Gary Scelzi
Date of Birth: 08-11-60
Residence: Fresno, Calif.
Hometown: Fresno, Calif.
Marital Status: Wife, Julianne
Children: Sons, Dominic and Giovanni
Team: Don Schumacher Racing
Owner: Don Schumacher
Series: NHRA POWERade Funny Car Series
Sponsors: Mopar®, Oakley, Gates Belts and Hoses, Valvoline, Rockstar Energy Drink, Matco Tools
Car: Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
Crew Chief: Todd Okuhara
Web Sites: www.garyscelzi.com, www.shoeracing.com, www.moparspeed.com
2007 TEAM MOPAR STATS
- Was one of only four NHRA POWERade Funny Car drivers to qualify for the NHRA Countdown to 1 two-race title playoff, and finished third in the final Funny Car standings.
- Took an NHRA Funny Car series-high four wins (Pomona 1, Chicago, Memphis, Virginia) during the 2007 campaign.
- Collected two Top Qualifier awards (Pomona 1, Chicago) in 2007, giving him a total of 44 for his career.
- Has collected 37 career wins in Funny Car and Top Fuel competition.
- Including his years in Top Fuel competition, Scelzi is a four-time NHRA champion.
QUICK FACTS
- Captured one win in 2006, at Mopar's flagship event, the 27th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, and finished seventh in the final points standings.
- Posted two runner-up finishes in '06, at Brainerd and at Englishtown.
- Made 13 quarterfinals and six semifinals appearances in 2006.
- Captured the 2005 NHRA POWERade Funny Car Series title in the final race at Pomona, dethroning defending 13-time champ John Force in one of the tightest points battles in NHRA Funny Car history.
- Posted a margin of victory of eight points in his 2005 Funny Car title run, besting runner-up teammate Ron Capps.
- Scelzi joined Kenny Bernstein as the only drivers in NHRA history to capture both the NHRA POWERade Funny Car and Top Fuel championships during their careers.
- Notched three victories in 2005: at Bristol, Joliet 1, and Sonoma.
- Powered to six poles in 2005.
- Racked up five finals, 10 semifinals, and 17 quarterfinals appearances in 2005.
- Finished third in the 2004 NHRA POWERade Funny Car Series standings for Don Schumacher Racing.
- Won three events in 2004 (St. Louis, Reading, Vegas 2), and qualified No. 1 once.
- Became first driver to break the 330-mph barrier by establishing a 330.15 mph pass at Route 66 Raceway.
- Finished sixth in the NHRA POWERade Funny Car Series standings in 2003.
- Made one final round appearance and five semifinal appearances, and was the top qualifier two times in 2003.
- Picked up first Funny Car victory at Sonoma in August 2003, making him the only driver in NHRA history to have won races in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Alcohol Dragster and Alcohol Funny Car.
- Switched to Funny Car competition in 2002, after winning three Top Fuel championships in five years.
- Scelzi's 2000 Top Fuel season was one of the all-time best: amassed nine event wins (tied for the most single season wins in history), 11 final rounds, nine No. 1 qualifying efforts and 54 round wins.
- Won the first two events he participated in as a pro. Went on to win three more events and was low qualifier six times on his way to winning the 1997 Winston Top Fuel Championship.
- When Scelzi joined the professional ranks in 1997, he had nearly 20 years of drag racing experience and had been successful at the highest levels of the Sportsman classes. His Top Fuel event-win percentage ranks as one of the highest in NHRA history.
- As owner of Gary Scelzi Motorsports, he fielded a Mopar-powered USAC Western Midget car driven by 17-year-old Michael Faccinto. Faccinto captured a Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) event win at Hanford, Calif., last year and is scheduled to campaign the Mopar/K&N Filters/Oakley midget car in even more USAC events during the 2008 season.
- Operates Scelzi Enterprises, Inc., a custom truck body design and manufacturing business in Fresno, Calif., with his two brothers.
