Rookie Carlson hopes third time is charm in Gainesville

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 3 of 23
ACDelco NHRA GATORNATIONALS
GAINESVILLE (FLA.) RACEWAY
Race Date: March 17-19, 2006


GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 15, 2006) - Rookie Shaun Carlson, driver of the
Team Mopar/SRT Dodge Stratus in his first year with Don Schumacher Racing,
has been paying his dues in the ultra-competitive Pro Stock class on the
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series tour. Although he started out his first
full season with DSR by missing the 16-car field at both Pomona and Phoenix,
he's never lost his determination to succeed. Following three days of
serious testing of car and driver at South Georgia Motorsports Park in
Valdosta, Ga., Carlson feels he's moved a few steps further up the learning
curve as the team heads to the NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway
this weekend.

While teammate Richie Stevens Jr. was putting up big numbers (6.681-second
elapsed time at 207.60 mph) in testing, Carlson was focusing on the small
things necessary to put together full competitive runs. "I was working on
keeping the car open at full throttle, taking my foot off the clutch
quicker, getting better on the burn outs, and even got to break in some
tires," he said.

"We ran a 6.724-second ET at 205.40 mph, which was my best, and it was
pretty good compared to what some other people were running out there. I
wasn't that far away from a really good run, so that makes me feel good
going into this weekend."

In total, Carlson made 13 runs in the Team Mopar/SRT Dodge. "I feel much
more comfortable in the car, and if I could have gotten 100 more runs in,
I'd be that much better," he added.

"It's only going to take time, but the Valdosta test gave me the chance
to look at my runs on both the computer and on film, and learn from it.
I feel like a more complete driver now, and the more runs I get, the more
I'll be able to build off that," said the Southern California native.

"If you look at the people who have recently come into the class, like
Erica Enders, it shows how hard this class is. I think she had like 100
passes before she came into the class full-time, and it took her some
time (to qualify well and go rounds), but look at her now. Even if you have
the best team, you can't come out with a new driver and dominate. It's like
the saying goes for engines: there's no replacement for displacement. And,
in this class, there's no replacement for laps."

SCHEDULE
Friday, March 17, professional qualifying sessions are at 11:30 a.m.
and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 18, pro qualifying continues at 11:30
a.m. and 2:30 p.m. On Sunday, March 19, pre-race ceremonies are at 10
a.m., and final eliminations begin at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION
Sunday, March 19, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of
qualifying highlights at 12:30 a.m. (ET). On Sunday, March 19, ESPN2
and ESPN2 HD will telecast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute weekly news magazine
show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET). On Sunday, March 19, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will
televise two hours of final eliminations at 5 p.m. (ET).

SATELLITE:
Friday, March 17, 8:30-9 p.m. (ET) SBS 6/Transponder 17K (downlink
freq: 12117, MHz horizontal) Saturday, March 18, 8:30-9 p.m. (ET) SBS
6/Transponder 17K (downlink freq: 12117, MHz horizontal) Sunday, March
19, 8:30-9 p.m. (ET) SBS 6/Transponder 17K (downlink freq: 12117, MHz
horizontal)

SHAUN CARLSON QUICK FACTS:
* DNQ'd in first two events (of 23) of the season
* Rookie season in Pro Stock class
* First year with Don Schumacher Racing
* Owned and drove his Team Mopar SRT4 in the NHRA Xplod Sport Compact
Racing Series in 2005, grabbing one win and finishing fourth in points.
* Finished fourth in 2004 Sport Compact points standings
* Is a two-time Sport Compact event winner
* Subbed for an injured Darrell Alderman in the 2004 NHRA
Winternationals Pro Stock event at Pomona, grabbing an early round win and
nearly advancing to the semifinals in his Pro Stock debut.
* Finished third in '03 Pro FWD points
* 2002 Xbox Cup champion in the Pro Outlaw class
* A famous engine builder and FWD performance guru, Carlson has worked
on projects such as the world record-holding import drag car driven by
Stephan Papadakis.
* First FWD builder to run in the 9s and 8s.
* Built the first Sport Compact drag car with a tube chassis
* Has been drag racing professionally since 1999
* President and founder of NuFormz, an 11-year-old company that builds
aftermarket components in Ontario, Calif.



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