Strong Indy Qualifying Effort for Mopar

Team Mopar 
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
Indianapolis Raceway Park  Clermont, Ind.
Final Qualifying Notes & Quotes

Strong Qualifying Effort for Mopar This Weekend
Morgan, Wilson, Bazemore and Scelzi in the Top Half of the Field

CLERMONT, Ind. (Sept. 6, 2003) -- Larry Morgan and Gene Wilson drove their
Dodge Stratus Pro Stock entries to the top half of the field for tomorrow¹s
rain-delayed 49th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway
Park. And Dodge Stratus drivers Gary Scelzi and Whit Bazemore took home two
of the top three positions in Funny Car qualifying activity as well.

Morgan, who won this event in 1989, maintained the fifth-qualifying position
after improving his elapsed time during the first session today. He logged a
6.811-second lap at 201.85 mph. The Newark, Ohio, resident, who also made
the fourth-fastest pass of the weekend at 203.43 during last night¹s only
session, was the third-quickest car of the morning run.

³We¹ve had a pretty good weekend so far,² said Morgan, who will face off
against Warren Johnson in round one tomorrow. ³On the last run, we had a bad
run in the front half of the track. We ran the back half well, so I¹m pretty
pleased. We really feel good about it. If the track is going to be as good
as we think it will be, it should be a great weekend. We¹re so elated with
our performance this weekend. Just to be able to consistently run with the
quick cars is a big deal.

³My Stratus us going to be an awesome race day car,² added Morgan, who will
be making his Sunday appearance in his new Stratus. ³Rick Jones has done a
great job in getting this car put together. We¹re working real hard to make
some things happen for Mopar this weekend.²

Teammate Gene Wilson didn¹t disappoint either, as he guided his Hemi-powered
Stratus to the seventh-qualified position. The 2002 NHRA Rookie of the Year
clicked off a 6.816-second elapsed time 201.58 mph, setting up a round one
match with Taylor Lastor.

³We¹ve made a 180-degree turn with this program,² said Wilson, after
qualifying in the top half of the field for the first time this season. ³We
have a lot of confidence in the abilities of the guys in our engine shop.
Larry Morgan and Bob Glidden, especially, have really been turning in the
late hours to make sure this program picks up and succeeds. I believe we
have just as good of a chance as any come Sunday afternoon.

³I¹m trying to get back into the race day groove,² Wilson added. ³Sunday
afternoon is so different from qualifying, so it takes a lot to take it to
that next level.²

Allen Johnson made a move during this morning session and captured the 15th
slot, driving his Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus to a 6.832-second lap at 201.55
mph. The Tennessee resident, who made his way to the semifinals in last
year¹s race, will take on Jeg Coughlin, Jr., in tomorrow¹s opening stanza.

³We just barely made it,² Johnson said. ³We aren¹t satisfied at all,
especially since DA (Darrell Alderman) didn¹t get in. We learned something
here this weekend and I think it will get us up there towards the top half
of the field again. We¹ll go home and work on these motors.

³The left lane has been the best all weekend,² Johnson continued. ³On that
last run however, the left seemed like it was the worst. It¹s anybody¹s
guess as to which lane will be the best for tomorrow. Usually when the sun
is out and it¹s hot, lane choice is a bog factor.²

Three-time POWERade Pro Stock World Champion Darrell Alderman was on the
outside looking in at the end of today¹s qualifying session. The 1991 U.S.
Nationals winner logged a weekend best elapsed time if 6.849 seconds at
200.86 mph.

³We really shook the tires on that last one,² Alderman said. ³We really
didn¹t run like I know this team is capable of this weekend. We¹ll take a
look at the tune up and get them in Reading (Pa.) next weekend.²

Scelzi Grabs Second and Bazemore Lands Third in Funny CarŠ

Scelzi led the Oakley-sponsored Dodge Stratus to the second-qualifying
position with a 4.764-second elapsed time at 325.53 mph; the event¹s top
speed thus far. Scelzi, who won at his home track in Sonoma, Calif., earlier
this year, will match up with Del Worsham in round one.

³We have done a lot of testing and (team owner) Don Schumacher has spent a
lot of money on Schumacher Racing. We¹re making these Dodge¹s perform like
we want them to perform. We¹re still not happy yet, but we¹ve had remarkable
improvements in both cars. We have Whit (Bazemore) running for a World
Championship and you have us winning races. And us taking home No. 1
qualifiers isn¹t out of the norm, and we just got nipped last night. We¹ve
learned a lot and we have a good combination now, and hopefully, by the end
of the year, we¹ll have stuff figured out. So when we start next year, we¹ll
start swinging that bat for the fence. You have to start early because
normally everyone that wins a championship has a certain time that they
stumble. All you can do is try and control it. We stumbled early, but now
we¹re coming on strong. When we line up next to our competitors, especially
those Edsels, and let them know that they¹ve got a race on their hands, they
really notice.

³(Crew chief) Mike Neff and the team has been so good to me since the
beginning,² Scelzi continued. ³They treated me like I was an All Star and
it¹s made me comfortable sooner. The car does what it¹s supposed to do -- it
responds. It Œs fun to drive. When you know you don¹t have to man handle it,
or stage it crooked, that gives a driver confidence. When the driver has
confidence, and the car is fast, those are two deadly combinations.²

The Matco Tools Dodge Stratus of Bazemore also put together a
strong-qualifying effort this weekend. The local hero from Indianapolis
landed a 4.767-second pass at 323.74 mph. Bazemore will face off against Tim
Wilkerson in the first round of eliminations tomorrow.

In the Budweiser Shootout earlier today, Bazemore lost to John Force in the
round of four despite running a quick 4.909-second elapsed time 291.32 mph.
Bazemore won his first round match on a holeshot over Tommy Johnson, Jr.

³We¹re close,² said Bazemore, who is chasing front-runner Tony Pedregon for
the championship. ³We feel good with where we are in the Matco Tools Dodge.
We¹re not quite there, and it¹s just disappointing today to not win the Bud
Shootout. We¹re in a good position with our main focus being on tomorrow.
Our last run of a 4.81 was kind of what we we¹re looking for. We wanted to
run that a round earlier though. The car has been very consistent and the
guys are doing a great job. We look good for tomorrow.

³It got a little hotter than we would have liked for tomorrow,² Bazemore
continued. ³I think the forecast is more of the same, and with the Dodge
Stratus body that we have, we think we have a shot at it. I wouldn¹t trade
this seat for any other car out here.²