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It took more than luck for the four-time NHRA world champion to earn his third season victory which vaulted him from No. 7 into the No. 4 slot in the Countdown to Four playoffs, and he knows it. It took a solid performance from all the parties involved: Scelzi, the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T crew, and crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler. A repeat performance at the Motorplex this weekend would certainly help solidify their place in the points.
"Any time you win a national event, you can't wait to get to the next race," said Scelzi, who has four national events to his credit at the Texas Motorplex. In fact, he is tied with the most Top Fuel wins there, at three, with Cory McClenathan and Tony Schumacher. "And I've been excited about going to the next race. With all the changes Todd's made on the car it's shown a lot of promise.
"We haven't always had the luck that we've needed, but we seem to have gotten that in Memphis, and we're hoping it's going to carry over to Dallas."
Scelzi has no nitro Funny Car wins in Dallas, but was victorious in Alcohol Funny Car there in 1992.
"Just because we're in the top four right now doesn't mean anything for this Countdown," he added. "We have to do well in Dallas and we have to do well in Virginia (the last race in Richmond before the final four vie for a championship in the last two races of the season).
"You really don't want to be lucky. You want to be good right now because you're going to need to be good to be the POWERade champion when you leave Pomona (Calif., season finale). And good is what we're hoping to be right now.
"We've got a lot of things we're working on. We think we're going to be there at the end."
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* Fourth in Countdown to Four point standings after two of four events
* Earned seventh place in Funny Car Countdown to the Championship points
* Qualified No. 1 and won the 2007 season-opening Pomona event, again qualified No. 1 and won the Chicago event, then won in Memphis
* His other results this season are first-round losses in Phoenix, Gainesville, Las Vegas, Englishtown, Denver, Sonoma, Reading and Indianapolis, quarterfinal finishes in Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Topeka, Bristol and Seattle, a semifinal finish in Brainerd, and a DNQ in Norwalk
* Three Top Fuel wins at Texas Motorplex: 1998, 1999 and 2000
* One Alcohol Funny Car win at Texas Motorplex, in 1992
* No. 1 qualifier at Texas Motorplex: 1998(2) in TF, and twice in 2000 in TF,
* Qualified No. 10 in Dallas in 2006, lost second round 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 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 11 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
* Said earlier this year that he would step away from NHRA competition at end of 2007. 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, Sept. 21, PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3:45 and 6:45 p.m.
SATURDAY, Sept. 22, PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, Sept. 23
Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, Sept. 23, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will telecast an hour and a half of qualifying highlights at 12:30 p.m. (ET)
Sunday, Sept. 24, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will telecast NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Sept. 24, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, Sept. 21, 10-10:30 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/Transponder 13K (11940 MHz, horizontal) analog
Saturday, Sept. 22, 8:15-8:45 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/Transponder 13K (11940 MHz, horizontal) analog
Sunday, Sept. 23, 7:15-7:45 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/Transponder 13K (11940 MHz, horizontal) analog
COUNTDOWN TO FOUR FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS (following Memphis):
1. Robert Hight, 2233
2. Jack Beckman, 2180
3. Ron Capps, 2156
4. Gary Scelzi, 2154
5. Tony Pedregon, 2147
6. Mike Ashley, 2144
7. John Force, 2115
8. Jim Head, 2041
SCELZI SHOOTS FOR LUCK, WIN IN DALLAS
FRESNO, Calif. (Sept. 19, 2007) - Gary Scelzi is shooting for some more luck at this weekend's O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas, following his NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car win on Sunday in Memphis.It took more than luck for the four-time NHRA world champion to earn his third season victory which vaulted him from No. 7 into the No. 4 slot in the Countdown to Four playoffs, and he knows it. It took a solid performance from all the parties involved: Scelzi, the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T crew, and crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler. A repeat performance at the Motorplex this weekend would certainly help solidify their place in the points.
"Any time you win a national event, you can't wait to get to the next race," said Scelzi, who has four national events to his credit at the Texas Motorplex. In fact, he is tied with the most Top Fuel wins there, at three, with Cory McClenathan and Tony Schumacher. "And I've been excited about going to the next race. With all the changes Todd's made on the car it's shown a lot of promise.
"We haven't always had the luck that we've needed, but we seem to have gotten that in Memphis, and we're hoping it's going to carry over to Dallas."
Scelzi has no nitro Funny Car wins in Dallas, but was victorious in Alcohol Funny Car there in 1992.
"Just because we're in the top four right now doesn't mean anything for this Countdown," he added. "We have to do well in Dallas and we have to do well in Virginia (the last race in Richmond before the final four vie for a championship in the last two races of the season).
"You really don't want to be lucky. You want to be good right now because you're going to need to be good to be the POWERade champion when you leave Pomona (Calif., season finale). And good is what we're hoping to be right now.
"We've got a lot of things we're working on. We think we're going to be there at the end."
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* Fourth in Countdown to Four point standings after two of four events
* Earned seventh place in Funny Car Countdown to the Championship points
* Qualified No. 1 and won the 2007 season-opening Pomona event, again qualified No. 1 and won the Chicago event, then won in Memphis
* His other results this season are first-round losses in Phoenix, Gainesville, Las Vegas, Englishtown, Denver, Sonoma, Reading and Indianapolis, quarterfinal finishes in Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Topeka, Bristol and Seattle, a semifinal finish in Brainerd, and a DNQ in Norwalk
* Three Top Fuel wins at Texas Motorplex: 1998, 1999 and 2000
* One Alcohol Funny Car win at Texas Motorplex, in 1992
* No. 1 qualifier at Texas Motorplex: 1998(2) in TF, and twice in 2000 in TF,
* Qualified No. 10 in Dallas in 2006, lost second round 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 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 11 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
* Said earlier this year that he would step away from NHRA competition at end of 2007. 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, Sept. 21, PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3:45 and 6:45 p.m.
SATURDAY, Sept. 22, PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, Sept. 23
Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, Sept. 23, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will telecast an hour and a half of qualifying highlights at 12:30 p.m. (ET)
Sunday, Sept. 24, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will telecast NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Sept. 24, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, Sept. 21, 10-10:30 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/Transponder 13K (11940 MHz, horizontal) analog
Saturday, Sept. 22, 8:15-8:45 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/Transponder 13K (11940 MHz, horizontal) analog
Sunday, Sept. 23, 7:15-7:45 p.m. (ET) – Galaxy 11/Transponder 13K (11940 MHz, horizontal) analog
COUNTDOWN TO FOUR FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS (following Memphis):
1. Robert Hight, 2233
2. Jack Beckman, 2180
3. Ron Capps, 2156
4. Gary Scelzi, 2154
5. Tony Pedregon, 2147
6. Mike Ashley, 2144
7. John Force, 2115
8. Jim Head, 2041
