Scelzi 6th, Bazemore 9th, Cannon 16th after 2 Phoenix Qualifying Rounds

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Round 2 of 23
CHECKER SCHUCK'S KRAGEN NATIONALS
FIREBIRD RACEWAY
CHANDLER, ARIZONA
FRIDAY, FEB. 21, 2003

AFTER TWO OF FOUR QUALIFYING ROUNDS:

GARY SCELZI, OAKLEY TIME BOMB DODGE STRATUS R/T FUNNY CAR, qualified sixth
with a 4.861/319.98 pass in the second round of qualifying, which followed a
4.937/307.16 lap in the first round.

"This is our second race and we got down the race track twice again, which
has got to be an all-time record for how many times I've gone down the race
track in a row. Even when it smoked the tires in the first round in Pomona,
it went 4.99. We tried to go 4.80, 4.83, somewhere in that neighborhood, and
it went 4.86. So, we missed by three to five hundredths. We can live with
that. It went down the race track, we've got something to build on, it was
quicker than the first run, so no long faces here. We're excited; we're
still good."

WHIT BAZEMORE, MATCO TOOLS IRON EAGLE DODGE STRATUS R/T FUNNY CAR, dropped
to No. 9 from No. 3 position, when he lost traction at about the 330-foot
mark in the second session, slowing to a 9.443/90.39. His elapsed time in
today's first session, 4.885/314.31, held up for ninth spot.

"Our first run was good. We went out, we ran an .88, we were trying to run a
mid .80, so that was pretty close. And then tonight we got pretty aggressive
with it and the track just didn't hold the tune-up. It spun the tires early
on at the hit and then recovered a little bit and then went into more tire
smoke later within two seconds. It's one of those things, but this Matco
Tools team will be working hard. We feel like we know we have a handle on
the track, so we'll be OK tomorrow."

SCOTTY CANNON, OAKLEY TIME BOMB FUNNY CAR, clings to the No. 16 position
with his 5.056/262.90 pass in the second session, with two more qualifying
rounds on tap for tomorrow.

"We dropped a hole (cylinder) at 1.5 (seconds), and then I drove it to about
4.7 and I turned off, because I was afraid it was going to blow up, and
that's all I have to say."