Four-time drag racing champion Gary Scelzi is still having a blast at
the 22nd annual Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals, driving the Jegs/K&N
Filters/Scelzi Enterprises/Mopar USAC midget. The Fresno, Calif.,
native finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in his two qualifying
races Wednesday night on the Tulsa Expo Raceway clay oval, but it did
not get him into the A-main and final event on Saturday night.
Scelzi,
whose usual mount is the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car in
the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, still has one chance -- although
extremely remote -- to make the field, in another qualifying event on
Saturday.
"I'm guaranteed to race on Saturday," he said,
"because there are several 'Mains' (or consolation races). The A-main
is obviously the main deal, but there isn't a chance in hell of my
making that. I knew that going in. There's no way a guy is going to
come from as far back in the field as I am and get up front. I don't
think Tony Stewart could make the A-main from where I'll be starting in
the field.