This is it for Scelzi; one race left to decide Funny Car championship
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 23 of 23 AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NHRA FINALS Pomona (Calif.) Raceway Nov. 3-6, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net THIS IS IT FOR SCELZI! ONLY ONE RACE LEFT TO DECIDE THE FUNNY CAR CHAMPIONSHIP POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 1, 2005) - The tension is high for the top two drivers in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car championship chase to win their first Funny Car crowns, as the season comes down to the final race, the Automobile Club of Southern California Finals this weekend at Pomona Raceway. After 22 races, only two points separate leader Gary Scelzi, driver of the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing, and his teammate Ron Capps, in the Brut Dodge. The man who has already won 13 championships, John Force, sits in third, 28 (or two elimination rounds) behind Scelzi. For Scelzi, who has three Top Fuel titles under his belt, it's going to be business as usual, he says, as he tries to lower the stress level by doing what his team, led by crew chief Mike Neff, has done all season: been fast, quick and strong. ŗThe bottom line is to get in the show," says Scelzi, "and if you lose qualifying points and Ron gets ahead of us after qualifying, then thatšs whatšs going to happen. Wešre not going to change our whole game plan just over those two points. It [won't be] the end of the world." Drivers earn 1-8 points based on qualifying position (8 pts for No. 1; 7 for 2nd; 6 for 3rd; 5 for 4th; 4 for 5-6th; 3 for 7-8th; 2 for 9-12th; and 1 for 13-16th). "The important thing is on Sunday," adds Scelzi. "Wešre going there to try to win the race, just like we did in Vegas. We almost did it (Capps beat Scelzi in the final). Whether that happens in Pomona, wešll see. I donšt have a crystal ball, but wešre not going to change up our game plan and force ourselves to blow it pulling in the gate. "This is down to three guys going at it, basically, all year, [long]. No onešs been able to get away with anything. No onešs been able to pad that lead. Now timešs run out. Therešs no more mistakes for any of us. Wešve gotta go and wešve gotta do well." Dethroning the reigning champion is the goal, but it's not an easy task, as Force Racing has won the NHRA Funny Car championship 12 straight years. "This is John Force," Scelzi says. "Hešs a 13-time world champion, and if you watch his organization, everybodyšs tried to copy it, everybodyšs tried to duplicate it, and nobodyšs been successful. I think that itšs the hardest itšs ever been on him, or anybody else, the closest theyšve ever been. Itšs a different scenario. Itšs a different feeling. Even though hešs a close friend of mine, hešs John Force, and once you pull onto the starting line, you better not be coming with a knife to a gun fight, and you better be dead-on on your aim. And you know that, so that just kind of raises everything, too the pressure, the hair on the back of your neck. It raises the level of everything, because this is a big deal.˛ Scelzi has three wins at Pomona Raceway - all in Top Fuel, none in Funny Car. All three drivers went out in the first round at the 2005 season opener in Pomona. Head to head in 2005: Force is 2-0 vs. Scelzi, but Scelzi leads overall with a 9-8 record; Force is 3-4 vs. Capps; Capps and Scelzi are 2-2 vs. one another and 5-5 career. SCHEDULE: On Thursday, Nov. 3, one pro qualifying session is scheduled for 2 p.m. On Friday, Nov. 4, the second pro qualifying session is set for 2 p.m. On Saturday, Nov. 5, the last two pro qualifying sessions are at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. On Sunday, Nov. 6, Pre-race ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. TELEVISION: On Saturday, Nov. 5, ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 10 p.m. (ET). On Sunday, Nov. 6, ESPN2 will televise three hours of eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET). Also on Sunday, Nov. 6, ESPN2 will broadcast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET). GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS: * Leads the 2005 Funny Car points after 22 races; has three wins (Bristol, Chicago 1 and Sonoma); was low qualifier five times (Las Vegas 1, Atlanta, St. Louis, Reading, Las Vegas 2) * Is in fierce battle with 13-time champion John Force and teammate Ron Capps for 2005 Funny Car crown; is two points ahead of Capps in second, 28 ahead of Force in third. * If he wins the Funny Car championship this year he will become only the second NHRA driver to have won crowns in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. Kenny Bernstein is the first. * Has no Funny Car wins here at Pomona, three in Top Fuel * At first event here this year, he qualified No. 6, lost first round to Phil Burkart * At last year's Finale, he qualified No. 4, lost semis to John Force * 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: 4.697-second ET (Chicago 2 '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 ***