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NHRA STARS TO COMPETE IN MINI-SPRINT CHALLENGE SATURDAY NIGHT
Gary Scelzi has put together the Gary Scelzi & Friends All-Star Challenge this Saturday, June 16, at Plaza Park Raceway in Visalia, CA, to raise money for the raceway and has invited NHRA drivers J.R. Todd, Del Worsham, Morgan Lucas, teammate Ron Capps, and Cory McClenathan to join him in 600cc Mini-Sprints on the one-fifth-mile clay oval where his 10-year-old son Dominic competes regularly in a Restricted 600cc Mini-Sprint.
Fourteen-time Funny Car champion John Force will be honorary flagman and Brandon Bernstein will also be on hand.
A special donation, estimated to be a minimum of $5,000, will also be made to D.R.A.W., the Drag Racing Association of Women, which has been providing financial and emotional support to injured drag racers since 1985.
"A lot of these race tracks get run down," said Scelzi, a native Fresnan. "They don't make any money and pretty soon the race track is gone and then the kids have nowhere to go race. So, before that happens, I want to try to clean this place up a little bit, make the rest rooms a little nicer, improve the grandstands, raise a little money for the race track to keep the thing going, and bring some names in here so people will put some value to this place. And hopefully this race track and others will stay put and provide a place for kids to race safely.”
The drivers will compete in a qualifying round and heat races that will set up the starting order for the 20-lap Main. "This is no exhibition, this is a full-blown race," said Capps, who along with Scelzi has driven in many open wheel oval track races.
Dominic Scelzi will also be racing that night in his Mini-Sprint in a separate event. According to Scelzi, Austin Prock, John Force Racing crew chief Jimmy Prock's 12-year-old son, is also making his debut on the West Coast in a Junior Sprint on Friday night. (DRO file photo) [6/14/2007]
THAT FEELS BETTER
Pacific Raceways in Kent, WA, has improved their paved parking area. (Rich Carlson photo) [6/14/2007]
