Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Gary Scelzi back in action at LVMS

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at [email protected] or (702) 259-4089.

Three-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Gary Scelzi obviously doesn't limit his hot-rodding to the quarter-mile tracks.

Scelzi raced from McCarran International Airport to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in record-breaking time Wednesday morning to take part in his first test in the Don Schumacher Racing Oakley Funny Car.

"I'm so excited and so happy to be a part of Schumacher Racing that my plane landed at 9 this morning and I was here at 9:40," Scelzi said after making his first pass in the team's Funny Car.

Scelzi was hired Sunday to drive one of two Oakley-sponsored Funny Cars for what is now a four-car team. Scotty Cannon reconsidered his earlier decision to step out of the Schumacher's Funny Car to form a Pro Modified team next season and will return to a team that includes Whit Bazemore in a third Funny Car and Tony Schumacher in a Top Fuel Dragster.

Scelzi made the move from Top Fuel to Funny Car with his longtime team owner, Alan Johnson, prior to this season. But he was replaced in the White Cap Toyota Celica by teammate Bruce Sarver after only seven races.

When it became clear that Johnson wasn't going to field a promised second car, Scelzi parted ways with Johnson and did not race for the final five months of the season.

"It has been frustrating because I haven't been out there (racing) and I've been out there for five and a half years -- I've never missed any races," said Scelzi, who in 1997 became the first rookie to win an NHRA championship. "It wasn't because I didn't want to be out here; once you've won and grabbed the brass ring ... you want more.

"It's good to be racing. To get the chance to race with Don ... it's a dream come true. To build a team this strong is a big effort and it just makes you want to work harder."

And win races, which Scelzi said would be his goal once the 2003 season starts in February.

"Hopefully, with what we've got going right now, we'll be able to win some races and hopefully make a run at the Powerade championship," Scelzi said. "That's why I'm here. I'm not here just to make laps and be happy to go a couple rounds, I'm here because I think they've got everything necessary to win a championship and that's all I really care about."

Scelzi said after the initial disappointment of losing his ride with Johnson earlier this year, the two remain on good terms.

"Alan and I had a great time for five years," Scelzi said. "Alan needed to make a change and I was going to be in the second car and the second car never came about. I had to make a move and when he couldn't give me a timetable when it was going to come about, I had to release myself to everybody so I could go on just in case the second car never came. Obviously, I made the right move.

"I won't lie, I was upset at first. But when you've won as many races as we have together, it's like a family argument; it blows over and then it's no big deal."

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