (12140 MHz, vertical)
SCELZI SAVORS PAST SUCCESS AT GATEWAY
Looking forward to Tri-City Speedway dirt race on Thursday
FRESNO, Calif. (April 30, 2008) - Four-time NHRA champion Gary Scelzi is the all-around winningest driver at Gateway International Raceway, with three Top Fuel victories (2000, 1999, 1998) and one Funny Car title (2004). He also holds the Funny Car elapsed-time track record of 4.724 seconds, set in 2004. He's also been low qualifier at Gateway five times!
So, you can understand why the driver of the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car is looking forward to this weekend's NHRA Midwest Nationals, the seventh round of the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. After a tough start to the 2008 season, in which his best results were two quarterfinal finishes, "Wild Thing" is aching to get to a track where he's enjoyed past rewards.
"I think now the timing is absolutely perfect to go to Gateway," said Scelzi, of the track located just over the bridge from St. Louis, Mo., in Madison, Ill. "With the beginning of the season that we've had, we need to go to a place that I've had success at.
"Sometimes no matter what happens during a season you find yourself at certain places, for whatever reason, that you just do well at. We did extremely well at Gateway with Alan Johnson (his crew chief when he won Top Fuel there), we did well with Mike Neff (his former Funny Car crew chief) and we hope now that (current crew chief) Todd Okuhara and Gary Scelzi and the Mopar team can make something happen here.
"We know we've got a good car, we know that we're so close to making something happen, and it just hasn't happened yet. And it really needs to. We need it for all of us. So, I'm excited. I'm leaving Thursday morning early. We have a big dirt race going on at Tri-City Speedway that night that should be fun. I've never driven a Modified. I've driven dirt Late Models, but I've never driven a Modified, but I think they're pretty similar.
"I like racing on dirt. I finished second to Doug Kalitta on the Bull Ring in Vegas with the Thunder Roadsters. I consider that a win because Doug is a USAC champion. Now we've got Cappsie (teammate Ron Capps) and me and all those other NHRA guys racing at Tri-City. So, our plan is for Capps and me to go one-two and it doesn't matter who's first and who's second. But we want to beat Doug and we want to beat the rest of these guys. Because Capps and I do this stuff pretty often. Capps has driven a Modified. He does the Prelude to the Dream ad he does a good job there.
"We've also got Cruz Pedregon, and he has raced a midget at the Chili Bowl with me and he also does the Prelude. It's going to be fun. I am really, really looking forward to it and I hope the fans are too. Because it's something different, it's relaxing, big bragging rights, and I understand there's a huge trophy. I'd love to put that in the old Monaco motor home and bring it back to California."
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* No. 13 in points after six events in 2008 (two quarterfinal finishes, three first rounds and a DNQ)
* Has three Top Fuel national event wins at Gateway (2000, 1999, 1998), one Funny Car win (2004)
* Was low qualifier in Top Fuel at Gateway in 1997, 1999, 2001; in Funny Car in 2004 and 2005
* Qualified No. 8 at 2007 Midwest Nationals, lost second round to Mike Ashley
* 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 371-197
* 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
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, May 2 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, May 3 - Sportsman eliminations begin at 8:30 a.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, May 4 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, May 3, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 9 p.m. (ET).
Sunday May 4, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA Race Day, at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, May 4, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final round eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, May 2, 10-10:30 p.m. (ET) - Horizons 2, Transponder 19 K (12140 MHz, vertical)
Saturday, May 3, 7:30-8 p.m. (ET) - Horizons 2, Transponder 19 K (12140 MHz, vertical)
Sunday, May 4, 7-7:30 p.m. (ET) - Horizons 2, Transponder 19 K (12140 MHz, vertical)
