THURSDAY INDY TESTING
THURSDAY TESTING - SCELZI MAKES IT THREE-IN-A-ROW FOR
SCHUMACHER RACING AT INDY TESTING;
BURKART FASTEST IN TOP FUEL AT THURSDAY’S TEST SESSION
Funny Car driver Gary Scelzi made it three-in-a-row for Don
Schumacher Racing at the final session of testing for the Mac Tools U.S.
Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park in
Scelzi clocked a 4.846 second run at 317.87 mph, taking the
top spot for Thursday’s test session, which had been held the previous two days
of testing by Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps.
Testing his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger with newly acquired
crew chief, Todd Okuhara, Scelzi says the experience gained in this test
session should prove to be successful heading into the U.S. Nationals.
“Todd hasn’t had a
whole lot of test time with our car,” said Scelzi. “We got here and there were
a lot of things he wanted to try with the clutch and today was mainly doing
some really wild stuff. It looked really great and that was the quickest run of
the weekend and that wasn’t the optimum conditions that we had run in the other
night.”
Scelzi feels that with conditions being cooler then the
scorching heat felt in Indy for Thursday’s test session, his team should have
an exceptional tune-up for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals beginning next week.
“I’m very pleased and looking very forward to coming back to the U.S. Nationals,” Scelzi said. “I’m hoping it is hot because what we learned right now was a big thing. I’m not worried about it when it is cold because those guys set the national record last year with (Jack) Beckman so I’ve got that tune-up and I feel good about my chances.”
THURSDAY TESTING - SCELZI MAKES IT THREE-IN-A-ROW FOR
SCHUMACHER RACING AT INDY TESTING;
BURKART FASTEST IN TOP FUEL AT THURSDAY’S TEST SESSION
Funny Car driver Gary Scelzi made it three-in-a-row for Don
Schumacher Racing at the final session of testing for the Mac Tools U.S.
Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park in
Scelzi clocked a 4.846 second run at 317.87 mph, taking the
top spot for Thursday’s test session, which had been held the previous two days
of testing by Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps.
Testing his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger with newly acquired
crew chief, Todd Okuhara, Scelzi says the experience gained in this test
session should prove to be successful heading into the U.S. Nationals.
“Todd hasn’t had a
whole lot of test time with our car,” said Scelzi. “We got here and there were
a lot of things he wanted to try with the clutch and today was mainly doing
some really wild stuff. It looked really great and that was the quickest run of
the weekend and that wasn’t the optimum conditions that we had run in the other
night.”
Scelzi feels that with conditions being cooler then the
scorching heat felt in Indy for Thursday’s test session, his team should have
an exceptional tune-up for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals beginning next week.
“I’m very pleased and
looking very forward to coming back to the U.S. Nationals,” Scelzi said. “I’m
hoping it is hot because what we learned right now was a big thing. I’m not
worried about it when it is cold because those guys set the national record
last year with (Jack) Beckman so I’ve got that tune-up and I feel good about my
chances.”
Fellow Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman turned in
the second best run of the day in Funny Car. Beckman drove his Mail Terminal
Services Dodge Charger to a 4.860 second run at 316.45 mph. Cruz Pedregon
piloted his Advance Auto Parts Chevy Impala SS to a distant third with a 5.215
second run at 232.75 mph.
In the Top Fuel category Phil Burkart had the best time out
of the dragsters testing Thursday. Testing in the Hartley Racing dragster,
Burkart had a quick run of 4.620 seconds at 326.40 mph. Burkart says his early
run, before late in the heat of the day, helped him secure the top spot during
testing.
“The 62 came early in
the day and the heat wasn’t in the race track like it is now,” Burkart said.
“It’s cool and that was only my second full pass in the car to finish up my
license.”
Testing for the first time in a Top Fuel dragster, Burkart
says he noticed quickly the differences between driving a Funny Car and driving
a Top Fuel dragster.
“These things are a totally different animal from the Funny
Car,” Burkart said. “I can see so much more in the dragster. Obviously in a
Funny Car you are traveling a quarter-mile but in a dragster you can see much
more of that quarter-mile going by you and nothing is blocking your way, so
it’s pretty cool. I think it went a little better than I thought it would in
the fact that I was able to not do the Funny Car syndrome kind of thing and not
drive in and out of the groove. With a Funny Car you have to steer it so much
more.”
Clocking in the second fastest run in Top Fuel was a driver
who also made the switch from Funny Car to Top Fuel for this year, Whit
Bazemore. Bazemore drove his Matco Tools dragster to a 4.641 second run at
314.68 mph.
The 53rd annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway
Park will be held Aug. 29-Sept. 3. It is the 18th race on the 23-race season
schedule and the first of four races in the Countdown to the Championship
playoff. The top eight drivers in all four professional categories will compete
for the top four spots in the points before the cutoff race, The Torco Racing
Fuels NHRA Nationals in
CLERMONT,
Psn Driver Vehicle
ET Speed
1. Phil
Burkart Hartley Racing
Dragster
4.620 326.40
2. Whit
Bazemore Matco Tools Dragster 4.641 314.68
3. Larry Dixon Sky Tel Dragster 4.658 261.32
4. Cory
McClenathan Mac Racing/Fram Boost
2 5.673 158.50
5. Morgan
Lucas Lucas Oil/Torco Racing 7.435 101.41
CLERMONT,
Psn Driver Vehicle
ET Speed
1. Gary Scelzi Hemi Oakley Charger 4.847 322.19
2. Jack
Beckman MTS Charger 4.860 316.45
3. Cruz
Pedregon Advance Auto Parts
Impala 5.215 232.75
4. Jerry
Toliver Rockstar Energy Drinks
Solara 6.365 137.32
5. Tommy Johnson
Jr. Skoal Racing Impala 9.103 89.89
6. Scott
Kalitta DHL Solara
9.706 90.71
7. Robert
Hight AAA of So. Cal Mustang 10.998 75.78
