Championship Drag Racing

CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals
Chicago, Ill.
(Sept. 30-Oct. 3)

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Gary Scelzi Hemi Oakley Dodge Stratus R/T Funny Car

Reports: Sunday Saturday Pre-race

Chicago, Sunday: With the 2004 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series winding down to its last four races (including today's), Gary Scelzi's exit in the first round of eliminations today in the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals was not what he or the team expected.

Route 66 Raceway is famous for its ultra-quick, super-fast surface, and it's where the slick Hemi-powered Oakley Dodge rocket helped Scelzi become the first Funny Car driver to break the 330-mph mark here in May and set a Funny Car national speed record of 330.25 mph. Although Scelzi did not believe that, under the new 85-percent nitromethane rule, the Funny Cars would be able to break that record, he was considered a favorite to win here.

The team searched for the right setup under the new rules on this smooth quarter-mile. Scelzi qualified No. 7 by virtue of his first pass down the track (4.827/324.59), then struggled through the next two sessions (the second one was cancelled because of rain) under nearly perfect 50-degree, sunny conditions.

Temperatures turned slightly warmer for Sunday's eliminations, but it didn't help Scelzi's results in the first round against Jerry Toliver, when he lost traction at the hit of the throttle and coasted to a losing 7.419-second pass at 116.43 mph to Toliver's winning 5.084/273.22.

"I don't know what it is," said the three-time Top Fuel champion seeking his first Funny Car crown. "These are optimum conditions - the race track, the weather, everything - and for some reason we just couldn't make this thing work. We slowed everything down and slid it down there to a 4.82 (in qualifying), but it just wouldn't repeat, for whatever reason. That's why we're going to stay here and test on Monday.

"I don't have any answers. I don't have a magic wand to know what to do to fix it."

Scelzi's chances to claim his first Funny Car championship in only his second full season in that class were dashed today, as he fell to third place after Del Worsham won the event and points leader John Force, surprisingly, set a new national elapsed-time record, collecting 20 bonus points. Force's record 4.665-second run in today's first round of eliminations also produced a national record speed of 333.58 mph, breaking both Scelzi's speed record as well as teammate Whit Bazemore's elapsed-time record (4.713).

Worsham is the only driver remaining who has a mathematical chance of beating Force for the title. Scelzi will be battling with Worsham, his teammate Whit Bazemore (who also lost in the first round), Eric Medlen and Gary Densham for second place, as the series heads to Reading, Pa., this weekend to make up for the rain-postponed Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

Chicago, Saturday: Gary Scelzi held onto the elapsed time he set in the first round of qualifying on Friday, of 4.827 seconds at 324.59 mph, to place No. 7 in the Funny Car field after only three qualifying rounds.

Friday's second round was rained out and today's 50-degree temperatures and bright sun produced outstanding conditions on Route 66 Raceway's quarter-mile for quick times and fast speeds.

Driving the HEMI-powered Oakley Dodge Stratus, Scelzi, who had set the national Funny Car speed record here in May of 330.55 mph under NHRA's 90-percent nitromethane rule and predicted that the record would not likely be broken this weekend under the new 85-percent rule, watched Funny Car points leader John Force prove him wrong.

While Scelzi and crew chief Mike Neff struggled to get the right setup to perform on the ultra-fast and super-quick Route 66 Raceway, posting a 5.038/233.80 in the second session and a tire-smoking 11.427/79.10 in the final, Force blasted to the finish line with a stunning 4.697-second pass at 332.75 mph, for No. 1.

In order for Force to surpass Scelzi's national top-speed record, he will need to back it up in eliminations on Sunday within one percent of that speed (329.42 mph). To establish a new elapsed-time record (Whit Bazemore currently still holds the record at 4.713 seconds), he will have to back it up within one percent (4.744).

"I definitely didn't expect that," said Scelzi, who is second in Funny Car NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series points to Force, with three races remaining. "That was a jaw-dropper and it just goes to show that all of us are being out-classed by John Force right now, no question about it.

"They have flexed their muscles, and I'm telling you, they're on another planet. That was just incredible.

"Congratulations to those guys. Whatever they're doing it's working and I don't know what to say. We tried to step the HEMI Oakley Dodge up and get it to do what it needs to do and we just couldn't get it done. We'll just keep trying."

Scelzi faces Jerry Toliver in first round of eliminations on Sunday, which begin at 11 a.m.

Chicago, pre-race: Gary Scelzi is the baddest dude on the quarter-mile when it comes to record speeds, having set a Funny Car national record of 330.55 mph at Route 66 Raceway in May in his slick Hemi-powered Oakley Dodge Stratus. That surpassed his own previous national record of 329.18 mph, which bettered the 328.06-mph record he held before.

He became the first Funny Car driver to break the 330-mph mark that May day in Joliet.

Will Scelzi and the Oakley team set new records this weekend at the ultra-quick, super-smooth, and outrageously-fast Route 66 Raceway at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals? It's hard to tell. Since that time, the NHRA has lowered the percentage of nitromethane allowed to 85 from 90, and the teams are making only gradual steps to return to record speeds.

In fact, since that rule was put in place at the Seattle race in July, John Force has gotten the closest with a 324.20-mph run at the Texas Motorplex last weekend. Gary Scelzi's fastest speed of 321.50 mph came in the race immediately after Seattle, in Sonoma, Calif. His speed last week in Texas was a nearly-similar 321.42 mph. He did, however, post a 325.77-mph pass during testing at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

As for elapsed times, Scelzi's teammate Whit Bazemore still holds the national Funny Car E.T. record, set here in May, of 4.713 seconds. The closest anyone has come to that E.T. under the 85 percent rule was a 4.749 set by Force at the U.S. Nationals. Scelzi's career quickest is a 4.724, and his quickest so far on 85 percent is a 4.830, established at the Texas Motorplex, although he did go 4.770 during the IRP test.

"I don't think you're going to see records fall here at Route 66 Raceway," said Scelzi, the three-time Top Fuel champion who is seeking his first Funny Car crown. "I think you may see mid- to low 4.70s, but I could be wrong. It just depends on the weather. I think we're not quite where we were with the 90 percent.

"We probably will be by the time we get to Pomona (Calif., the season finale in November) or the first of next year. I think we're still going to be off a little bit. You may see a 4.73-second E.T., maybe .72 at best, but I don't think you're going to see the record fall this weekend. As for speeds, we may see a 326, 327. I don't think we're back to where we need to be yet."

The Fresno, Calif., native, however, is back to one of his favorite race tracks.

"This is one of the absolute best non-Bruton Smith-owned race tracks around," Scelzi said. "Don (Schumacher, team owner) is from here, Schumacher Electric is from here (in Mt. Prospect, Ill.). We'll have a lot of people here. We're excited about coming back to Chicago. "We'll find out just how fast 85 percent will go. There won't be any question, because everybody will have it right on the limiter."

Scelzi stands second in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car championship, 228 points behind John Force, against whom he holds a 7-5 career win-loss record. He plans to up that record as he aims to knock Force out of the championship chase this year.