Defending event champ Scelzi takes No. 13 in Pomona qualifying

DON SCHUMACHER RACING/TEAM MOPARŪ FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING
2008 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
NHRA Winternationals
Auto Club Raceway
Pomona, Calif.
Feb. 9, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438;
jstropus@earthlink.net

DEFENDING EVENT CHAMP SCELZI TAKES NO. 13 IN POMONA QUALIFYING

POMONA, Calif. (Feb. 9, 2008) - Gary Scelzi and his MoparŪ/Oakley Dodge
Charger R/T Funny Car team will start final eliminations on Sunday at the
season-opening NHRA Winternationals in the No. 13 spot after posting a
4.845-second pass at 322.27 mph during Friday's qualifying run. And,
although he won't have lane choice in his first-round match against Scott
Kalitta, the Don Schumacher Racing driver and four-time NHRA champion is
nevertheless feeling optimistic about his chances to go rounds and repeat as
the event champion in the season-opening NHRA event.

"Even though we're not qualified in the top half of the field, it doesn't
really matter," said Scelzi, who sports the new Mopar "Liquid Metal" paint
scheme on his Funny Car. "The lanes are equal, and I think we can play
hardball tomorrow. And I can't wait to do it."

It was a bit of a mixed bag for the man known as the "Wild Thing" during
three days of qualifying in his HEMIŪ-powered Funny Car at Auto Club Raceway
in Pomona, Calif. Scelzi struck the tires and posted a run of 7.422/120.23
in the sole Thursday qualifying session. He then recorded his best pass of
the four sessions on Friday with the 4.845/322.27, reeled off a solid run of
4.919/318.54 in the first Saturday session, and then closed with a pass of
7.115/117.46 after smoking the tires in his final qualifying run on
Saturday.

"Two out of four - not exactly the way we wanted to end it," said Scelzi of
his qualifying efforts. "When everyone was running those .79s (polesitter by
speed Tim Wilkerson posted a 4.790, as well as Scelzi's DSR teammate Jerry
Toliver), we knew that we could run low .80s. We wanted to go for the pole.
It made it about 400 feet, then it knocked the tires.

"We learned something. We know where we're not going to go tomorrow."

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