Gary Scelzi
As many of you out there may be aware of, I recently announced that I would be stepping down from the Mopar®/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car and NHRA POWERade competition at the end of the 2008 season. Last year, the season really wore on me—the travel, the rainouts, the testing—all those things. Last year was my eleventh year as a professional, and I had decided now’s the time to go ahead and pull the plug.
But then my friend and NHRA team owner Ken Black came along and said, “Hey, I’m flying back and forth to all these races. It’s not a big deal for me to pick you up and have you back in your own bed on Sunday nights. We can leave for the races on Thursday afternoons or Friday mornings, and get you home to see your family at least twenty extra days.” So I decided to go ahead and race this year, but it really didn’t work out that well. Ken was great and helped me as best he could, but I really only gained a half-day more at home after each event, and my schedule would often conflict with Ken’s. It just didn’t work out like we hoped.
It’s just really hard when you’ve got family, and I’ve also got my business at home in Fresno, Scelzi Enterprises, a custom truck body manufacturing company. And my kids are at the age when they really miss their dad. Throw in the lack of performance we’ve had this year, and it’s just been one of those seasons that you would just as soon forget. I tried to hang as long as I could, but finally I had to tell my team owner Don Schumacher, and Mopar and Oakley, that this just wasn’t going to work for me. It’s the right decision for me at this time.
As far as retirement, I don’t really look at it as retirement. Because in the next two or three years, if things change and I decide I want to come back, and the right opportunity is there, I may look at returning. I’m 48 years old and I’m certainly not of retirement age yet. So I’m leaving that option open. That’s why I didn’t want to mention the “R” word, if you will, or sell merchandise to capitalize on me going away, because if I do decide to come back I don’t feel that would be fair to the fans.
I made my announcement during the NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas in late September, and the reception since then from the fans, as well from the friends I’ve made at race tracks across the country, has been awesome. I’ve been given awards and special accolades from track operators, and the fans are bringing back die-casts of the old Winston dragster I used to drive in Top Fuel for me to sign. Any memorabilia they have, they want it signed now, because they aren’t sure if I’ll be back!
And I’ve had so many kind words from the fans, including a lot of Mopar fans as well. At the end of each qualifying session, I try to sign autographs for about an hour-and-a-half or so to take care of everybody, and talk to them, BS with them and tell them my plans. It’s really rewarding to hear the kind, touching comments I’ve been getting from the fans. Because the fans are what make this thing possible. I never really realized how big my fan base was. It’s pretty amazing the people that come by, and how many people come by, and how they keep coming by, to wish me well and wish me the best with my family and with my business. I want to thank all of them for all their years of support.
We’re heading to Vegas and Pomona for the last two events of the year. They’re both on the West Coast and these are two of my favorite events. Las Vegas, I’ve been racing there even before Bruton Smith built his new facility, and Pomona, I won my first national event there, way back in 1985 in the Sportsman class. So I have a great fan following, and it’s like home to me at these two venues. I don’t have to get on an airplane. I can drive my motor home to the races, and my family and a lot of my friends are coming out for both events.
Another cool thing is my Gary Scelzi Motorsports USAC Midget driver, Michael Faccinto, will be competing at Vegas as well, at the “Bullring” pavement circle track, on Saturday, Nov. 1, the day before the Sunday elimination rounds of the NHRA Vegas race. Michael is a talented young driver who has won at the “Bullring” in the Focus Series, but hasn’t won in a USAC event there, even though he’s finished second numerous times. So we’re hoping he can pull off a win there, and that will give us some momentum going into Sunday in the Mopar Funny Car.
I don’t know if it’s really sunk in yet, that I may be running in my final two NHRA races. It’s probably going to be pretty emotional by the time I leave Vegas and Pomona, because that’s going to be it. I’m looking forward to it in one respect, and in the other I’m not looking forward to it. You know, I’ve never been skunked for an entire season, and this is the first season that I’ve yet to be to a final round. So I’m hoping we can turn things around at Vegas and Pomona and at least get one win under our belt. Hopefully we can beat some of these other cars in the Countdown to 1 playoffs and help our Don Schumacher Racing and Team Mopar teammate, Jack Beckman, win the Funny Car championship.
It’s hard to walk away, but my eleven-year-old, Dominic, and my six-year-old, Giovanni, have helped me make the decision. Before they go to bed at night, we always lie together for a few minutes before bedtime and watch the news, or they’ll jump in bed with me in the morning before they leave for school. Giovanni told me just the other night the best part of his day is crawling in bed with his dad. You can’t put a price tag on that and you can’t bring those memories back. We all know that when they get a little older there’s going to be girls involved, and they’ll have their own different things, and dad won’t be quite as important as he was when they were younger. I don’t want to miss this time in their lives. That’s probably the most special part of my decision—to be able to spend more time at home and just lie around and talk with my sons. It’s way more important to me than winning any race.
