Bristol one of four tracks Scelzi has yet to conquer
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 6 of 23 O'REILLY THUNDER VALLEY NHRA NATIONALS BRISTOL (Tenn.) DRAGWAY Race Dates: April 29-May 1, 2005 BRISTOL, Tenn. (April 27, 2005) - Since he went pro in 1997, Gary Scelzi has won at 17 of the 21 dragstrips on which the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series holds its national events. Bristol Dragway is not counted among them. The driver of the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car and three-time Top Fuel champion is aiming to change that in this weekend's O'Reilly Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals. The Fresno, Calif., native captured his first NHRA Top Fuel crown as a rookie in 1997, and has notched 29 national-event wins in both Top Fuel and Funny Car, four of them since he joined the Funny Car class full-time with Don Schumacher Racing in 2003. But none of them has been in Denver, Englishtown, Gainesville or Bristol. "Yes, this is another track I have never won at. Like the other three, it's one that I want to win, no question about it," says Scelzi, who is the only driver to have won in every NHRA pro class: Top Fuel, Funny Car, Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car. "I have two career goals right now. I want to say I have won at every NHRA race track we compete on, and I want to be only the second driver to have won championships in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. Right now, Kenny Bernstein is the only driver who has done that." Bristol Dragway is a favorite among the NHRA competitors, Scelzi included, but the weather in this Northeast corner of Tennessee is often an issue. "Right now the weather is on everybody's mind," says Scelzi. "There's a big concern about a rainout. I hate to even use that word. If we do pull this off and we get this race going it will probably be under cloud cover. "When you get a race track under cloud cover it means great lap times. The race track is very smooth. I heard they have done some work to the concrete (launching pad). Sometimes the concrete starting line is questionable as far as holding rubber is concerned." He's not concerned, however, about how this Bruton Smith-owned track will handle track conditions. "One thing about Bruton Smith tracks, they don't mess around. If there is any problem with the race track they just fix it right away. They don't let it become an issue. And that's one reason why all the racers like going to his facilities. "From the motor home area where we park our coaches, and where the NASCAR teams guys also stay, with all the privacy and amenities, including a playground for the kids, to the beautiful mountains and greenery, it's all first class." Scelzi is still smarting from the attention he's received after losing on a holeshot for the third straight race in Las Vegas two weeks ago, which he feels is unfair. "I think I've taken enough heat on this holeshot thing," he says. "We looked at enough video and what we actually saw was that I hit the gas the exact same time as (teammate) Whit Bazemore did in Houston and in Las Vegas I actually hit the gas a little ahead of Cruz Pedregon." He lost to Bazemore in the first round in Houston and to Pedregon in the quarter-final in Vegas. "We stayed Monday to test in Vegas," he adds. "The Mopar/Oakley Dodge is reacting quicker now. Mike (Neff, crew chief) has made some changes to the car. We've had a fast race car all year long. I don't see that changing. We're qualifying better. The best car hasn't always won this year, and we're going to try to change that this weekend. Hopefully we're going to have the best car and I'm going to do everything I can in my power to leave with or ahead of my opponents. Mike is going to do the best he can to run the car as quick and as hard as he can. "The plan has never changed. It's just the results haven't been what we wanted." Scelzi stands eighth in Funny Car point standings, has qualified in the top half of the field in each event, including the pole in Vegas, and has four round wins to his credit after five races in 2005. SCHEDULE: On Friday, April 29, professional qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, April 30 -- pro qualifying sessions are at noon and 3 p.m. On Sunday, May 1, Pre-race ceremonies begin at 11 a.m. Final eliminations begin at noon. TELEVISION: On Saturday, April 30, ESPN2 will televise 2 hours of qualifying highlights at 7 p.m. (ET). On Sunday May 1, ESPN2 will broadcast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute weekly news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET). On Sunday, May 1, ESPN2 will televise three hours of final round eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET). GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS: * At the 2004 O'Reilly Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals, he qualified ninth, lost second round to Whit Bazemore * Eighth in 2005 Funny Car points after five races * Has never won in Bristol, or qualified No. 1, in either Top Fuel or Funny Car * Is first Funny Car driver to break the 330-mph barrier (330.15 mph at Route 66 Raceway in 2004) * Career Funny Car bests: 4.717-second ET (Pomona '05), 331.53 mph (Pomona '05) * 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: 9-7.