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Just call him lunch meat; Scelzi is on a roll

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2004 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 23 of 23
AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NHRA FINALS
POMONA (Calif.) RACEWAY
Race Dates: Nov. 11-14

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell, 203-243-2438

JUST CALL HIM LUNCH MEAT; SCELZI IS ON A ROLL

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 10, 2004) - Just call him "lunch meat" because the man
is on a roll (pah-rum-pum!). Fresh from his second straight event victory
against the 13-time Funny Car NHRA National champion John Force, not to
mention the third event win against him this year, Gary Scelzi is ready to
finish off the 2004 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season with another
win.

The driver of the HEMI-powered Oakley Dodge Stratus is tied for second place
in the standings with Del Worsham, and he'll have to go more rounds than
Worsham at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals to end the
year in that position.

"I'm just excited the season is over," said Scelzi, the three-time Top Fuel
champion in only his second full term in the Funny Car class. "Everybody's
wore out. We have one more good race left in us and that's Pomona."

Scelzi's record on this Southern California quarter-mile includes three pro
national event wins, four No. 1 qualifiers and three runner-up finishes, all
in the Top Fuel class. "I've had a lot of success at Pomona in my Alcohol
days and in my professional career," said the Fresno native. "We won three
Bud Shootouts and several races here. I won my first Alcohol national event
here in 1985. I've got a lot of great memories of this place, it's a great
race track."

Scelzi and crew chief Mike Neff started out the 2004 season in Pomona with
great promise, then faltered through the first half of the year, until a
turn-around at the 12th event in St. Louis, where the team began their win
streak against Force and a rise back up in the standings. It was too late,
however, to make up for lost points, and with Force coming on like a bullet
train in the last half, it became even more challenging for Scelzi to nab
his first Funny Car championship.

He came close, and, despite enjoying a 9-5 career round win-loss record so
far against the newly-crowned champion Force, the battle is now between
Scelzi and Worsham for the runner-up spot.

"I'm excited to have a shot at finishing second and going for our third win
in a row," he said.

"It does pump up the adrenaline to have beaten Force all three times this
year. But this is not the POWERade championship. This is for second place.
The bonus money for the guys, it means a lot. It's a pretty big hit from
second to third. I believe it's $50,000 difference.

"If it's not No. 1 on the car it doesn't mean a lot to me. But it does mean
we did improve from last year. We have more wins than last year (three in
2004 so far, one in 2003), the team has really excelled here lately and it's
a fun time of the year right now to be a part of all this and to have a car
that can win any race you go to the gate in. Or pull through the gate and
you know you can win the race and everybody else knows it."

Trying to beat his good friend Worsham will be fun, he said. "Del is just a
great human being, he's a great driver.

"It's almost a shame that we're fighting for second and we're not having a
three-way race for the POWERade championship. It's a big deal. It makes it
more fun to race against someone you like than someone you don't like. And
Del is just a good person. The whole family, from (dad) Chuck on down, are
extremely good racers. I'm just a little sad that they found their stride
when they did.

"It's going to be tough. Whoever finishes second will have earned it, no
question about it, and it always feels better when you're in a battle for
something rather than making it easy."

SCHEDULE:
On Thursday, Nov. 11, one professional qualifying is scheduled for 2 p.m. On
Friday, Nov. 12, another single qualifying session will be held at 2 p.m.

On Saturday, Nov. 13, two pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 11 a.m.
and 2 p.m. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 14.
                   
TELEVISION:
* Saturday, Nov. 13, ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights
at 10 p.m. (ET). 
* Sunday, Nov. 14, ESPN2 will broadcast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute news magazine
show, at noon (ET).
* Sunday, Nov. 14, ESPN2 will televise three hours of elimination coverage
at 6 p.m. (ET). 

GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:

* At the 2003 Auto Club NHRA Finals, Scelzi qualified fourth, lost in semis
to Cory Lee
* Is first Funny Car driver to break the 330-mph barrier (Route 66 Raceway
in 2004)
* Tied for second in 2004 Funny Car points after 22 events, with Del Worsham
* Qualified in top five nine times this season
* Age 44, 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 four Funny Car wins, 25 Top Fuel wins
* 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 have a winning record against the
12-time Funny Car champion John Force: 9-5.

***