“Wild Thing” Gary Scelzi is a two-time Funny Car class winner at Infineon Raceway and before he hangs up his helmet at the end of this season after winning four NHRA championships (three in Top Fuel, one in Funny Car) since 1997, he wants to add to that list en route to claiming a fifth championship.
Fresno, Calif., native Scelzi says he’s taking a sabbatical from the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, but not retiring, as there’s always a chance he’ll return to the fray in the future. But, for now, his plans include spending more time in the family business - Scelzi Enterprises in Fresno, which designs and manufactures truck bodies - and with his family. His son Dominic, 10, is already competing in Mini Sprints in Visalia, and son Giovanni, 5, is getting set to race go-karts.
It’s a heady time for the driver of the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T in his fifth season with Don Schumacher Racing. He’s also being inducted into Infineon Raceway’s Wall of Fame this weekend.
Scelzi is seeded sixth in the Funny Car point standings and is aiming to stay in the top eight towards a slot in the new Countdown to the Championship playoff which begins after the next three races at the U. S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day.
Life is good right now, he says, especially after surviving five of the six back-to-back races across the U. S. The Fram-Autolite Nationals this weekend is the sixth.
“Infineon is my home track, which is a good thing, ” said Scelzi, whose won two national events so far this season, “but the best thing is it’s the end of the six-race swing. We’re back in California, and I’m excited to be close to home.
“We’ll have lots of friends and family joining us this weekend. It’ll be hectic, but it will be rewarding as well, in many ways. Infineon is going to honor me, and I am totally appreciative of the recognition. This is an awesome facility.
“Having a weekend off after this event will be the icing on the cake. After that, we can put all our efforts into holding onto a spot in the Countdown. “
GARY SCELZI QUICK FACTS:
* Sixth 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, Las Vegas, Englishtown and Denver, quarterfinal finishes in Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Topeka, Bristol and Seattle, and a DNQ in Norwalk
* Is 268 points behind leader Ron Capps, 68 points short of third
* Two FC wins in Sonoma: 2003 and 2005
* No. 1 qualifier one in Sonoma: in TF in 2000
* Qualified No. 13 in Sonoma in 2006, lost first round to Scott Kalitta
* 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: 12-10, 3-1 in final rounds
* Says he’s stepping away from NHRA competition at end of 2007, but not retiring
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