NHRA Funny Car champ Gary Scelzi press notes

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES

FRESNO, Calif. (March 7, 2006) - Here are a few news items which might be of
interest to the media on the off-track activities of the 2005 NHRA POWERade
Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion Gary Scelzi, driver of the
Mopar/Oakley Dodge Funny Car.

With a two-weekend "hiatus" from NHRA competition before the third race of
the year in Gainesville, Fla., March 17-19, Scelzi takes time to be honored
by a California-based press organization, participates in a charity go-kart
event at Infineon Raceway, supports his son Dominic in his Junior Sprint
racing career, and provides a late racer's son with a unique opportunity.

SCELZI HONORED BY MSPA, COMPETITIONPLUS.COM

Gary Scelzi, the 2005 NHRA Funny Car champion, will be honored by
The Motor Sports Press Association (MSPA) as Drag Racer of the Year at the
organization's 43rd annual post-season Awards and Green Flag Dinner March 8
in Oakland, Calif.

The MSPA is comprised of Northern California writers, photographers and
broadcasters who cover the sport of auto racing. The group will honor the
elite of the regionıs racers and others who have made significant
contributions to the sport.

Scelzi joins fellow California racers as honorees, including USAC/California
sprint-car champion Damien Gardner; Allison Duncan, who narrowly lost the
Stockton Speedway 99 track championship; Lou Larimor, the SCCA GT1-class
National Driving Champion; Jim Pettit II, the 2005 NASCAR Southwest Tour
champion; and Dylan Albiani, five-time International Kart Federal Grand
National Champion.

"As a native Californian, it is quite an honor to be recognized by the media
members of the MSPA for my achievements in NHRA drag racing," said Scelzi, a
Fresno, Calif., native. "I am also in great company with these other
champions from California. I look forward to joining my fellow honorees at
the MSPA dinner."

Fans are welcome to attend the awards dinner, to be held at Francescoıs
Restaurant at 6 p.m., as 11 people will be honored for their 2005 efforts in
stock cars, sprint cars, road racing and drag racing, while others will be
acknowledged for their lifelong contribution to racing or inducted into the
MSPA hall of fame. Ticket information is available at (408) 733-6135 or
(510) 339-9450.
 
Earlier this year, Scelzi was also selected by readers of
CompetitionPlus.com as  the "Professional Driver of the Year," as part of
the site's Dot Com awards. Scelzi, who won his first NHRA POWERade Funny Car
Series title in 2005, became only one of two race drivers who have won
championships in both the NHRA POWERade Funny Car and Top Fuel divisions.
Kenny Bernstein was the first.

SCELZI, CAPPS RACE GO-KARTS FOR CHARITY AT INFINEON RACEWAY

On March 4, Gary Scelzi and his DSR Funny Car teammate Ron Capps joined Top
Fuel racer Cory McClenathan to support a great cause at the 4th annual NHRA
Tour de Charity at the Infineon Raceway Karting Center in Sonoma, Calif.
 
The event, which coupled race fans with top NHRA drivers for a day of
karting on the three-quarter mile, 16-turn kart course, raised more than
$11,000 for Speedway Childrenıs Charities, the charitable arm of Infineon
Raceway. All proceeds will benefit needy youth organizations in Sonoma
County. Approximately 200 people attended the event overall.
 
Capps (Brut Dodge Funny Car), McClenathan (Carrier Boyz FRAM Boost Top Fuel
Dragster ) and Scelzi (Mopar/Oakley Dodge Funny Car) swapped paint with the
fans over the challenging road course. Capps took bragging rights among the
NHRA drivers, turning the best lap over the circuit at 55.718 seconds. He
was followed by McClenathan (56.112) and Scelzi (56.565). Capps has been
dubbed King of the Track three of the eventıs four years, with McClenathan
taking the honor in 2004.
 
³I wouldnıt miss this for the world,² said Scelzi, who has participated in
every NHRA Tour de Charity since its inception in 2002. ³Itıs nice blasting
around this course in these karts. Itıs amazing just how much concentration
it takes to get around this course. I know Iıll be back.
 
"I was actually second quick," Scelzi explained. "I was three tenths (of a
second) slower than Capps, Cory was three tenths slower than me, then in the
race I over-drove it and ended up third. My normal deal."

SCELZI HOSTS COLE SARVER; HELPS SON DOMINIC WITH JUNIOR SPRINT

Gary Scelzi, who donated a go-kart which his son Dominic used to race to the
teenaged son of the late Bruce Sarver last year so he "can start racing and
learn the mechanical abilities that it takes to be a racer," invited Cole
Sarver to participate in the NHRA Tour de Charity at Infineon Raceway on
March 4. 

"He was outstanding," said Scelzi. "He was fourth quickest, behind Capps,
Cory and me. He did a great job.

"I asked him to come so he could get some more experience in a go-kart
before he starts racing and he took almost three seconds off his lap times
from the beginning of the day 'til the end of the day. He was almost as
quick as we were. He did an outstanding job, I was very impressed with him."

Scelzi's sons Dominic (8) and Giovanni (4) did not attend the go-kart event.
"My boys had baseball," said Scelzi, "but we have the one-fifth-mile Plaza
Park Raceway in Visalia, Calif., rented on Wednesday for Dominic to practice
with his Junior Sprint, so we may run 'til about 1 o'clock or 2 o'clock and
then I'll haul ass from there to Oakland (for the MSPA dinner).