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."
-dsr-
