5/7/2015
Aaron Reutzel
A Weekend to Remember for Reutzel
Lonnie Wheatley, CLUTE, Texas (May 7, 2015) – Last weekend’s racing action was definitely one to remember for Aaron Reutzel and the Shark-powered BC Fundz/Basic One Services No. 87 Triple X Sprint Car team.
After posting an unheard of top-five finish in his World of Outlaws debut on Friday atop the Salina Highbanks, the Clute, TX, racer was only ten laps shy of a Rock ‘N Roll 50 victory before a cut tire intervened in West Memphis.
Reutzel finished out the weekend with another strong WoO outing aboard the Wren Motorsports/Momentum Racing Suspensions machine in his first Haubstadt visit.
“It was a great weekend for sure,” Reutzel commented.
With Thursday night’s scheduled Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour event at Kansas City’s Lakeside Speedway falling victim to rain, Reutzel takes the series points lead to Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway on Saturday.
Last weekend’s set of events began at Oklahoma’s Salina Highbanks Speedway with Reutzel’s first World of Outlaws event. A debut delayed one week, it proved to be worth the wait with Reutzel timing in sixth-quick among the 27-car field and then landing a Dash position after battling into the final transfer position in his heat race.
The invert put Reutzel and the Dissolvealloy Frac Ball Revolution mount on the pole of the Dash, with a second-place finish netting a front row feature starting position.
And from there, Reutzel led his first handful of World of Outlaws feature laps before ultimately finishing fourth in the Danny Sander Construction/ButlerBuilt entry, a virtually unheard of feat for a World of Outlaws series debut.
“I wish it wouldn’t have taken rubber, those first few laps were a lot of fun before it locked down,” Reutzel explained. “That place is so fast, it’s fun to race on.”
From there, Reutzel and the Lone Star Hydro Maintenance/Wright Way Logistics crew went on to Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, AR, for Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour action. It’s a track that hasn’t always been kind to Reutzel in the past.
“It’s the one race on the schedule that I probably dreaded the most,” Reutzel said. “Then it turned out to probably be the most fun race we’ll have all year.”
Taking aim at the coveted Gibson guitar that goes to the winner of the TBJ Promotions Rock ‘N Roll 50, Reutzel led the early rounds from the pole starting position before falling back to fifth at the midway point.
“We dropped like a rock early on,” Reutzel comments. “Then we finally got the top to come in and had something to lean on, it got fun after that.”
Reutzel rallied back towards the front and recaptured the lead after trading some slide jobs with Tim Crawley.
“Those slide jobs, it got pretty intense,” Reutzel explains.
Leading the way when the red flag flew with just ten laps remaining, Reutzel’s victory drive was derailed when his right rear tire went flat during the stoppage.
Reutzel returned at the tail of the field and salvaged another solid finish by rallying from 17th to sixth in the final ten laps.
“We would have won without the red flag, at least we were able to come back and get a good finish out of it,” Reutzel said.
Reutzel finished off the weekend with more World of Outlaws action on Sunday night at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, IN.
“That place is a different animal, I was actually kinda nervous going out to qualify,” Reutzel explains. “It’s definitely an elbows up kinda joint.”
Reutzel stopped the clocks quick enough to make the invert, earning a front row starting position for his heat race and then ultimately winning his first WoO heat.
After a wild 40 lap feature to complete the weekend, Reutzel posted a solid 12th-place finish.
“The track fooled us a little, we were good for the first 20 laps and then we kinda fell off from there,” Reutzel says. “I made one mistake that cost us a top ten finish, but still overall it was a great weekend.”
With a 78-point lead in the $60,000 Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour title chase, Reutzel returns to the site of his first series score on Saturday night, the high-banked, ¼-mile I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, AR.
Also topping a prelim before posting a runner-up finish in last October’s Short Track Nationals, Reutzel relishes any chance to race at I-30 Speedway. “I’ve always loved going there, I-30 is always a racy little place. I just hope the weather cooperates.”
2015 Quick Stats: 21 races, 6 wins, 14 top-fives, 15 top-tens.
Up Next: Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour action at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, AR, on Saturday.
Keep Track: Keep track of Aaron Reutzel’s on-track action including schedule and results at http://www.aaronreutzelracing.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aaron-Reutzel-Racing/117666254913127 or on Twitter at @AaronReutzel. You can also e-mail Aaron at aaronreutzel@yahoo.com.
If you would like Aaron Reutzel Racing press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.
Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on www.sprintcarmania.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events. For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.
Article Credit: Lonnie Wheatley
Submitted By: Lonnie Wheatley
