PUBLISHER'S MEMORIES: We love doing stories on Gary Scelzi because he doesn't mince words. There's no political correctness in his commentaries. It's the straight up truth. If he doesn't like you, he will go on the record and say it. If he's your friend, it is a friendship for life. This particular story was published following a serious bashing on a message board saying that Scelzi had lost his touch. Scelzi promptly contacted one of his critics for a little one-on-one session. He revealed this for the first time in this article. While we had him on a roll, we asked him all kinds of things and he didn't waste time in speaking his mind. (This article was originally published in August 2003)

Anyone who has ever had dealings with three-time NHRA World Champion Gary Scelzi will attest to the fact that he’s a man who will never mince words. The Fresno, Ca.-based driver of the Oakley Funny Car within the Don Schumacher stable is a man that regards political correctness as a waste of time. In other words, he feels sticking to the truth, no matter how good or bad it is, is the way to go in life.

That’s a large reason why the former Top Alcohol standout, who graduated to the nitro ranks as the replacement for the late Blaine Johnson, has developed into a working man’s champion since joining the professional ranks in 1997. With the assistance of tuning genius Alan Johnson, Scelzi captured three Top Fuel championships, but ultimately the government versus big tobacco case in the Supreme Court left them without a sponsor. The two carried their Top Fuel magic into the Funny Car class, but the firm gel that had bonded the two together through the trials and tribulations of Top Fuel quickly disintegrated. Before the first season was halfway complete, the two decided to go their separate ways.

Scelzi found himself the hot topic of a rumor-crazy racing community, and on the outside looking in when it came to the competition clique. When rumor after rumor, and lead after lead, lead him down a disheartening path, Scelzi just decided that “the ride has been fun, but I’ll see you later.”

“I had pretty much accepted the fact that I was done in drag racing,” explained Scelzi. “I had put my motorhome up for sale and everything. I had talked to my brothers about coming back to the business. I really had never left the business, but I wasn’t as involved.”

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Scelzi was content to return to the life of being primarily a family man, a position that he had cherished so much in his time away from the racetrack.

“I have a 5-year old and a 15-month old and I wanted them to know that Dad gets up every morning and goes to work and has a job,” Scelzi continued. “I knew I just couldn’t stay at home and play with them all day. I didn’t feel like I could set a good example by chasing a drag racing dream and not get the ride that I wanted.”

Scelzi has always been a man who has lived by his convictions, and drag racing was not about to force him to lower his standards.

“I didn’t want to settle for something that wouldn’t allow me a chance to win. Don and I had talked extensively, and I had even talked to Force. Those were pretty much the two resources I looked at. Those were the only two places I contemplated going, because I felt that those were the only avenues in which I could get the job done. There were no new sponsors coming along.

“I got together with my brothers and they listened to me flap my mouth for a while before telling me, ‘if we had given up on business as quick as you have given up on this racing, we’d have been out of business a long time ago.’” Ultimately, Scelzi’s brothers were very supportive and agreed to pay him a salary so he could survive and feed his family. They were willing to give him until January and the NHRA Winternationals to find a quality ride. His brothers made it clear in no certain terms that they supported his efforts.

“They let me know that we were in a financial position that they could afford to do this,” Scelzi confided. “They wanted to know why I was so worried about hurrying back. I just didn’t want them to feel like they were feeding a bum, which they didn’t. I just wondered how many times I could go knocking on doors when there weren’t that many doors to knock on.”

A frustrated Scelzi was prepared in his heart to walk the tough avenue away from his second family – the drag racing community.

“I had already tried all of that stuff, but I don’t think I had accepted it mentally,” he said. “I tried to accept that it may have been over. I guess I could have taken my three World Championships, been happy with that and gotten the hell out of the sport.”

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A last minute program with Don Schumacher and sponsorship from Oakley put Scelzi back in business, however. It wasn’t an easy return, however, and Scelzi traveled a tough road to get to the point he’s at today.

Would a man that had won three championships and given every ounce of passion that he had to the sport feel that he deserved better? It was evident that Scelzi felt that something should have been available based on his merits as a driver.

“I never felt that I deserved anything,” said Scelzi. “The only thing that pissed me off is that I didn’t bring any money. I’m one of the few drivers that will not buy his ride. Even though I had won three world championships…the sponsors liked me and the people liked me and I was good for morale, that doesn’t necessarily constitute that you have a steering wheel. I knew I didn’t have the money to buy a ride and I wasn’t going to buy one. I am going to get a ride on my merits and otherwise I was done with it…this sport can kiss my ass. That’s pretty much how I felt.”

To hear Scelzi speak of the practice of buying a ride, you might draw the notion that he harbors mixed emotions about the practice.

“Not really, I just believe in the old fashioned way,” Scelzi said. “If a guy can get it done in the seat and he has a past, that’s fine. If a guy doesn’t have a past and he’s trying and can bring money, that’s a different story. I see that being okay. Whatever way it is…is okay with me, I guess. The only way I can make it in this sport is through my merit and my driving abilities. I can’t bring money and I don’t bring money, but it’s not that I didn’t try.”

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Scelzi wants to point out that he doesn’t want to berate a driver that buys a ride. He just wishes that potential teams would draw from the talent pool that is available and on the sidelines.

“Yeah, it’s the shits for a guy that can bring a sponsor to the table, but if I had my own sponsorship, I’d just have my own team. I don’t downgrade the poor man, but when you have guys like Mike Dunn and Cory Mac, at that time, that are out of a ride, I just wonder why they weren’t being picked first. If the team had money, why didn’t they look from the pool that we already have now?”

