Conquering track, earning bonus points are Scelzi's goals
for Gainesville
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 3 of 23
ACDelco NHRA GATORNATIONALS
GAINESVILLE (FLA.) RACEWAY
Race Date: March 17-19, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438;
jstropus@earthlink.net
CONQUERING TRACK, EARNING BONUS POINTS ARE SCELZI'S GOALS FOR GAINESVILLE
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 15, 2006) - Three-time Top Fuel champion and
reigning Funny Car titleholder Gary Scelzi has 32 career event wins to his
credit at every venue at which the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
competes, except three: Englishtown, N.J., Denver, Colo., and Gainesville,
Fla.
Scelzi has his sites set on conquering Gainesville Raceway at this weekend's
NHRA Gatornationals as well as setting a national elapsed-time record with
the new Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T he'll debut here. In an already
tension-filled chase for the 2006 Funny Car championship after only two
events, Scelzi says every point and every round win is going to count if
he's to defend his Funny Car title.
He's already one spot ahead of where he was in the point standings (ninth)
last year at this stage of the season, despite early-round losses in the
first two events. Recent Phoenix testing results have also buoyed Scelzi's
confidence.
"I've been runner-up here in Top Fuel and Funny Car," says the Fresno,
Calif., native. "God, yes, I want to conquer it. I'm really excited this
year coming back to Gainesville because of the test we had in Phoenix (after
the last event) on Monday and Tuesday. The car just acts totally different
with the parts that we've changed; it was very consistent. It reminded me a
lot of last year towards the end of the year. It was very good.
"We're going to treat Gainesville just like it's Indy (the prestigious U.S.
Nationals) because this is one that I've never won and it's very important,
in my mind. I've had a lot of accomplishments and a lot of things I should
be proud of. One thing I want to do is to win at every single venue that we
go to. And Gainesville is one of them. We're not going to be at those other
two (Englishtown and Denver) for a while, so Gainesville is the one that I'm
looking at right now.
"If the weather is right, who knows? We may be able to set a national record
here. Depending on how qualifying goes, if this Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger
does what I think it's going to do, we're definitely going to go for it.
Because that's 20 points that we'd like to take away. We know (John) Force
is going to go after it and we feel we've got a car capable of setting a
national record."
It's early in the season, but the desire to defend the Funny Car
championship that was so emotionally draining to win at the end of last
season is high on Scelzi's and crew chief Mike Neff's lists.
"We don't want to get behind," adds Scelzi, who has set 20 top speeds in his
Funny Car career. "I feel that this year will be as good or better than last
year. I still believe that there's going to be five cars going for the
championship at the end of the year. And I feel that those five cars will be
winning a lot of rounds. I don't think it's going to be like last year, that
the good cars will get beat early. I feel that the good cars are going to be
excelling, going to the semis and going to the finals. And I think that's
where we need to be, and that's where our goals are set right now, to go to
the semis and the finals and win races."
SCHEDULE:
Friday, March 17, professional qualifying sessions are at 11:30 a.m. and
2:30 p.m. On Saturday, March 18, pro qualifying continues at 11:30 a.m. and
2:30 p.m. On Sunday, March 19, pre-race ceremonies are at 10 a.m., and final
eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Sunday, March 19, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying
highlights at 12:30 a.m. (ET). On Sunday, March 19, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will
telecast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute weekly news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m.
(ET). On Sunday, March 19, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of
final eliminations at 5 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, March 17, 8:30-9 p.m. (ET) SBS 6 / Transponder 17K (downlink
freq: 12117, MHz horizontal)
Saturday, March 18, 8:30-9 p.m. (ET) SBS 6 / Transponder 17K (downlink
freq: 12117, MHz horizontal)
Sunday, March 19, 8:30-9 p.m. (ET) SBS 6 / Transponder 17K (downlink freq:
12117, MHz horizontal)
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* Ninth in 2006 Funny Car points after two events
* Claimed the 2005 Funny Car championship, his first, by eight points over
his teammate Ron Capps, 32 over John Force
* Won three times in 2005 (Bristol, Chicago 1 and Sonoma); was low qualifier
six times (Las Vegas 1, Atlanta, St. Louis, Reading, Las Vegas 2, Pomona 2)
* Became only the second NHRA driver to have won crowns in both Top Fuel and
Funny Car. Kenny Bernstein is the first
* Has never won in Gainesville, in either Top Fuel or Funny Car; runner-up
in FC in 2002; in TF in 2001
* No. 1 qualifier here in Top Fuel in 1998, 2000 and 2001
* At 2005 Gatornationals, he qualified No. 5, lost semis to teammate and
eventual event winner Whit Bazemore
* Has set 20 Funny Car top speeds since joining Don Schumacher Racing in
2003
* 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), 332.51 mph
(Pomona 1 '06)
* Qualified in top five 19 times in 2005, No. 1 six times
* 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
* 2006 is his fourth 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
***
