Gary Scelzi’s new Brad Hadman chassis didn’t run in Pomona during the NHRA Winternationals. Scelzi has confirmed the car will not run during the NHRA CSK Nationals, either.

This new Hadman chassis will make runs during the traditional post-event test session at Firebird.

Scelzi told Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com that this season he would be driving a chassis he was going to pay for himself that would be built by his long time Northern California buddy, Brad Hadman.  When that car did not make it to Pomona, Scelzi began the season in the Murf McKinney-built car that he drove last year.

“What happened was that all of the last minute changes that came down while the car was being built meant that it couldn’t be ready in time,” Scelzi said.  “NHRA didn’t make up their minds until the last minute.  Brad was working on dragster chassis until the last minute because we didn’t know what the tubing size was going to be.  We thought it was going to call for .095-wall tubing, but we didn’t want to build a car that we would have to throw away in June (when all of the new F/C chassis specs go into effect).

Gary Scelzi’s new Brad Hadman chassis didn’t run in Pomona during the NHRA Winternationals. Scelzi has confirmed the car will not run during the NHRA CSK Nationals, either.

This new Hadman chassis will make runs during the traditional post-event test session at Firebird.

Scelzi told Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com that this season he would be driving a chassis he was going to pay for himself that would be built by his long time Northern California buddy, Brad Hadman.  When that car did not make it to Pomona, Scelzi began the season in the Murf McKinney-built car that he drove last year.

“What happened was that all of the last minute changes that came down while the car was being built meant that it couldn’t be ready in time,” Scelzi said.  “NHRA didn’t make up their minds until the last minute.  Brad was working on dragster chassis until the last minute because we didn’t know what the tubing size was going to be.  We thought it was going to call for .095-wall tubing, but we didn’t want to build a car that we would have to throw away in June (when all of the new F/C chassis specs go into effect).

“When we finally got the call on that Brad busted his balls trying to get this thing done, and then they decided they wanted an X in the bottom and some other things that we had done differently, so we had to cut that stuff out of the car and change it.  We didn’t have some things at Brad’s that he needed, and that slowed things down and we couldn’t make it to Phoenix with that car.

“We got the car to Phoenix, but by then our guys were working on that car and this one.  Then the body didn’t fit properly, so we said, Let’s just stop.  We decided we’d run the car we ran last year even though I didn’t care to.

“Brad took the new car to Worsham’s shop and finished it there, and they delivered it here to the track this morning.  We’ll run that car in testing on the Monday after Phoenix,” he said.

Scelzi is concerned about the way the most recent decisions have been made regarding chassis.  He has no basic objection to input from Ford Motor Company and others, but as he says, “SFI has never built a chassis, and neither has Ford, as far as I know.  My idea is that they should get all of these chassis builders together and chain ‘em together.  Make ‘em work together, because I think we’re getting into a situation where we’re making these cars so rigid that they’re not going to do the things they were designed to do.”

Admitting he’s not a chassis builder, he does recall that back in the 70s, when dragster chassis got stiff they’d shake severely and, in his words, “knock tubing out of ‘em. I also know that when they had those flexi flyers they’d bend, but they wouldn’t break.  Somebody has to do it, so if Ford’s gotten involved, I’m for it.  I hear a lot of things, but one thing I do know, and that’s that we’re building tanks, and I think these cars are getting heavy.

“I understand about the safety, and I agree with all of that, but if we don’t move scoreboards, and if we don’t move light poles (away from the racing surface), and if we don’t take the small steps, then to me it’s all for naught.”

Scelzi believes that more builders need to be involved in the decision making regarding chassis construction techniques, and his is not an isolated viewpoint.  Other drivers have expressed the same beliefs to Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com.  Those sentiments have also been voiced in PRO general and board meetings, and we’re now hearing that the organization may pay to have as many as a half dozen independent chassis builders fly in for a meeting during the Phoenix race.

It’s hard to disagree with Scelzi when he says, “Eric (Medlen) was killed in Gainesville, but we didn’t get any new chassis information or specs until December.  That’s too long.”

Like every other driver we’ve spoken with, Scelzi very much likes the new Countdown format.  “If we’re not in the Top 10 by the time we get to Indy we must suck pretty bad,” he said.  “You need to win to be the champ.  We really didn’t have a strategy before.  We tried to run hard in Vegas and Pomona, and it cost us the championship, but I wouldn’t do it any differently.  In both of those races we just got after it.  Nobody did anything wrong.  We just didn’t get it done.”

Scelzi has often been critical of the NHRA, and while he acknowledges his friendship with Dan Olson, he says that “he has worked his balls off, getting as much (chassis) information as he can, but Dan is one person, and I don’t know if there were enough people working on this problem.  He’s one man.  I just felt we should have put more people on it to get a broader range of ideas.

“I appreciate what Ford has done.  These Delphi boxes thing, with these earplugs that we poured in Phoenix and are going to get in Gainesville, they’re going to tell us what kind of g. forces our bodies are going through, and what’s happening from our feet to our heads.  This is information that is unbelievable.  This is space shuttle stuff.  I don’t know where they are on chassis, but this stuff they’re bringing to us is immeasurable.  We’ll know now if there’s going to be long term damage from things like the shake.  Years ago it would shake the fillings out of a guy’s mouth.  This is some brutal stuff.  We never knew how brutal.  If a guy complained he was a (sissy).  Now we’re going to have a good idea of what your body can take.  It’s all valuable information.  But I just wish someone didn’t have to pass to get this stuff, and I think with (John) Force, we’re going to keep going, and whether people want to help or not, this is a good thing.  NHRA needs to jump right in there.”