8/16/2019
Aaron Reutzel
Reutzel Back on the All Star Title Hunt after Top-Five Knoxville Nationals Finish
Lonnie Wheatley, CLUTE, Texas (August 16, 2019) – After another stellar Knoxville Nationals effort, Aaron Reutzel resumes his pursuit of a second consecutive All Star Circuit of Champions title with a pair of events in Michigan and Indiana this weekend.
Reutzel and the Baughman-Reutzel Motorsports No. 87 Sprint Car team take to Lake Odessa, Michigan’s I-96 Speedway for the first time on Friday night before moving on to Indiana’s Plymouth Speedway on Saturday night.
Reutzel was victorious in his first visit to Plymouth Speedway last year.
The driver of the Folkens Brothers Trucking/Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution Triple-X Sprint Car enters the weekend after posting his second consecutive top-five Knoxville Nationals finish after earning Hard Charger honors with a run through the field to seventh in 2017.
After earning a fourth-place finish, this time Reutzel finished out the Nationals with a fifth-place run aboard the Precision Catalyst/Hollywood Blasting & Coating/Beard Equipment machine.
Reutzel had earned the pole position for the $150,000-to-win event by virtue of a strong qualifying time on Thursday followed up by a critical eighth-to-second place run in heat race action and then a fifth-place feature finish aboard the Nattress Construction/Momentum Racing Suspensions entry.
And Reutzel started the Saturday night feature in strong form. Perhaps too strong.
“We were way too good early,” Reutzel says. “I knew we might be in trouble then.”
Leading the way until the 14th round, Reutzel still held on to second until the midway break in the 50-lapper.
“I knew I was getting loose, so I started searching around and didn’t make very good laps,” Reutzel explained.
With a chance to make adjustments, Reutzel and crew gambled on adjustments to better their chances for a victory over the final 25 circuits.
“We ended up making too many changes and got the car too tight for the last half of the race,” Reutzel comments.
The reigning All Star Circuit of Champions titlist still raced to a fifth-place finish to make for another successful Knoxville Nationals outing for the BRM No. 87 team.
“We wanted that win, but it was still another great weekend for our team and something we can continue to build on,” Reutzel concluded.
Now, with a slim lead in the All Star title defense, the team looks to build upon that with events in Michigan and Indiana this weekend.
2019 Quick Stats: 57 races, 8 wins, 25 top-fives, 35 top-tens.
Next Up: All Star Circuit of Champions at I-96 Speedway (Lake Odessa, MI) on Friday and Plymouth (IN) Speedway 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
