Scelzi Enjoys Successful Season Thanks to Summer in the Midwest

Inside Line Promotions – FRESNO, Calif. (Nov. 21, 2016) – Dominic Scelzi pushed himself outside of his comfort zone in 2016 when Scelzi and his Roth Motorsports sponsored, family owned team left the familiar confines of California to compete in the Midwest throughout the summer.

“I knew it was going to be tough and the chances of winning were going to be slim, but it was a necessary step to get better as a racer,” he said. “My goal was to get better every night. I think the biggest thing was knowing this won’t be a deal where I’m going to set the world on fire. You have to take your lumps. We used it as a learning experience and it paid off before the season ended.”

Scelzi credits the long summer of racing at new tracks against the top competition in the country to helping him earn his lone win of the season on Sept. 30 at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., where he drove for Van Dyke Motorsports.

“I felt like there were a handful of races I coulda, shoulda, woulda won, but for whatever reason it didn’t work out this year,” Scelzi said. “On that night it all came together. We qualified well and won the heat to make the dash. When we drew the No. 2 for the dash I thought I had a shot at it. I knew Kyle Hirst and Andy Forsberg would be tough in the main event, but as long as I stayed with them I’d have a shot. When Kyle got caught up in that crash with two laps to go I knew what I needed to do and where I needed to go. It was like it all paid off right there. My experience in the Midwest helped me.”

Scelzi used the top groove to his advantage on the green-white-checkered restart as he passed Forsberg on the final lap to claim the victory.

Scelzi also produced his career-best World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series result at the quarter-mile oval in March when he garnered a fourth-place finish during the Mini Gold Cup.

“Starting 12th and running fourth with the World of Outlaws was a dream come true,” he said. “We had an awesome race car. We didn’t qualify well, but we bounced back in the heat race and got stronger as the night went on. I was really proud of our team.”

The result was one of eight top fives for Scelzi, who ended the season with five top 10s in World of Outlaws action.

“I want to thank my family, sponsors and fans for the continuing support as well as the handful of car owners who provided me top-notch rides,” he said. “This year was a blast and it was a huge step in the right direction.”