Scelzi sets track record, qualifies No. 4 in Pomona finale

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2003 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 23 of 23
Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals
Pomona (Calif.) Raceway
Race Dates: Nov. 6-9, 2003

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 8, 2003) - Trying the new parts the Oakley Dodge team
had been waiting for and the combination that crew chief Mike Neff and the
team came up with while testing in Las Vegas last week, Gary Scelzi
established his sixth track record of the season (for the time being) with
his Oakley Dodge Stratus Funny Car - a 328.38-mph pass (4.846 E.T.) in
today's third qualifying round. He backed that up with a 327.27-mph run in
the final qualifying session, while posting a 4.769-second lap, placing him
fourth in the field.

Before today's two runs, Scelzi was not in the field after smoking the tires
in the first two qualifying sessions of the Automobile Club of Southern
California NHRA finals.

"Good things are worth waiting for," said the Fresno, Calif., native who
holds the Funny Car national top-speed record of 329.18 mph. "I was a little
bit down because I know what we've got a hold of and I didn't want to go
back to our old combination (in today's rounds) just because of the two runs
in which we had problems. Neither did Mike Neff. And (team owner) Don
Schumacher allowed us to take the chance of not qualifying and not going
backwards. He said if you guys believe in it, I believe in it. You guys go
for it. If it takes one run or two more runs, and I understand what could
happen, go for it.

"So when we got his blessing - and we know we're not going to get fired - we
went for it. Instant results, just like we knew was possible. It's running
so well and so smooth. It's something that we haven't had. So we're going to
refine it. We're going to try to go some rounds tomorrow, hopefully win the
race, and put this Oakley Dodge in the winner's circle.

"No matter what, we've got an advantage on next year," he added. "Because
we've actually been able to try this combination under race conditions.
That's pretty incredible, to qualify No. 4, with a completely new
combination with four runs basically on it if you count Vegas."

Scelzi will face Ron Capps in the first round tomorrow in final
eliminations, the man he's aiming to pass for sixth in the 2003 POWERade
Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings.