Giovanni Scelzi Progresses Throughout Second Career Midget Race

Inside Line Promotions – DU QUOIN, Ill. (Dec. 18, 2017) – Giovanni Scelzi became reacquainted with a different kind of race car last Saturday during the Junior Knepper 55.

Scelzi, who has spent the last two seasons racing a winged sprint car, made his driving debut with Clauson-Marshall Racing during the USAC National Midget Series event at the Southern Illinois Center, where he made his second career start in a midget.

“It was definitely a learning night,” he said. “It was good to be physically in a midget. We got some laps and that’s the most important thing I got out of it. It was a different feel than I’m used to, but the Clauson-Marshall Racing cars are so nice and handle so well it helped with the transition.”

Scelzi started fifth in his heat race and he was forced to rebound from an opening-lap incident, which restarted him at the back of the field, to finish fifth. He then advanced from ninth to seventh place in a qualifier.

“It’s a really small track,” he said. “Everyone was fighting for the bottom at the start of the heat and a couple of cars got together. I think we got better each time we got on the track. We moved forward after restarting at the back of the heat and then picked up a couple of positions in the qualifier.”

Scelzi continued to move forward in a B Main as he rallied from eighth to fifth place before being caught up in a late-race crash. Scelzi was vying for the fourth-and-final transfer position into the main event when a car spun in front of him.

“It’s so hard to pass at that place,” he said. “I got more aggressive in the B Main. I was up to fifth and with one lap to go the guy in fourth spun in front of me and I nailed him. Stuff happens quickly on a small track like that and we had nowhere to go.”

The race ended with a DNF, but Scelzi said he is happy with the progress made throughout the night.

“We got better each time out and I felt more comfortable each time out,” he said. “I can’t thank Tim Clauson and the Marshalls enough for the opportunity. Also, I want to thank everyone on the team for their help.”