After originally stating that Todd Okahara would replace Mike Neff as the tuner for Gary Scelzi and Phil Shuler would assume the sole duties as crew chief on Jack Beckman's entry, Don Schumacher has revised his plan to ensure both cars will be tuned by both. Mike Neff will remain in an advisory role. 

"Mike Neff is an extremely talented crew chief, and everyone of us at Don Schumacher Racing wishes him well next season in his new position," said Schumacher. "The entire DSR operation is filled with capable and talented people and my goal is - and always has been - to promote from within the team. Therefore, I prefer not to seek a new crew chief from outside the organization to replace Neff.

"Todd and Phil have already demonstrated their tremendous expertise this season by tuning the MTS Dodge and driver Jack Beckman into one of the hottest combinations in the Funny Car class," added Schumacher. It started back at the end of 2006, when Funny Car rookie Beckman, after joining DSR for the last five races of the season, set both the national elapsed-time and top speed records, qualified No. 1 once, and won once after reaching two final rounds.

After originally stating that Todd Okahara would replace Mike Neff as the tuner for Gary Scelzi and Phil Shuler would assume the sole duties as crew chief on Jack Beckman's entry, Don Schumacher has revised his plan to ensure both cars will be tuned by both. Mike Neff will remain in an advisory role. 

"Mike Neff is an extremely talented crew chief, and everyone of us at Don Schumacher Racing wishes him well next season in his new position," said Schumacher. "The entire DSR operation is filled with capable and talented people and my goal is - and always has been - to promote from within the team. Therefore, I prefer not to seek a new crew chief from outside the organization to replace Neff.

"Todd and Phil have already demonstrated their tremendous expertise this season by tuning the MTS Dodge and driver Jack Beckman into one of the hottest combinations in the Funny Car class," added Schumacher. It started back at the end of 2006, when Funny Car rookie Beckman, after joining DSR for the last five races of the season, set both the national elapsed-time and top speed records, qualified No. 1 once, and won once after reaching two final rounds.

"This move, in my opinion," said Schumacher, "brings the whole team together. All three Funny Cars will be more united than they have ever been. I see all three of the DSR Funny Car teams, including the Brut Dodge driven by points leader Ron Capps, in the middle of the battle in the new Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

"We're excited about the rest of this season and are looking forward to further advancements in 2008."

Scelzi remains optomistic.

"Obviously we've had a major change at Schumacher Racing. I won't call it a shake-up, it's just a change," Scelzi says. "I'm going to miss Mike Neff beating on the hood of my car, but I'm also going to go into this race and I'm going to show Todd and Phil why this team won a championship (Funny Car in 2005), and I think everybody on this team is going to give it their all and then some.

"We're in the middle of this Countdown and I don't want to lose any momentum. I think if we go in there with good, positive attitudes and a strong work ethic, that I know we have, good things are going to come from it.

"I think the only way you can approach something like this is in a positive way and that's the way I'm going to look at it."