NHRA News: Scelzi remembers much fun floppers can be (12/12/2001)

Scelzi remembers much fun floppers can be

By Rob Geiger, NHRA.com
12/12/2001

"I finally realized why Force is always so wound up when they interview him at the top end. Man, I was all teeth when they came to pick me up and I shut it off at 1,000 feet."
-- Gary Scelzi

The most anticipated newcomer to the Funny Car wars -- three-time Top Fuel titlist Gary Scelzi -- is moving ahead with preparations for his Alan Johnson-owned entry to be ready for battle when the 2002 NHRA campaign begins. The high-profile pro spent the last few days testing in teammate Bruce Sarver's e-moola.com flopper at Phoenix's Firebird International Raceway.

Scelzi, who reports being "90-percent done" on a new sponsorship deal, joined Johnson in the Arizona desert to test several new components the team has been developing that will help them return to the championship podium. The former Alcohol Funny Car division champ was all smiles after his first few squirts in the bodied machine, especially after his best pass of 5.02 seconds at 250 mph.

"I finally realized why Force is always so wound up when they interview him at the top end," Scelzi said. "Man, I was all teeth when they came to pick me up and I shut it off at 1,000 feet. It's such a neat feeling, a completely different sensation than a dragster. I mean a 5.02 is a pooch run. I know that. It wouldn't even get you in the show. But with all the activity going on in there, lemme tell you something, it's a heckuva ride. I was buzzing."

The 41-year-old from Fresno, Calif., raced Alcohol-powered Funny Cars for seven years (1990-1996) before switching to a Top Alcohol Dragster and eventually a Top Fuel dragster late in the 1996 season. He then added three Top Fuel championships and the 1997 Rookie of the Year award to his 1993 Division 7 Alcohol Funny Car title.

"We had some great success in Top Fuel and it was a blast," Scelzi said. "But these Funny Cars kept popping into my head. I loved the days when I raced the Alcohol cars and the way things finished this past year it just seemed like a perfect time to write a new chapter."

Scelzi announced his intentions to make the switch as soon as he collected his fifth-place trophy at the end of the 2001 season. The group has been working feverishly to close a sponsorship deal ever since, a project they hope to wrap up before Christmas.

"I'm so ready to get this deal done and announce it to the world," Scelzi said. "It's gonna be huge and we want to make a big splash when we announce it. We'll blow it out big. At this point, I'd say we're 90-percent done. As most people know, it's quite a process to sign a sponsor and there are just several areas that need to be addressed. I can promise you this, we'll really be opening some eyes when the deal comes through."

Sworn to silence for the time being, Scelzi coyly played with the rumblings that he and Sarver might switch to Toyota Celicas before testing begins in January.

"Like I said, we'll be opening some eyes," Scelzi said. "Every part of our team will be a story in and of itself. As far as the 'T' word goes, I could tell you the real truth but then I'd have to kill you. There are too many things up in the air at this point that I don't want to jeopardize anything we have in the works. Sit tight, race fans, we'll be telling the world soon enough."

Sponsorship concerns aside, the buzz Scelzi got from driving a flopper for the first time in six years is evident.

"This wasn't meant to be about me," Scelzi said of his testing session. "Alan had some things he wanted to test. Some aerodynamic balance things, some clutch parts, some engine parts. He figured he'd bring me with him and throw me in the seat so that I could get used to a Funny Car again. I was like, 'Let's go. You don't have to ask me twice.'

"Basically, he wanted to get a head start on working on the things that we feel cost me the championship and cost Bruce a better finish this last year. We can't wait for January testing because we have two cars to prepare now. I sure didn't mind being the test monkey."

Scelzi and crew made four runs. One ended in tire smoke. The second was a planned launch and shutoff sequence. The third ended with Scelzi nailing the 660-foot cone. And the fourth was the 5.02 at 250 mph that Scelzi clicked off at 1,000 feet.

"We made a bunch of progress and I had a blast," Scelzi said. "Alan found a new way to make more horsepower easier. He also found a clutch set-up that really agreed with the car. It was a great session.

"Driving a Funny Car was so neat. I had a couple of .880- and .890-second 60-foot times, which is good for a Funny Car. I'm looking at that and thinking I used to routinely go .830 even .820 on occasion in the dragster so the Funny Car is quite a bit slower. But the truth is it sure doesn't seem like it in there. You are so much busier in a Funny Car. Even the difference from an Alcohol to a nitro Funny Car is huge. There's a lot to do.

"I always used to look at Bruce's car and think, 'Why is that steering wheel so big?' Heck, you need it because you're driving all over the place. Plus, mysterious things happen, like that 660-foot cone jumping in front of the car. My teammate Bruce has been calling me Pac-Man ever since.

"Truthfully, this session reminded me that it's going to take some time to get up to speed. We'll be back at the track in January and that's when I'll license. I'm not too worried about that. The best part of this week's testing was that now I can dream about these things over the Christmas break."

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