Georgia Drag Racing News

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Sunday, November 06, 2005

SCELZI WINS NHRA FUNNY CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
Contact: Judy Stropus

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 6, 2005) - The chase for the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car championship came down to the final race of the 23-event season today, at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Pomona Raceway.

And, of the three drivers in contention for the crown (Gary Scelzi, Ron Capps and John Force), it was Scelzi who emerged the victor in the tightest battle for a Funny Car crown in NHRA's long history.

The Fresno, Calif., native clinched his first Funny Car championship to go with his three Top Fuel titles and became only the second driver to have won in both nitro classes. Kenny Bernstein is the first.

This is also the first championship in Funny Car for Dodge since 1983, when Frank Hawley won it, the first time a team owner (Don Schumacher) has won Top Fuel and Funny Car titles in the same season, and the first championship for Oakley's Mad Scientist Jim Jannard in the seven years he's been involved in NHRA drag racing.

Driving the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus Funny Car, Scelzi first defeated Tim Wilkerson in a heart-pounding opening round with a strong 4.735-second pass at 329.91 mph to Wilkerson's 4.856/299.80.

The second round was a killer for all the contenders, as Ron Capps was eliminated first by Cruz Pedregon in the first pairing, and Scelzi suffered defeat at the hands of Tommy Johnson Jr. (4.794/327.11 for Johnson, 4.807/326.16 for Scelzi.)

Only John Force was left, who entered eliminations 32 points behind Scelzi. He would have to win this round and the next to take the title away from Scelzi.

But, in a matter of two minutes, it was over, as Force was shown the door by Tony Pedregon, who defeated his former boss on a holeshot advantage: 4.778/316.75 for Pedregon, a quicker but losing 4.752/323.27 for Force.

All the tension of the last half of this season was over in a flash, as the entire Don Schumacher Racing team celebrated the first win for a non-John Force Racing team member since 1992.

Scelzi gave his young crew chief Mike Neff much of the credit.

"Three years ago in Las Vegas, Mike and I had a long talk about what his goals were, what my goals were and where we were going to try to make this whole program go at Don Schumacher Racing," said Scelzi in the winner's circle. "And I told Mike Neff that I wanted [him] from even before Don Schumacher hired me. I said if I could pick the guys and the team it would be the Oakley/Mopar Dodge with Mike Neff and all those guys because Mike Neff will win a championship.

"Big emotional swings," he said of his battle for the title with teammate Ron Capps and his crew chief Ed McCulloch. "Ace and Capps have done a great job. Capps was driving good, my driving has been a little off. Our car is fast, my big concern was not letting these guys down, because they believe in you so much.

"This is a really close team. Next year will be the fourth year that every single member of this team has stayed together. And I don't know many teams that that's ever happened to before. But a big part of this thing is our wives, our kids. We put a lot of the people we love on the backburner and they're just as important as how well I drive the car, how well [Neff] tunes
it, how well the guys work on it.

"It's our goal to become a champion, not to just win races. Winning races is good, but to win a Funny Car championship racing the guys that we've had to race this year, last year and the years to come is just incredible.

"I was numb. I never saw Tommy on the run. In our car you sit so far back, when you see them they're ahead of you, and I never saw him. I was watching out of the corner of my eye when I had my hand on the parachute lever and I looked for the wall, because there's a [win] light on the wall, and it didn't come on. And right away (DSR track analyst) Lanny Miglizzi said we
didn't win.

"And then I sat there and watched Force get beat and I wasn't sure that he really got beat. Everybody was kind of quiet. I'm still numb right now. This is different than the other three. I've never had so much pressure where everything meant so much than this one."

"It means everything," said a stoic Neff. "This is the long-range goal for the year - to win the championship - and we've been pretty new at this. The first couple of years, realistically, it just didn't seem possible for us - to be as new as we were and with my inexperience - that we really had a chance to win the championship and beat (John Force crew chiefs) Austin Coil and Bernie Fedderly.

"Last year was a pretty big confidence booster. We won some races and started performing better and, coming into this year, I actually honestly started to believe that we did have what it takes to do it. I'm still not really satisfied with our performance on Sundays. I'm still kind of chapped about that right now, at this moment. The end result is after 23 races we had more points than the rest of the guys and, really, that's all that matters."

Team owner Don Schumacher was deservedly proud. "What a great day for these guys," he said. "They've done just a wonderful, wonderful job out here. Mike has been the foundation of my operation along with Alan Johnson. Those two work so well together and it's just unbelievable, and the job they have done working together is incredible. Gary stepped up to the plate and the whole team has.

"They've [had] some hiccups, had some tough times, but they've come back swinging to...take away a championship from the best racer out here and that's John Force.

"Gary is now back in the record books, winning both Top Fuel and Funny Car, Mike Neff wins his first championship in any of the classes. He's done a great, great job, so I take my hat off to these two guys."

FUNNY CAR FINAL POINT STANDINGS:
1. Gary Scelzi, 1516
2. Ron Capps, 1508
3. John Force, 1484
4. Eric Medlen, 1411
5. Robert Hight, 1379
6. Tommy Johnson Jr., 1294
7. Tony Pedregon, 1239 (winner today)
8. Del Worsham, 1208
9. Whit Bazemore, 1192
10. Cruz Pedregon, 1074


Chip Ellis to semifinals at Pomona

Courtesy Jerry Battle
www.georgia-motorsports.com


G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS
OWNERS: GEORGE BRYCE & GEORGE SMITH

Visit our website at www.g2motorsports.net

NHRA POWERADE DRAG RACING SERIES
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: G SQUARED S&S BUELL
RIDERS: CHIP ELLIS and MATT SMITH

41ST ANNUAL NHRA AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
POMONA RACEWAY - POMONA, CALIF.
NOVEMBER 3-6, 2005


Chip Ellis to semifinals at Pomona

Chip Ellis:
Qualified: # 3 (7.047 seconds at 190.30 mph)
Eliminations:
Round 1: Ellis (7.171/181.54) def. Geno Scali (7.221/185.28)
Round 2: Ellis (7.298/166.33) def. Angelle Sampey (Red Light: 7.179/181.59)
Round 3 (semifinals): Ellis (7.174/183.02) lost to Andrew Hines (7.119/187.89)


POMONA, Calif. (November 6, 2005) - Chip Ellis, aboard the G Squared-prepared and owned Buell, advanced to the semifinal round of the 41st annual NHRA Automobile Club of Southern California Finals before being turned back by Andrew Hines, who clinched the POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle championship today.

