Scelzi smack in heat of all battles in Indy

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 18 of 23
NHRA U.S. NATIONALS
INDIANAPOLIS RACEWAY PARK
Race Dates: Sept. 2-5, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438;
jstropus@earthlink.net

SCELZI SMACK IN THE HEAT OF ALL BATTLES AT INDY

INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 30, 2005) - Gary Scelzi is smack in the middle of all the
excitement that is expected to surround this weekend's U.S. Nationals, the
NHRA's biggest and most prestigious race of the POWERade Drag Racing Series.
The driver of the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus Funny Car is in arguably the
tightest competition for the Funny Car championship that NHRA has ever seen
and is a favorite to win the $100,000 Funny Car bonus event, the Skoal
Showdown.

Scelzi, Robert Hight, John Force and Scelzi's teammate Ron Capps are in the
midst of a classic battle among the Titans in the Funny Car class this year,
as the season winds down to the final six events.

Consider Indianapolis Raceway Park as Rome's Coliseum in the days of
gladiators fighting for their lives. Don Schumacher Racing versus John Force
Racing. It doesn't get any better than this. The two largest Funny Car
operations battling it out for all the laurels. Hight in the lead by only 30
points over Capps. Scelzi in third, five points behind Capps, and Force
trailing Capps by 12 points. Force's third driver, Eric Medlen, has sneaked
into the fight also and is 24 points back of Force.

Any one of these warriors could walk out with the prize of the Funny Car
points lead after this weekend. That's Scelzi's goal, along with winning the
Showdown.

"I'm really excited about the U.S. Nationals," said Scelzi, who is seeking
his first Funny Car crown to go with his three Top Fuel championships. "It
is the granddaddy of them all. It's the biggest race of the year. It has so
much meaning, so much history. You throw on top of that the Showdown and
this points battle that's going on and you've got a great event. And to be a
part of all of it is just incredible. Sometimes you take things for granted.
But when you look at what's going to go on at the U.S. Nationals this year
it's almost overwhelming.

"It's exciting because I'm in the middle of it. I'm in the middle of the
POWERade points chase. I'm second in the qualifying for the Showdown, and I
have a car that's running and capable of doing what (John Force Racing
tuner) Jimmy Prock did last year (with Gary Densham), by winning all of
them.

"I've won the (Top Fuel) Bud Shootout, which is comparable to the Showdown,
three times, and then I've won the U.S. Nationals once (in Top Fuel) and was
runner-up in 1986 with my own Alcohol Dragster, but there are only a few
people who have won this race in both pro fuel classes: Ed McCulloch, Kenny
Bernstein, Don Prudhomme and Jim Head are the main ones."

Scelzi's successful results in last week's two-day test session at IRP could
be a precursor of things to come this weekend. "Testing was great," said the
Fresno, Calif., native. "We were the quickest (both days). We tried quite a
few different things tune-up-wise and it seemed to respond to all of them.
Either the Mopar/Oakley Dodge liked it or it didn't like it. There was no
gray area, which was a really neat thing.

"Whenever you go to test like that you never know what you're going to get.
It took a while for the track to come around, but we were actually trying
things while we were waiting for the track to come to us.

"It worked out. I was very pleased with the test session. I don't think it
could've gone much better. But, there are no points for test sessions. Now
we have to execute and that's what we need to do this weekend. We need to
stay focused, we need to not get caught up in all the hoopla that Indy
brings and try to win the damned race.

"The Showdown would be great to win, but what's really important is the race
on Monday."

SCHEDULE:  
On Friday, Sept. 2, professional qualifying sessions begin at 6:15 p.m. On
Saturday, Sept. 3, professional qualifying sessions are at 1:15 p.m. and
6:15 p.m. On Sunday, Sept. 4, pro qualifying sessions continue at 11 a.m.
and 3 p.m., Skoal Showdown Eliminations are at 12:30 p.m., 2:15 p.m., and 4
p.m. On Monday, Sept. 5, pre-race ceremonies are at 9:30 a.m., and final
eliminations begin at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION:     
On Saturday, Sept. 3, ESPN2 will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at
1:30 a.m. (ET). On Sunday, Sept. 4, ESPN2 will televise NHRA 2Day, a
30-minute magazine show at 11:30 a.m. (ET). Also on Sunday, Sept. 4, ESPN2
will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at noon (ET), and ESPN2 will
also televise three hours of qualifying coverage at 10:30 p.m. (ET). On
Monday, Sept. 5, ESPN2 will televise a special presentation of NHRA 2Day at
11:30 a.m. (ET). Also on Monday, Sept. 5, ESPN2 will televise one hour of
eliminations coverage at noon (ET), and ESPN2 will also televise three hours
of eliminations coverage at 8 p.m. (ET).

GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* Third in 2005 Funny Car points after 17 races; has three wins (Bristol,
Chicago and Sonoma); was low qualifier three times (Las Vegas, Atlanta and
St. Louis)
* Is in fierce battle with 13-time champion John Force, rookie Robert Hight
and teammate Ron Capps for 2005 Funny Car crown; is 35 points short of first
place, just five points behind teammate Ron Capps in second and 12 ahead of
Force in fourth
* Qualified ninth at the 2004 U.S. Nationals; lost semis to Cruz Pedregon
* Has not won Funny Car here, but was Top Fuel winner in 1998
* Holds Top Fuel ET record here, 4.480 seconds, set in 1999
* Is a member of the largest team in NHRA pro history: Don Schumacher
Racing, with nine teams - two in Top Fuel, three in Funny Car, two in Pro
Stock, two in Pro Stock Motorcycle (all four pro categories)
* 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 45, born and raised in Fresno, Calif., where he lives with wife
Julianne and sons Dominic and Giovanni
* Dominic, 8, races Junior Sprints
* 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 seven 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 has a round winning record against
the 13-time Funny Car champion John Force: 9-8, 3-1 in final rounds
* Wants to become only the second driver to have won championships in both
Top Fuel and Funny Car. Kenny Bernstein is the first

***