Scelzi Heads to Houston

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Round 5 of 23
O'Reilly Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil
HOUSTON RACEWAY PARK
Race Date: April 11-13, 2003

HOUSTON TOP FUEL E.T. RECORD HOLDER SCELZI AIMS FOR NEW RECORDS IN FUNNY CAR
AT O'REILLY SPRING NATIONALS

HOUSTON (April 9, 2003) -- Gary Scelzi, driver of the Oakley Dodge Stratus
R/T Funny Car, still holds the elapsed time track record at Houston Raceway
Park in the Top Fuel category, of 4.480 seconds, which he established back
in 1999. But, now that he's full time with Don Schumacher Racing in the
Funny Car category, he just may have to relinquish that record as he seeks
to establish new ones in Funny Car.

After experiencing a huge explosion in his Oakley Dodge during qualifying at
Las Vegas last weekend and DNQing for the first time this season, Scelzi is
ready for better results in Houston, where the horsepower he knows his team
can produce could come in handy.

"Houston is way different from Vegas," said three-time Top Fuel champion
Scelzi. "But it's another fast race track. Houston is going to be about the
end of our really fast race tracks where you can run some big numbers,
depending on the weather. I won my first Winston championship in Top Fuel
here in ¹97, where I pretty much sealed the deal in the final round with
Larry Dixon.

"So, there¹s memory here, there¹s history here," he continued. "It is one of
the race tracks that I have won at before (in 1997 and '98). The Angel
Brothers and the Gays who own the track are really neat people and they
spend a lot of money here. Houston has only one race a year now, and they
always fill the seats.

"We have always liked this race track. It¹s one of those race tracks that if
the weather¹s right you¹ll really fly."

How is he handling last weekend's disappointment? "It's frustrating, it's
upsetting," he said. "There's no way to sugar-coat it. But, you know what,
you've just go to tighten your belt another notch and suck it up."

Scelzi is ninth in the POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings
going into Houston and is definitely not out of the running. A good finish
here could move him up the charts.

Qualifying for the Nitro classes at the O'Reilly Spring Nationals this
weekend is at 4:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 11. On Saturday,
April 12, Nitro classes qualify at 12:00 noon and 3:30 p.m. Final
eliminations on Sunday, April 13, begin at 11 a.m. All times are CT.