Scelzi Locks into Pair of Outlaw Main Events in Return to Tulsa Shootout

Inside Line Promotions – TULSA, Okla. (Jan. 5, 2015) – Dominic Scelzi hasn’t raced a micro sprint very often the past couple of years, but that didn’t slow him down during the 30th annual Speedway Motors Tulsa Shootout last weekend inside the River Spirit Expo Center.

Not only did Scelzi qualify for the outlaw nonwing and outlaw winged main events, he earned the pole position for the 25-lap outlaw nonwing feature out of 217 competitors after winning his heat race and qualifier.

“There were more than 200 entries in that class and there were a lot of good drivers,” he said. “It was a huge honor to be able to put myself in the main event let alone on the pole. I knew I had a good shot at winning the thing.”

Scelzi battled for the top spot throughout the first half of the race before disaster struck.

“I slipped off the bottom on the start and the guy who started second got the lead,” he said. “I fell back to third on the bottom. About Lap 4 or 5 I went to the cushion, which was really far around. I got up to second and then the leader and I started sliding each other. We did that for a few laps. I slid him in turns three and four one lap and I don’t think he liked it. On the frontstretch he put me right in the fence. It bent the right front axle back and it knocked the right front off the bead so it gave me a flat tire.”

Scelzi’s feature ended with a DNF following the collision with approximately 10 laps remaining.

Scelzi was just as strong in the outlaw winged class. He advanced from third to second place in a heat race, which started him on the outside of the sixth row in a qualifier.

“We barely squeaked into the qualifier,” he said. “We went out there and the track was slick and wide. The car just worked wherever I could put it.”

Scelzi maneuvered from 12th to fourth place, which locked him into the 55-lap main event starting 10th.

“They completely worked the race track before the feature,” he said. “It was really hooked up and one lane around the bottom. About three or four laps into the race we had mechanical problems so I ended up pulling off the track.

“The results don’t show how good of a Shootout I had. Every time I hit the race track we were the fastest car and we showed it. I was really excited with how I was able to do.”

Scelzi will return to River Spirit Expo Center Jan. 13-17 for the 29th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, where he will drive a midget for Cole Wood Racing.