When Alan Jonhnson hired talented alcohol racer Gary Scelzi to be the driver of the Winston Top Fuel car for the 1997 season, it was a momentous and difficult job to be stepping into. Alan’s brother Blaine had lost his life during the 1996 NHRA US Nationals and while Alan remained active until the end of the season working with Jim Head, the 1997 Winternationals represented his come back from the events of the previous year with his car, his team, and his new driver. Things got off to a rocking start as they qualified in the number one position and ran 314mph to send the message home that they were not there just to mess around.
On Sunday, eliminations day the team was just as keyed in. They motored through the field with Scelzi doing a masterful job in his first ever start in a top fuel car against some of the more seasoned and grizzled competition in the sport. As one would script, they made the final round where they would face off against Joe Amato in his dragster which was being tuned by Jimmy Prock at the time.
The final round of the first race of the season, in front of the massive Pomona crowd was going to be a slugfest on paper but when the tree came down it was not about slugging, it was about pedaling and Scelzi was on and of the thing like a Jeopardy player desperately whacking his answer button to get a guess in. Amato was doing the same thing until his blower belt broke and he was effectively dead in the water. Scelzi pedaled the car furiously and finally got it to hook. He legged it through the traps and took the victory as his crew went berserk with joy on the starting line. It was a highly emotional moment for the Johnson family for one reason and a highly emotional moment for Scelzi for reasons that were entirely different.
This race was broadcast live on TNN back then which as a big deal. I think I have shreds of memory actually watching this happen as a little kid on the living room couch. Bob Frey is the main man on the call, Steve Evans had top end duty, and KC “Hollywood” Spurlock is the third voice you head giving opinion and commentary.
Alan Johnson is back in a new role at the 2016 NHRA Winternationals and once again he has a young driver to work with. This one is no rookie though. He’s had amazing success at this race and he’s looking to continue with that program and put his name in the books again at Pomona with Brittany Force and the Monster Energy car.
I think it was early 90’s when Blaine, Alan, and their Dad. (Elmer? ) were at Sears Point with thier Alcohol car. I think it was about a year before they jumped to Top Fuel. They were testing, and tuning that night.
I strolled up to their pit area, and struck up a conversation with Blaine. He showed me where a coil or something, had come loose on the last pass, so the car didn’t run the number that they had gotten earlier.
Blaine, Alan, and their Dad were farmers. I guess they had run some Sand Drag cars too. The proverbial red blooded American family. Anyway, their tow vehicle for the whole operation was a Chevy Dually, and it was having trouble with the rear brakes. Blaine asked if I could give him a hand working on their Dually. Together we pulled it apart, I don’t remember if we put shoes on it, or what we did, I just remember being so proud to be asked to work on their tow vehicle, and just hang out with them for a couple hours.
I knew that they were headed for greatness. Was devastated when Blaine lost his life. Alan is a genius, the whole family an asset to the Sport.
Just thought I would share that with you folks.