On 'Hiatus Tour,' Scelzi poised for first E-Town win
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Round 10 of 23 ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals Old Bridge Township Raceway Park Englishtown, N.J. June 22-24, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net ON 'HIATUS TOUR,' SCELZI POISED FOR FIRST E-TOWN WIN FRESNO, Calif. (June 20, 2007) - Four-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series champion Gary Scelzi has won 35 national events in his 11-year professional career: 25 in Top Fuel and 10 in Funny Car, including the last event of his 2007 "Hiatus Tour" (thank you Ron Kremer of the Joliet Herald) at Route 66 Raceway on June 10. But the driver of the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T for Don Schumacher Racing, who earlier this year announced he would take a sabbatical from the sport at the end of this season, has never won at Old Bridge Township Raceway in Englishtown, N.J. So, this weekend's ProCare Rx SuperNationals at this venerable site is on his hit list, as he prepares for the beginning of a brutal six-race swing in the middle of his already extremely hectic schedule. "My schedule lately is ridiculous," said Scelzi, who still holds the Funny Car speed record at Old Bridge, of 328.3 mph. "Ever since Topeka I've been on the road. (Wife) Julie and the kids (sons Dominic and Giovanni) flew in and met me in Chicago. That turned out to be a great event. We tested there on Monday, went to the DSR shop in Indy, flew home from Indy on Wednesday afternoon. Then all the drivers (J.R. Todd, Ron Capps, Cory McClenathan, Morgan Lucas, Del Worsham, Brandon Bernstein and John Force) came in to do my celebrity race in Visalia, Calif. We practiced on Wednesday, on Thursday we did a bunch of media and T.V., and on Friday we went and watched Dominic race. I was back to the shop in Fresno at 1 in the morning, then got back to the shop at 7 a.m. the next day to get Dominic's car ready to race for Saturday. "We ran the celebrity race, then Sunday afternoon I went to Kansas to get ready to race the Michael Ross Memorial Foundation modified race this Wednesday night and do the golf tournament with Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Ron Capps and all these guys, including Dave Marcis, the old NASCAR guy who used to wear wingtip shoes when he raced his car. It's been wide open ever since. "Then I'll get to Englishtown this weekend. I gave that race away last year," said Scelzi, who was runner-up to his teammate and Funny Car points leader Ron Capps in 2006. "I pretty much handed it to Capps on a silver platter, being late on the line, and that one was frustrating. It's a race I hadn't won before, and we had the car to do it and I blew it. "We're looking to come back. We're fresh from a win. You always feel good going to the next event after a win." Englishtown begins a six-race, back-to-back swing, which includes E-Town; Norwalk, Ohio; Bristol, Tenn.; Denver, Colo.; Seattle, Wash.; and Sonoma, Calif. "It's going to be brutal," said Scelzi. After nine Funny Car events, Don Schumacher Racing teams have won five of them: three for points leader Ron Capps, two for Gary Scelzi. Scelzi now holds the longest active consecutive qualifying streak at 28! His win in Chicago tied him with Don Garlits for 13th on the all-time NHRA POWERade wins list (all categories) - and 10th in Funny Car, which placed him next to Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, and Mike Dunn as the only drivers with double-digit wins in both nitro categories. GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS: * Third in Funny Car points after qualifying No. 1 and winning the 2007 season-opening Pomona event, and again qualifying No. 1 and winning the Chicago event. His other results this season are first-round losses in Phoenix, Gainesville and Las Vegas, and quarterfinal finishes in Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis and Topeka * Is 198 points behind leader Ron Capps, 58 points short of second * Scelzi's E-Town record includes two runner-up finishes: in TF in 2000 and in FC in 2006. He has two No. 1 qualifiers, in TF in 1998 and 1999 * Qualified No. 4 in Englishtown in 2006, lost final to Ron Capps * Seventh in 2006 Funny Car points, with a win in Denver (three final rounds), runner-up in Englishtown, N.J., runner-up in Brainerd, Minn., and three semifinal finishes in Bristol, Tenn., Joliet, Ill., and St. Louis. * Also had seven quarterfinal finishes and no No. 1 qualifiers in '06 * 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) * Is a three-time Top Fuel champion (1997, 1998, 2000) * Became only the second NHRA driver to have won crowns in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. Kenny Bernstein is the first * Has set 24 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 - one in Top Fuel, three in Funny Car, one 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: 4.690-second ET (Pomona 1 '07), 333.49 mph (Pomona 1 '07) * Qualified in top five 19 times in 2005, No. 1 six times * Age 46 (Aug. 11, 1960), born and raised in Fresno, Calif., where he lives with wife Julianne and sons Dominic and Giovanni * Dominic, 10, races Restricted 600 Mini Sprints * Runs Scelzi Enterprises, a custom truck body design and manufacturing business in Fresno with his two brothers * Won his first Top Fuel crown as a rookie * Has 10 Funny Car wins, 25 Top Fuel wins * Sixth in 2003 Funny Car points, his first full season in that class * 2007 is his fifth 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 by winning Nitro Funny Car at Infineon Raceway in 2003 * Is one of the few Funny Car drivers who has a round winning record against the 14-time Funny Car champion John Force: 12-8, 3-1 in final rounds * Says he's stepping away from NHRA competition at end of 2007, but not retiring WEEKEND SCHEDULE: FRIDAY, June 22 - PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY, June 23 ‹ Qualifying and sportsman time trials, 10:15 a.m. to 9 p.m. PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at noon and 2:30 p.m. SUNDAY, June 24 ‹ Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m. TELEVISION: Saturday, June 23, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 11 p.m. (ET). Sunday, June 24, ESPN2 and ESPN 2 HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute news magazine show, at 11 a.m. (ET). Sunday, June 24, ESPN2 and ESPN 2 HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 10 p.m. (ET). SATELLITE: Friday, June 22, 10-10:30 p.m. (ET) SBS 6/Transponder 16K (Downlink frequency: 12092.5, vertical, analog) Saturday, June 23, 7:30-8 p.m. (ET) SBS 6/Transponder 16K (Downlink frequency: 12092.5, vertical, analog) Sunday, June 24, 7-7:30 p.m. (ET) SBS 6/Transponder 16K (Downlink frequency: 12092.5, vertical, analog) ***