SCELZI FULL-TIME IN 2008
Team owner Don Schumacher
has confirmed with Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com that he has reached a tentative
agreement for Gary Scelzi to remain with his team through the 2008 season.
“We have come to terms and
“
The Black arrangement
provides Scelzi an extra 20 days at home with his business.
Scelzi’s simply said,
“Yee, Haw – I’m driving a Funny Car.”
He continued, “I am
excited about coming back to work with Todd Okuhara, Phil Shuler and my boys
that have been with me for a long time.”
Having Ken Black (rumored
to be Scelzi’s target for 2009) in the mix is something that Schumacher says
doesn’t bother him. In fact, Schumacher says he’s grateful for Black’s
involvement this year.
“It doesn’t bother me at
all with Ken Black in the picture,” Schumacher said. “Ken is a wonderful man
who is doing this out of the goodness of his heart. We’ll deal with 2009 as it
comes up and
“
“There’s a possibility of
Ken Black or who knows who coming into the sport to put a team together.”
But, and this is a big but
– Schumacher has indicated in the past that he will keep previously departed
drivers on but later dismissed them prior to the departure date. Schumacher
said comparing this situation to others is not applicable.
“I let Whit go because we
weren’t going to have the Matco Tools deal for 2007,” Schumacher said. “I
didn’t have a ride for him. I did for Jack Beckman with a sponsor and that is
why I made the change when I made the change which was the race after Indy.
That’s when the points for the Skoal Showdown began.
“Boy, somebody was looking
down on me because that team went out and won the Skoal Showdown. It wasn’t
Whit was going to leave me; it’s that I didn’t have the Matco Tools deal for
2007.
“As far as Mike Neff goes,
he made a decision to go over and join John Force Racing. In everybody’s best
interests, we decided to go ahead and part ways before the end of the season.”