Scelzi ready to move up the charts at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Natonals

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2004 POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 13 of 23
MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS
BANDIMERE SPEEDWAY
Morrison, Colo.
Race Dates: July 16-18, 2004

MORRISON, Colo. (July 14, 2004) - When Gary Scelzi won the last NHRA
POWERade Drag Racing Series event at Gateway International Raceway he jumped
from sixth to fourth in the Funny Car point standings and right into the
middle of a four-car battle for the lead. He's just 89 points out of first
place heading into this weekend's Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at
Bandimere Speedway. A good result here with his HEMI-powered Oakley Dodge
Stratus Funny Car could see an even further leap up the charts.

Altitude and heat are always at the core of discussions regarding this event
outside of Denver, Colo., but the Fresno native has the utmost confidence in
his team and crew chief Mike Neff's tune-up for the conditions, now that
they've made a turnaround in their performance after struggling earlier in
the season.

"I don't have any concerns at all about going to Denver," said Scelzi, whose
best results at Bandimere include qualifying No. 1 twice in Top Fuel (2000,
2001). "I think it's time to change our luck here. My big concern right now
is this new Goodyear tire and how big of a curve ball it's going to throw
our tune-up. The only thing I feel positive about is that we've had three
different tires this year and we've been able to make each one work in a
relatively short amount of time. So, I'm hoping the same will hold true for
this new tire."

The Mopar Mile-High Nationals begin a three-race back-to-back West Coast
swing. "Last year in Denver is where we turned our program around for 2003,"
he added. "Even though we were beat first round by Tim Wilkerson - we ran a
5.13, he ran a 5.10 - we finally found something that we were able to
address. We carried that on to Seattle and we were No. 1 qualifier and ran
extremely well. And then we went to Infineon Raceway and won that race. We
came back and were No. 1 qualifier in Brainerd, Minn. The way I'm looking at
it now, our season turned around three races earlier this year than it did
last year. 

"Fortunately, for us," remarked Scelzi, who became the first Funny Car
driver to break the 330-mph barrier when he demolished his own previous
national top-speed record at Route 66 Raceway this year with a 330.55-mph
run, backed up by a 330.15-mph pass, "we're right in the hunt of the
POWERade championship. So I feel really good about going into the West Coast
swing."

With Mopar backing this event, Scelzi would love to present his sponsor a
winner's trophy here. "It's always good to do well at your sponsor's race,"
he said, "and I can't think of a better time to have a turnaround going into
a race than at one that's sponsored by Mopar. With all the big brass here
from Mopar, and even from Gates Belts, which is based in Colorado, we're
going to have a lot of sponsorship people here. It will be almost like a
hometown race.

"I feel really good about our chances."

GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:

* At 2003 Mopar Mile-High Nationals, he qualified 16th, lost first round to
Tom Wilkerson.
* Holds national Funny Car top-speed record of 330.55 mph. He demolished his
own previous national record of 329.18 mph, which he had set in 2003 at
Route 66 Raceway.
* Is first Funny Car driver to break the 330-mph barrier (Route 66 Raceway
in 2004).
* Won last event for his first win in 2004, from No. 1 position, at Gateway
International Raceway, setting new track record there of 330.23 mph for the
first 330-mph pass on that track.
* Fourth in 2004 Funny Car points after 12 events, is 89 points out of the
lead.
* Age 43, born and raised in Fresno, Calif., where he lives with wife
Julianne and sons Dominic and Giovanni.
* Runs Scelzi Enterprises, a custom truck body design and manufacturing
business in Fresno with his two brothers
* Is a three-time Top Fuel Dragster champion
* Won his first Top Fuel crown as a rookie
* Has two Funny Car wins, 25 Top Fuel wins
* Before the Gateway win, his only other Funny Car win was at Infineon
Raceway in 2003.
* Sixth in 2003 Funny Car points, his first full season in that class
* 2004 is his second straight season racing for Don Schumacher Racing
* Is the only NHRA driver to have won in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Top Alcohol
Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car. He accomplished this feat at Infineon
Raceway in 2003
* Is one of the few Funny Car drivers who has a winning record against the
12-time Funny Car champion John Force: 5-2.

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