NHRA FINDS STAR IN SCELZI.

Byline: Kirby Lee Special to the Daily News

Joe Amato came away with the Top Fuel national record, but it was Gary Scelzi who took home the title in his debut at the 37th Winternationals at the Pomona Fairplex on Sunday.

Amato dipped under the previous NHRA Top Fuel national elapsed-time record of 4.592 seconds three times Sunday, including a 4.564 quarterfinal clocking.

The Top Fuel final, however, turned into a race of attrition when both drivers smoked their tires at the green light.

Amato hit his throttle so hard he blew a blower belt and could only watch as Scelzi weaved his way down the track trying to control his dragster.

``I was dead in the water,'' Amato said. ``It was like being on ice, trying to get the thing going again. I was watching, hoping he would go over the center line.''

Scelzi finished in 7.712 seconds, a speed of 231.18 miles per hour, after turning in a best of 4.641 for the quarter-mile in the quarterfinals. Amato staggered across the line in 11.934.

``The adrenalin overtook the brains,'' Scelzi said. ``I think both of us put a little too much sugar in the pie. All I could do was pedal it and hope to get to the finish. When you get to the final, you just want to win whatever it takes.''

Scelzi, 36, of Fresno, competing in his first Top Fuel competition after moving up from the Top Alcohol and Top Alcohol Funny Car divisions, became the first NHRA driver to win in his Top Fuel debut in 23 years. Gary Beck was the only other driver to accomplish the feat.

``You can't dream a dream like this,'' Scelzi said.

An upset by Scelzi seemed out of the question with the driving of the five-time champion Amato in the preliminary rounds.

Amato timed 4.587 in a first-round win over Dave Promnitz to dip under the late Blaine Johnson's 1996 standard of 4.592 set at the nationals in Topeka.

Not even a national speed record of 316.90 miles per hour by Shelly Anderson could stop Amato, 52, of Old Forge, Pa., in the quarterfinals as he clocked 4.564 seconds for fastest NHRA time ever.

In the semifinals, he beat Kenny Bernstein (4.587 seconds to 4.617) in the fastest side-by side race in history.

``I tried not to pay much attention to the records.'' Scelzi said. ``When you get to the final, you do whatever it takes to win.''

Scelzi was driving a car owned by his crew chief Alan Johnson of Santa Maria, the brother of last year's winner Blaine Johnson, who was killed in an accident during qualifying for the U.S. Nationals in August. On Sunday, Scelzi drove with a picture of Blaine in his car.

``I had to believe he was riding with me today,'' Scelzi said.

Records also fell in the Pro Stock division. Warren Johnson, 53, who set an elapsed-time record of 6.927 seconds in the semifinals, beat his son Kurt, 33, in the final to improve his record to 16-7 in the family rivalry.

``It was a straight-up deal,'' the elder Johnson said. ``I wanted to cut his eye out and he wanted to cut out mine.''

In the Funny Car final, John Force of Yorba Linda defeated Al Hofmann of Umatilla, Fla., after Hofmann smoked his tires at the starting line.

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Photo

Photo: Wyatt Radke's funny car body blows off as he races John Force at the NHRA Winternationals.

John Lazar/Special to the Daily News