SCELZI SET TO COME BACK DOWN TO EARTH IN SEATTLE
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/g_scelzi.jpg" alt="g_scelzi" align="left"borders="0"/>
KENT, Wash. (July 15, 2008) - Gary Scelzi is a four-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series champion (three in Top Fuel, one in Funny Car), and has 37 national-event career victories in 58 final rounds. He has won twice in Top Fuel (2000, 2001) at Pacific Raceways, holds the Funny Car top-speed record there (325.85 mph), set in 2005, was low qualifier there four times (1997, 2000 and 2001 in TF; in FC in 2003), but has never won a fuel Funny Car national event at this facility in the Northwest corner of the United States.
Driving the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T in his sixth season with Don Schumacher Racing, Scelzi is ready to get back down to earth following last weekend's Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Denver and change that statistic. He's pumped up about his, the team's and the car's performance after spending a large part of the first half of the season adapting to a new car, new NHRA rules and, most recently, racing to the 1000-ft. mark instead of the traditional 1320-ft. finish line.
As the No. 16 qualifier in Denver he knocked out low qualifier Tony Pedregon in the opening round at the Mile-Highs, and despite his close loss to Robert Hight in the second round, "Wild Thing" - as he's known by his fans - is charged up by his Dodge Charger.
"What we learned in Denver is going to roll right over to Seattle," said Scelzi, who is 13th in the rankings, just 39 points out of 10th place. That’s where he needs to be after the next five races in order to race for the Funny Car crown in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. "I think the air is going to be really good there. The track is OK, hopefully it won't be hot, but what we learned last week going into Seattle is going to be good.
"We're getting closer to my home on this Western Swing (Denver, Seattle, Sonoma, Calif.),” added the Fresno, Calif., native. “There are a lot of good people in Seattle. Brad Hadman, who builds our chassis is there. He's building us another new car so I'm going to get fitted for that. Great seafood. I've had a lot of success there in the Sportsman class. That's where I won my first Alcohol Funny Car race. I've won there in Top Fuel. I just have to win there in Funny Car.
"Everything is going to get back to normal," he said of coming down to sea level after the Mile-Highs in Denver. "No more goofy blower overdrive, no more 90 percent. We'll drop it back to our normal combination, and with the trees that produce all the oxygen around there this thing should haul ass."
Scelzi and the Don Schumacher Racing team enjoy a unique relationship with Mopar and Dodge, where local dealerships often assist the team by providing vehicles for some of its drivers and team members. This weekend Chrysler Jeep Dodge Bellevue in Washington State is supporting DSR. "These guys are great," said Scelzi. "Not only do we get their support, we get to drive some bad-ass Dodges, and we really enjoy and appreciate that."
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* No. 13 in points after 13 events in 2008 (one semifinal, four quarterfinal finishes, six first rounds and one DNQ)
* Just 39 points out of a spot in the top 10 for the Countdown to the Championship
* Qualified No. 16 at 2008 Seattle event, lost second round to Mike Ashley
* No. 1 qualifier four times in Seattle: 1997, 2000 and 2001 in Top Fue; 2003 in Funny Car
* Holds Funny Car top-speed record in Seattle: 325.85 mph, set in 2005
* 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 375-203
* 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="left"borders="0"/>
KENT, Wash. (July 15, 2008) - Gary Scelzi is a four-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series champion (three in Top Fuel, one in Funny Car), and has 37 national-event career victories in 58 final rounds. He has won twice in Top Fuel (2000, 2001) at Pacific Raceways, holds the Funny Car top-speed record there (325.85 mph), set in 2005, was low qualifier there four times (1997, 2000 and 2001 in TF; in FC in 2003), but has never won a fuel Funny Car national event at this facility in the Northwest corner of the United States.
Driving the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T in his sixth season with Don Schumacher Racing, Scelzi is ready to get back down to earth following last weekend's Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Denver and change that statistic. He's pumped up about his, the team's and the car's performance after spending a large part of the first half of the season adapting to a new car, new NHRA rules and, most recently, racing to the 1000-ft. mark instead of the traditional 1320-ft. finish line.
As the No. 16 qualifier in Denver he knocked out low qualifier Tony Pedregon in the opening round at the Mile-Highs, and despite his close loss to Robert Hight in the second round, "Wild Thing" - as he's known by his fans - is charged up by his Dodge Charger.
"What we learned in Denver is going to roll right over to Seattle," said Scelzi, who is 13th in the rankings, just 39 points out of 10th place. That’s where he needs to be after the next five races in order to race for the Funny Car crown in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. "I think the air is going to be really good there. The track is OK, hopefully it won't be hot, but what we learned last week going into Seattle is going to be good.
"We're getting closer to my home on this Western Swing (Denver, Seattle, Sonoma, Calif.),” added the Fresno, Calif., native. “There are a lot of good people in Seattle. Brad Hadman, who builds our chassis is there. He's building us another new car so I'm going to get fitted for that. Great seafood. I've had a lot of success there in the Sportsman class. That's where I won my first Alcohol Funny Car race. I've won there in Top Fuel. I just have to win there in Funny Car.
"Everything is going to get back to normal," he said of coming down to sea level after the Mile-Highs in Denver. "No more goofy blower overdrive, no more 90 percent. We'll drop it back to our normal combination, and with the trees that produce all the oxygen around there this thing should haul ass."
Scelzi and the Don Schumacher Racing team enjoy a unique relationship with Mopar and Dodge, where local dealerships often assist the team by providing vehicles for some of its drivers and team members. This weekend Chrysler Jeep Dodge Bellevue in Washington State is supporting DSR. "These guys are great," said Scelzi. "Not only do we get their support, we get to drive some bad-ass Dodges, and we really enjoy and appreciate that."
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* No. 13 in points after 13 events in 2008 (one semifinal, four quarterfinal finishes, six first rounds and one DNQ)
* Just 39 points out of a spot in the top 10 for the Countdown to the Championship
* Qualified No. 16 at 2008 Seattle event, lost second round to Mike Ashley
* No. 1 qualifier four times in Seattle: 1997, 2000 and 2001 in Top Fue; 2003 in Funny Car
* Holds Funny Car top-speed record in Seattle: 325.85 mph, set in 2005
* 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 375-203
* 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
