Scelzi wraps up 2004 third in Funny Car points

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, 2004

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 14, 2004) - Gary Scelzi wrapped up his second full
season in Funny Car today by claiming third place in the 2004 NHRA POWERade
Drag Racing Series, behind John Force and Del Worsham.

After Force clinched his 13th Funny Car crown in Las Vegas, the battle for
second place between Scelzi and Worsham, who were tied in points, came down
to today's season finale. Both drivers set identical qualifying times, with
Worsham taking No. 3 because of speed and Scelzi being relegated to No. 4.
This gave Worsham a one-point edge going into eliminations.

Both drivers advanced to the semifinal round. Scelzi defeated Bob Bode and
Tony Pedregon, Worsham took out Scelzi's teammate Johnny Gray and his own
teammate Phil Burkart Jr.

Scelzi's win in the second round against Pedregon came from the
less-desirable right lane with a 4.802-second elapsed time. John Force's
4.764-second win against his teammate Eric Medlen earned him lane choice
against Scelzi, and Scelzi found himself once again on the right side of the
quarter-mile in the semis.

Despite having a 9-5 round win-loss record against Force and defeating him
in all three of his season victories, including the last two events, Scelzi
was ready for what he knew would be a tough match-up. Scelzi was first off
the line with a .083 reaction time (.000 is perfect), while Force appeared
to take a short nap before launching with a surprising .188. Unfortunately
for Scelzi, his early edge went up in smoke at the hit and he coasted to a
losing 7.729 ET at 111.78 mph. Force claimed an easy triumph with a
4.728/323.97.

Make that 9-6.

With that loss, Worsham grabbed second place in the championship by one
point, even if he'd lost in the semifinal. He won the semifinal round and
then lost to Force in the final.

"I tell you what, Del and I fought a battle. I hope the fans enjoyed it
because I've got to go throw up," said Scelzi at the top end after losing to
Force and acknowledging what a tough fight he'd had for second.

"Zip (crew chief Mike Neff) coaxed her down there (right lane) in the second
round. We thought we could probably pick it up just a little bit more and
the HEMI Oakley Dodge just didn't want any part of it.

"Actually, the driveshaft graph on the computer looks identical to the round
before. We just didn't get away with it. It was on the edge in the right
lane. Worsham ran a .78 (in the semi), so obviously it's there.

"He tried (to give it to me)," he said of Force's .188 reaction time. "John
has a little trouble against me now and again and we enjoy that. It makes us
proud that we can shake up the 13-time champion every now and then. But
don't worry about John, he'll come back meaner and stronger than ever next
year, so will we.

"It was a great year. Three wins, six final rounds. Mike's really coming
into his own. This team has just been incredible. I'm ready. We'll start
testing here in the next couple of weeks and we'll get ready for next year.

"Del and his team hit their stride at the right time. They've never finished
second before and it's a big deal, especially against Force. I think Force
has his work cut out for him next year because the Worsham team is obviously
on its game. 

"I think we proved to ourselves and to everyone else that we can run on any
type of race track. We're pretty pleased; we're ready to get after it."

GARY SCELZI FINAL 2004 STATS:

* Third in Funny Car championship in only his second full season in Funny
Car competition
* Three wins
* Six final rounds
* Three runner-ups
* Six semifinal rounds
* One No. 1 qualifier

FINAL FUNNY CAR POINT STANDINGS (wins in parentheses):

1. John Force, 1883 (5)
2. Del Worsham, 1586 (5)
3. Gary Scelzi, 1565 (3)
4. Gary Densham, 1405 (2)
5. Eric Medlen, 1375 (1)
6. Whit Bazemore, 1338 (2)
7. Tim Wilkerson, 1218 (2)
8. Tony Pedregon, 1192
9. Cruz Pedregon, 1188
10. Phil Burkart Jr., 1159

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