Scelzi out in first round in Atlanta

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Round 7 of 23
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, Ga.
Sunday, May 4, 2003

SCELZI STILL LOOKING FOR THAT FIRST FUNNY CAR WIN; IS OUSTED IN FIRST ROUND

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 4, 2003) -- With a strong qualifying run under his belt,
his best of the season to take the No. 4 position, Gary Scelzi and his crew
chief Mike Neff had high hopes for the Oakley Time Bomb Dodge Stratus R/T
Funny Car this weekend, after struggling the last three events.

In the first round of eliminations, it was Scelzi versus No. 13 qualifier
Johnny Gray for their first meeting this season. Gray's reaction time was so
quick that it could just as easily have been a red light. Instead, he shot
off the line with a .017 reaction time to Scelzi's .109.

However, the race was Scelzi's at the 60-foot mark, which he reached in .896
of a second to Gray's .914. Almost immediately, the Oakley Dodge dropped a
cylinder and Scelzi sputtered to the finish line with a respectable
4.972-second pass at 301.00, but not solid enough to beat Gray's
4.864/313.37.

"We had our best 60-foot time that we've had in a long time," Scelzi said.
"We had an .896. That was actually staging thin. I know my reaction time
looked worse, but it was the best of the weekend. In qualifying we staged
thin, just like I did today. Now, I didn't do it on purpose. When I hit the
first light I hit it soft.

"Normally I'll hit the first light a little harder and then I'll let go of
the brake and let the car roll deeper. I didn't do that. Johnny went in
right away. I like Johnny so I didn't let him wait. I went right in after
him and I didn't grab my normal chunk that I take on Sundays. But we found
out that whatever changes we made picked up the car at 60 feet almost a
hundredth of a second.

"The problem was right after the 60-foot mark it dropped a cylinder. We
didn't have an .86 in the car anyway. Johnny had an .017 light which, let's
just say, was psychic. We won't say it was a guess. But Johnny gets away
with those a lot, so maybe he does have something to do with that, I don't
know. It put out a cylinder and slowed the car way down. I followed Johnny
all the way down the dragstrip.

"I don't know what's going on with this thing; it's possessed. We may have
to call a priest and have an exorcism," he added.

"We'll test here tomorrow and probably win the Monday Nationals again."

Scelzi stays in 11th position in the POWERade Funny Car point standings,
with 268.