So what if someone bought Scelzi’s ride out from under him?

“I think if they came and bought my ride out from under me, it might change my thinking,” answered Scelzi. “If I was not getting the job done and we had problems on the team, I’d just have to accept it. That’s a part of life. Some of the IRL guys and Cart guys and others are buying their rides, so it’s not like it’s something new and unique to drag racing.”

One of Scelzi’s pet peeves has been the amount of criticism leveled towards him on various Internet message boards. He is quick to point out that the situation brought his temper to a boil and it even led him to do some investigative work of his own to track down the culprits.

“I read that stuff and I probably shouldn’t,” Scelzi confided. “I have even researched who some of these people are and I’ve even called them. There were three or four of them that were pretty mouthy. One of them said a dog could have driven the Alan Johnson car and won.

“These were guys that half of them had never been to a drag race and some of them were just kids. My wife told me not to respond to that stuff. They never sent me emails, but they were worms that would hide behind screen names. These people, if they are going to be on chat rooms and message boards, if they are going to say something they ought to put their name and picture up and address. That way…if they are going to talk crap…the person they are talking about can at least defend themselves.

“The majority of the people are good, but there are those few that I just want to reach out and choke. You can tell me I’m short, fat and dumb, but don’t go saying I can’t drive when you don’t know the circumstances. That really gets me mad.”

As Scelzi has learned, being the subject of criticism goes with the territory when you’re in the public eye.  

“A famous friend of mine told me that when we are in this business and in the limelight, we need to have thick skin. He let me know that there will always be people that will talk and write about you that know nothing about you. He let me know that I needed to get over it and accept it because they are at least talking about me.”

Force built his confidence by offering to put him in a car, as did Schumacher following his departure from Johnson’s White Cap team. Schumacher took it one step further by allowing him a test session in one of his front-running entries. Scelzi passed the test with flying colors. He can only speculate what went wrong during his final days with Johnson.

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“I think it was a number of things,” said Scelzi. “Allen was trying to make things happen…I was trying to make things happen. I backed myself into a corner and he did too, and there was no way to get out. I still talk to Alan. He will be out here soon. It’s such a shame that we don’t have a man like him out there. Who knows I could end up driving for Alan again one day. This sport is so fickle. I mean after all, who would have thought I would be driving for Don Schumacher.”

One has to wonder, would Scelzi ever entertain driving for Johnson again?

“If the circumstances were right, I’d drive for him again,” said Scelzi. “I see no reason not to. We are still friends and we have a lot of history together. If he was in a position to do everything that he wanted to just like we did with Winston in the old days. Would I leave Team Schumacher and what I’ve got now? I probably wouldn’t. I’m happy where I’m at now. Don has first rights to get rid of me.”

Image has always meant everything in drag racing and Scelzi feels that he’s more than flexible in that arena, although he has his limits.

“I think I can fit any image, although I don’t think I could do a Disney Car unless it was ‘Goofy,” explained Scelzi. “I could fit that mold. I think I could wear just about anything. I think my personality can fit any product. I couldn’t run for the Catholic Church though.

Image only means something if the driver is true to himself and the community, or at least that’s how Scelzi sees it.

“I have run for several sponsors, all of whom like me and the image I portrayed,” Scelzi added. “The main thing in this business is to just be yourself. Whether it’s sponsors or something…when you have to be someone that you’re not, you might as well forget racing. People commend me on my interviews and tell me how I use emotion. I don’t know any other way to be.

“Being myself has worked for me. If I feel like doing a cartwheel and running into the cameraman…that’s what I’m going to do. That’s what happens. Sorry for bumping into the cameraman, but that’s what I’m going to do. If I’m pissed and I got my butt kicked, I’m going to show that, too.

“I’ve learned to try and not be negative because that sets a bad example for my kids. I’ve learned not to bounce my helmet off of the ground and tirade around because it looks immature. We are only racing. We are not saving lives. I am not a doctor. It’s very important to win, but it just brings the whole team down when you act like that. These guys work too hard for their driver to act like a pansy ass.

While Scelzi has repeatedly made it clear in the public eye the importance of making himself a good role model for his children, some might question if representing a tobacco company was a positive move. He thinks anyone that draws that conclusion is full of it.

“I think all of that is bullshit,” explained Scelzi. “I have taught my kids that smoking is bad for them. Do I want them to smoke? No, I don’t. If people choose to smoke, I think it is their own damn business. If you don’t smoke in a bar or in a restaurant because it offends someone, that’s fine, I understand that. But…if I choose to smoke in my car or alone somewhere…that’s my business. That’s my right as an American. I don’t think any government agency should be allowed to hold a gun to any tobacco company’s head for billions of dollars because some moron that smoked didn’t know it wasn’t healthy. I’m not with Winston any more, so this isn’t a paid advertisement…it’s just the way I feel.

“If I eat too many cheeseburgers…is it the hamburger joint’s fault or mine?”

In the end, Scelzi makes it clear that he’s no fan of politics and what transpired in the court case that led to the demise of his sponsorship as well as that of the sport with Winston. He is, however, quick to point out that POWERade jumping in has been a blessing for drag racing. He, just like all proud American citizens, has a few questions that will make one think.

Scelzi concluded by saying “I think all of the tobacco companies got a bad deal. It’s just like these state-run lotteries; they told us how this money was for the kids, but very little goes there. They are laying off workers and all. Where does all of this money go? You tell me.”