4/13/2017
Aaron Reutzel
World of Outlaws & ASCS for Reutzel after TMS Podium
Lonnie Wheatley, CLUTE, Texas (April 13, 2017) – A weekend that includes both World of Outlaws and Lucas Oil ASCS National tour action is on tap for Aaron Reutzel and the Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution/BC Fundz No. 87 Triple-X Sprint Car team after a Texas Motor Speedway weekend that was highlighted by a podium finish.
This weekend’s pair of events begins with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car series debut at the Gator Motorplex in Willis, TX, on Thursday night before Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour action resumes at Sedalia’s Missouri State Fairgrounds on Saturday.
Reutzel and the Wren Motorsports/Momentum Racing Suspensions team come off an ASCS weekend that began with a third-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday night before a turn for the worse on Saturday ended up in a mangled mess.
“Texas Motor Speedway started good,” Reutzel summed up.
“We had good speed all night,” Reutzel said of Friday’s card aboard the Nattress Construction/Wings Unlimited entry.
“We drew the back of a really stacked heat and still went forward from seventh to third,” Reutzel recalls. “They reworded the track right before our qualifier so it was still pretty one-lane, we worked our ass off to get up to third.”
Set to start third in the main event behind the front row of Wayne Johnson and Matt Covington, Reutzel knew his strategy as the track began to take rubber in “B” Main action.
“I figured I would follow Wayne on the bottom through one and two and then just stay with him,” Reutzel says. “If an opportunity presented itself, I would take it but I was mostly concerned with getting locked in.”
That strategy changed in the opening corner.
“The No. 95 chopped down and got us both crossed up, we were back to seventh immediately,” Reutzel relates. “So I had to go all-out then just to try to get back into a lock-in position in the top four.”
Reutzel drove all-out in the Wright Way Logistics/Walker Performance Filtration entry to get back up to third by the time a red flag flew after five laps.
And there looked to be potential problems for the driver of the familiar No. 87 Sprint Car.
“I looked at the left rear and it was already gone, I thought there was no way it would make it,” Reutzel says.
The 2015 National champion had to adjust his approach accordingly.
“I went into conservative mode, going as slow as possible while still staying up there,” Reutzel relates. “We were still right on them, I could have made a couple of moves to get out front but I was just trying to run top four. We just kinda held on.”
Reutzel made that left rear tire last the distance long enough to cross the stripe in third to lock into Saturday’s Texas Sprint Car Nationals finale.
“We were really good on Saturday night,” Reutzel recalls.
Reutzel found himself reeling in the leaders and in contention for Saturday night’s win.
“I made a couple of mistakes with lapped cars and lost a little ground,” Reutzel says. “Then a car tried to slide me and got into the left rear and sent us both flipping.”
It was an unfortunate end to a weekend in which the No. 87 had been among the fastest cars throughout.
“It killed us in points and destroyed a car,” Reutzel laments.
Action resumes with the World of Outlaws on Thursday night at the Gator Motorplex in Willis, TX, a track where Reutzel has enjoyed a good amount of 360-ci success. Reutzel says that experience doesn’t necessarily translate into an advantage.
“There’s no advantage anywhere racing with the Outlaws, they’re good anywhere they go,” Reutzel says.
This weekend’s action wraps up with Saturday’s card at Sedalia’s Missouri State Fairgrounds where Reutzel knocked down a big win during his 2015 championship campaign.
2017 Quick Stats: 20 races, 1 top-five, 4 top-tens.
Up Next: World of Outlaws at the Gator Motorplex (Willis, TX) on Thursday and Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour at Sedalia’s Missouri State Fairgrounds 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
