Scelzi buoyed by post-Gainesville testing en route to Houston
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 4 of 23 O'REILLY NHRA SPRING NATIONALS Houston Raceway Race Date: March 31-April 2, 2006 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net SCELZI BUOYED BY POST-GAINESVILLE TESTING EN ROUTE TO HOUSTON BAYTOWN, Texas (March 28, 2006) - Reigning NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion Gary Scelzi has had a tough start to the 2006 season in defense of his title, with three early-round losses in as many events. The driver of the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T, however, is no worse off than he was at the beginning of his outstanding championship season in 2006, when he had two first-round losses and a runner-up finish in the first three races. The team then hit its stride and ended the season earning three-time Top Fuel champion Scelzi his first Funny Car crown. In 2005, after three events, the Fresno, Calif., native was eighth in points; this year heading into the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway this weekend he's ninth in the standings. The team, led by tuner Mike Neff, didn't give up then and is not giving up now, as a productive test session on Monday after the last race in Gainesville, Fla., has buoyed the driver's and team's spirits. "We had a great test on Monday in Gainesville and I think we learned a tremendous amount," says Scelzi, Top Fuel winner here at Houston Raceway in 1997 and 1998. "It went really well. We were just going the wrong way in eliminations on Sunday. We got a little scared because it smoked the tires in the first qualifying run, but mainly it was just because it was a green track. We just kept going the wrong way, the wrong way, and even though we ran quicker than (Del) Worsham in the first round of eliminations (Scelzi lost on a holeshot with a 4.842-second ET) we expected to run a 4.77 or a .78. And it just didn't do it. "So, on Monday we made the changes that we felt were right after we could see clearly, and the car ran two 4.77s in a row, a half-pass that would have run a .77, two more runs that were .77s, and then we tried to find the limit and found it, and had one tire smoker. "Basically, we made three runs with no tire smoke and just one at the end when we were trying something completely different. We felt that we're on a good course with the (new) tire. The track temperature was over 100 degrees on Monday, so I feel really good about Houston." There is still a long season ahead and collecting valuable points remains the goal. "I do care (about points)," says Scelzi, "but there's nothing I can do about changing the results of the first three races. The way you fix it is by winning and by going rounds. Our goal right now is to go as many rounds as we can, if not win the race." Houston Raceway's track surface brings its own set of challenges. "The right lane has a pretty big bump in it," Scelzi says. "Historically, it's been a one-lane race track, normally the left lane. So, I don't know if they've made any improvements or not. I haven't heard anything, but I guess we'll find out. Lane choice is critical here." SCHEDULE: On Friday, March 31, professional qualifying sessions are at 3 and 6 p.m. On Saturday, April 1, pro qualifying continues at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. On Sunday, April 2, final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. TELEVISION: Saturday, April 1, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 8 p.m. (ET). Sunday April 2, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will broadcast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute weekly news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET). Sunday, April 2, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations at 4 p.m. (ET). SATELLITE: Friday, March 31, 10-10:30 p.m. (ET) - Galaxy 11 / Transponder 13K (downlink freq: 11960, MHz horizontal) Saturday, April 1, 10:30-11 p.m. (ET) - Galaxy 11 / Transponder 13K (downlink freq: 11960, MHz horizontal) Sunday, April 2, 8-8:30 p.m. (ET) - SBS 6 / Transponder 17K (downlink freq: 12117, MHz horizontal) GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS: * Ninth in 2006 Funny Car points after three events * Claimed the 2005 Funny Car championship, his first, by eight points over his teammate Ron Capps, 32 over third-place 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 two Top Fuel wins here, in 1997 and 1998 (Houston 2), qualified No. 1 at both of these events * At 2005 O'Reilly Spring Nationals he qualified No. 5, lost first round to teammate Whit Bazemore * Has set 21 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 ***