Scelzi Is a Winner Despite Losing

The Gary Scelzi express was derailed Saturday, but it didn’t wipe the big smile off the top-fuel champion’s face.

Even though he lost in the Big Bud Shootout semifinals at Pomona Raceway to 62-year-old Eddie Hill, the Fresno driver wound up as the No. 1 qualifier for today’s 34th Winston Finals and in doing so clinched the $200,000 champion’s award.

Rookie Doug Kalitta defeated Hill in the Big Bud final to collect the $100,000 top prize.

Kalitta, the 1994 U.S. Auto Club sprint car champion, switched to drag racing this year as a replacement for his cousin, two-time Winston champion Scott Kalitta, who retired last year.

The final was an epic side-by-side shootout with Kalitta getting off the line slightly ahead of Hill and holding the edge all the way to the finish line. Kalitta reached 313.26 mph in 4.599 seconds to defeat Hill’s 307.06 and 4.620.

“I’ve won a lot of sprint car races, but given the number of people who were here today, I’ve never had this many people watching me,” said Kalitta. National Hot Rod Assn. officials estimated Saturday’s crowd at 38,000. “It was quite a feeling coming back after the final, to hear them cheering.”

Kalitta had three smooth runs, defeating Joe Amato with a 4.615 and Cory McClenathan with a 4.576 at 320.85 mph to reach the final.

“It was one of the things on our list [to accomplish],” said Kalitta, whose car was crewed by former champion Ed McCulloch. “If we could win Sunday, it would make this a pretty great season.”

If Kalitta can repeat his victory in today’s eliminations, he will collect an additional $50,000 for Uncle Connie’s American International Airways team. He scored his first NHRA victory in the Autolite Nationals at Sears Point, where he also was top qualifier.

Even though Hill lost the final, he was elated at defeating Scelzi, whose tires went up in smoke shortly off the starting line.

“Obviously, beating the baddest car on the circuit with this much at stake is a huge moment for us,” said Hill, who has not won an event this year. “He is the best this sport has to offer and it feels absolutely wonderful to get past him.”

After a slow start, in which he went 11 events before winning and at one point was eighth in Winston points, Scelzi came back to overhaul perennial runner-up Cory McClenathan by winning five of the last seven events.

“Not that last year wasn’t incredible,” Scelzi said, “but to overcome the adversity we’ve had this year made me see another side of what it takes to be a champion.”

The team, owned and operated by Alan Johnson, brought out a new car at Denver after teething problems in two races and Scelzi won three consecutive races. The driver joined the Johnson family team last year as a replacement for Blaine Johnson, who was killed during the 1996 season.

Cruz Pedregon remained the No. 1 funny car qualifier, lowering his ET on Saturday to a Winston Final record of 4.867 seconds. John Force, who wound up third, can clinch his eighth Winston championship if he wins his first-round match today against Dean Skuza.

Warren Johnson, already pro stock champion for the fourth time, continued the domination of his class, although he did not improve on his Thursday track record of 6.891 seconds at 201.02 mph in the Goodwrench Pontiac. It was the 13th time in 22 events that Johnson had been the fastest qualifier.

Matt Hines had also clinched his title in pro stock motorcycle, but he was upstaged by tiny Angelle Seeling in qualifying. Her track-record, 7.250-second ride Friday on her Suzuki kept Hines in the No. 2 position for today’s eliminations.

Brad Jeter defeated Tim Freeman in the pro stock truck final.

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NHRA Winston Finals

* Where: Pomona Raceway, L.A. County Fairgrounds, Pomona.

* Schedule: Final eliminations, 10:30 a.m.

* TV: The Nashville Network, 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

* Tickets: General admission adult $46, juniors (ages 6-15) $10. Reserved adult $60, juniors $24, under 5 $14.