Gray qualifies 11th in Reading, faces Worsham in first round

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2004 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
ROUND 21 OF 23
LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS
MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY
READING, PA.
RAIN-POSTPONED RACE DATES: OCT. 8-10, 2004

GRAY QUALIFIES 11TH, FACES WORSHAM IN FIRST ROUND

READING, Pa. (Oct. 9, 2004) - Johnny Gray qualified Don Schumacher's Wonder
Wagon in 11th place today for the rain-postponed Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

Gray's 4.853/308.28 pass in the final round was posted while sporting Whit
Bazemore's Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge body. A tire failure in the third
round while setting a 4.880/315.78 pass resulted in damage to the Wonder
Wagon body, which will not be repaired in time for tomorrow's final
eliminations.

"We feel real good," said Gray. "We kind of missed it at the very first hit
there in the first session (10.389/97.74), but Dan (Olson, crew chief) came
back, worked on it, we went out, we were a little soft, ran a .92, came
back, he stepped on it a little bit more, ran an .88. He stepped on it a
little harder that last pass and it ran .85. If he can step on it just a
little bit harder tomorrow, we'll be right in the middle of the hunt."

Gray will face second-place in points Del Worsham in the first round of
eliminations on Sunday and could be of great help to his teammates Gary
Scelzi (third in points) and Whit Bazemore (fourth), who are vying for
second in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car championship.
"We've got a real good shot of loading Worsham first round," he said. "If I
can get by Del and take him out first round, then either way it takes one of
the Schumacher cars and steps them back up. We'll have some fun tomorrow.

"We're going to have to run the Matco Tools body," he added. "In the third
round of qualifying we blew up a left rear tire and tore the body up. So we
had to park the Wonder Wagon body this weekend. It ought to be fine."