STILL IN THE FAST LANE

VSP Racing Columnist Dan Fleisher found out first-hand that four-time World Champion Drag Racer Gary Scelzi is still on the move, even in retirement.

By Dan Fleisher-

On Friday (3/27) I had the pleasure of sitting down with Gary Scelzi, one of the great and most popular names in motorsports. I have to admit I was really surprised at what awaited me.

Now that he has retired from driving his NHRA Funny Car, I thought we’d be sitting on the front porch of his Fresno home. Why, because back in the “old” days when a man retired, every morning he would sit in his rocking chair on the front porch and count people walking by.

Did Scelzi retire and join the “old” folks? NOT. He did take off his racing gear, which he neatly placed in his closet in the event he receives an offer he can’t refuse, but he didn’t retire in the true sense of the word.

The four-time world champion (Top Fuel in 1997-1998-2000, and Funny Car in 2005) wasn’t on the porch when I arrived, he was behind his desk at Scelzi Enterprises, a truck body manufacturing business he and brothers Mike and Jim started 30 years ago.

His large, beautifully decorated, mahogany shelved office features plush leather chairs that engulfed me while I admired a collection of memorabilia second-to-none. The incredible display included all the large trophies for the above mentioned championships and more “Wallys,” than you can count. A Wally is a specially sculptured trophy depicting NHRA founder Wally Parks which is presented to each event winner in the four major categories. The room is also filled with photos, old helmets and die-cast cars.

After 10 minutes of shooting the breeze about racing and discussing mutual acquaintances, my impression was, “this guy’s extremely humble, not big headed like some of today’s stars.” Then he said something that confirmed my impression and I’m paraphrasing, “Of all the incredible items here, the one I’m most proud of is the helmet given to me by John Force.” That said it all.

Easy to listen to, yet very opinionated, he related how his outspoken manner (truthfulness) often generated negative comments from others and earned him the label of being a “big mouth,” an undeserved label in my opinion.

Retirement isn’t a word Gary relates to. He “clocks in” five days a week helping run the family business while maintaining another career he started several years ago, team owner/manager. Being a huge oval track fan for years, although his career centered on “straight-line” driving, he started playing with Midget racecars and even entered and competed in the famed Chili Bowl in Tulsa, OK.

He started building his own Midgets in 2004 and two seasons later, teenager Michael Faccinto, a second-generation driver whose father Monte enjoyed a successful career here in the Valley, raced one of Gary’s Ford Focus Midgets to the USAC National Championship. Talent begets talent.

Of the two Mopar powered Midgets currently sitting in his shop, one each for pavement and dirt, the pavement car will be loaned out to well-known car owner John Lawson, who was incredibly successful fielding cars for Billy Boat in the 1990s. Lawson will be financially responsible for running and maintaining the car and has hired former Indy veteran Davey Hamilton to drive at various California tracks.

Knowing his NHRA driving career would end one day, Gary started preparing for the future, not for himself, but for his two sons, Dominic, who will be twelve this May, and Giovanni who is now seven.

He never wanted to force the boys into racing, but the atmosphere in the Scelzi household foretold their future, at least for the present. In 2004, Gary expanded the cars in his shop by building a Jr. Sprint for Dominic, who was only seven at the time, and the youngster rewarded Dad by earning Rookie of the Year honors at Visalia’s Plaza Park.

Last season, he prepared a restricted 600 Yamaha powered Mini-Sprint for Dominic and moved Giovanni into the Jr. Sprint machine. By the way, Gary may talk big, but all costs of building the cars and supporting the boy’s ventures have been at his own expense, proving that he puts his money where his “big mouth” is.

Racing blood obviously runs in their veins and both youngsters adapted immediately to their new rides. As a matter of fact, Gary beams when he relives one particular night last season when both won their respective Main events. Giovanni became the youngest driver ever (six years old) to capture a Main event and eventually earned Rookie of the Year honors at both Plaza Park and Lemoore.

To preserve all accounts of the boy’s early years in racing, Julie, Gary’s lovely wife of 20 years, has captured everything on video tape.
Gary flatly stated that having both boys win in the same evening meant more to him than any of his Championships or other personal accomplishments, i.e., the only person in NHRA history to win the Top Fuel Championship and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season (1997), and the only driver EVER to win in all four elite disciplines, Top Fuel, Funny Car, Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car.

As mentioned earlier in this article, Gary isn’t big headed, except when it comes to talking about his boys; then, no size hat fits his head.

This writer can be reached at: danfleisher1@yahoo.com

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