WILD THING IS BACK, WITH NEW MOMENTUM GOING INTO 2005 NHRA SEASON

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 1 of 23
CARQUEST AUTO PARTS WINTERNATIONALS
POMONA (CALIF.) RACEWAY
FEB. 10-13, 2005


POMONA, Calif. (Feb. 8, 2005) - The man known as "Wild Thing" in his
hometown of Fresno, Calif., and who shows no shame by dressing up in a nun's
habit to go Trick or Treating on Halloween for ESPN2's "Scelzi Says"
features, is back and buckling up his holster for the championship shoot-out
in the Funny Car class of the 2005 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Bolstered by the momentum he and crew chief Mike Neff gained at the end of
the 2004 season, Gary Scelzi is rip-roaring ready to take his Mopar/Oakley
Dodge Stratus Funny Car into the winner's circle at this weekend's CARQUEST
Car Parts Winternationals en route to reaching his goal of winning his first
Funny Car championship on top of three Top Fuel crowns (1997, '98, '00).

"I'm really really, ready to get this new season going, because of the
momentum we had from last year," said Scelzi, who reached the final round in
three of the last eight races, won two of them, and moved into a battle for
second place with Del Worsham at the final race. "In the back half of last
year we were as good as anybody."

He ended the year in third place, winning three events (all against 13-time
champion, friend and rival John Force) in six final rounds - his best
year-end result since he entered the Funny Car class full-time in 2003.

Following successful pre-season testing at The Strip in Las Vegas and
Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Ariz., Scelzi is set to roll and regain the
speed record he shattered in 2004. "We didn't make any major changes for
2005, but we made some subtle changes and refined the combination," said
Scelzi, who was the first in Funny Car to break the 330-mph barrier last
year with his 330.55 mph run at Route 66 Raceway.

"We were able to get the car to go down the track at will during testing. It
seems like we have a very safe qualifying tune-up, which is so important.
You need to get the car in the show on the first run so after that you can
experiment and try to pick up the pace and possibly try to set elapsed-time
records, 'cause there's always those 20 bonus points for ET records." (There
are no bonus points for speed records.)

"It's an all-new car, an all-new Oakley 'Snow Camo' paint job, and all the
guys are revved up," he added. "It's been a short winter, but it's been a
good one and now it's time to see if the work we did over the winter paid
off."

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, he said. "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. Now I'm
ready to win my first Funny Car race here."

SCHEDULE:
On Thursday, Feb. 10, one professional qualifying sessions will be held at
2:30 p.m. On Friday, Feb. 11, another pro qualifying session is scheduled
for 2:30 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 12, two final qualifying sessions will take
place at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on
Sunday, Feb. 13.

TELEVISION:
On Saturday, Feb. 12, ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights
at 10:30 p.m. (ET). On Sunday, Feb. 13, ESPN2 will televise three hours of
eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET).

GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:

* At the 2004 Winternationals, Scelzi qualified fourth, lost in semifinal to
Gary Densham
* Is first Funny Car driver to break the 330-mph barrier (330.55 mph at
Route 66 Raceway in 2004)
* Third in 2004 Funny Car points, with three wins in six final rounds
* Qualified in top five nine times in 2004, No. 1 once
* 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
* 2005 is his third 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: 9-6.

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