In the opening round, Ellis defeated Geno Scali (7.171 seconds to 7.221 seconds). In the quarterfinals, the Americus, Ga. driver bested Angelle Sampey, who red lighted.

The match up with Hines was a battle of V-Twins - Ellis on the G Squared S&S-powered Buell, Hines on the Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod.

Ellis, who had excellent reaction times all day, was away first at the green. At the finish line it was Hines in 7.119 seconds, followed by Ellis in 7.174 seconds.

Reflecting on the season, George Smith, who co-owns G Squared Motorsports along with partner George Bryce, had the following thoughts: "It's been a very successful season. I'm especially pleased with the way Chip has rode the past couple of events. He had some up and downs but his 60-foot times, his consistency, his lights and shifts points were outstanding.

"Finally, let me add a thanks to the guys at S&S for giving us a power plant that we've been able to introduce to the NHRA and bring six new teams to the sport. It's provided a lot of additional interest in the sport and a lot more balance. So, thanks to S&S for all that they do."

Regarding today's race with Hines, Smith added, "We would have done better had we not hurt a motor the round before. We had to change the motor between rounds. That makes the tune up kind of like shooting fish in a barrel because you don't have any base lines for the tune up.

POWERade Points: Ellis finished No. 5 in the final 2005 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings

Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award: Ellis, along with three other drivers, Jack Beckman (Top Fuel), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Robert Hight (Funny Car), representative of all four pro categories, have been selected as the nominees for the 2005 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. The winner of the prestigious award receives a $20,000 monetary prize and sleek ceremonial trophy and will be announced Monday night, Nov. 7, during the NHRA's annual championship awards ceremony at the Westin Mission Hills Resort in Rancho Mirage, Calif.




Matt Smith suffers holeshot loss at Pomona

Matt Smith:
Qualified: # 1 (7.000 seconds at 189.71 mph)
Eliminations:
Round 1: Smith (7.162/184.35) lost to Michael Phillips (7.198/187.36)


POMONA, Calif. (November 6, 2005) - After qualifying No. 1, Matt Smith lost on a holeshot to Michael Phillips in the opening round of the 41st annual NHRA Automobile Club of Southern California Finals.

Phillips got a big jump at the green - an advantage of .113 of a second - and never looked back, much to Smith's dismay. Smith ran an elapsed time of 7.162 seconds to 7.198 seconds for Phillips. Philips' margin of victory was .0776 seconds.

"Matt has been cutting good lights during qualifying and is usually consistent on the lights so I'm at a loss to say why he was so late leaving in that opening round. Matt tries hard and we want to work with him in the future and try to make him better. By his qualifying times this weekend alone you can tell he can do the job. We expected him to win the first round but it just didn't work," said George Bryce, who co-owns G Squared Motorsports along with partner George Smith.

Reflecting on Matt, George Smith, had the following thoughts: :It's been very rewarding to have Matt Smith ride one of our bikes the last four events and we look forward to seeing if we can further that arrangement for the upcoming season."

POWERade Points: Smith finished No. 12 in the final 2005 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings

Full Throttle NHRA Pit Crew Championships: In addition to the first No. 1 of his career, Smith and G Squared Motorsports won the Full Throttle NHRA Pit Crew Championships for their work at the Auto Club of Southern California Finals and the monetary prize that goes with the award. The Full Throttle NHRA Pit Crew Championships program awards bonus money to each of the four professional teams attending each NHRA POWERade National Events. The program utilizes a point system, generally based on, among other factors, a combination of qualifying position and elapsed times to determine and award a Full Throttle NHRA Pit Crew Championships at each event.


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TELEVISION: ESPN2 will air a repeat of the elimination show early Monday morning, Nov. 21, from 2:30 until 4:30 a.m. Television times are Eastern Time (ET) and subject to change at anytime. Check local listings.

NEXT RACE: This was the final event, the 15th of 15 races for Pro Stock Motorcycles, on the 2005 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule. The 2006 season will open with the CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at the Auto Club Raceway of Pomona (formerly Pomona Raceway) in Pomona Raceway, February 9-12, 2006. The first race for Pro Stock Motorcycles will be the Mac Tools Gatornationals at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway, March 16-19, 2006.

Scelzi Wins FC Championship, Schumacher, T. Pedregon, Coughlin and Schnitz Win the NHRA POWERade Automobile Club of Southern California Finals

Jeg Coughlin wins Pro Stock in his last race with Schumacher Racing. Congratulations to Bob Glidden for his win after a year long struggle as the Schumacher Racing Pro Stock crew chief.

Andrew Hines clinches Pro Stock Motorcycle championship at Pomona.

Congratulations to the 2005 NHRA POWERade Professional Champions!

Tony Schumacher - Top Fuel
Gary Scelzi - Funny Car
Greg Anderson - Pro Stock
Andrew Hines - Pro Stock Bike



NHRA Pomona Sunday Recap