Giovanni Scelzi Earns First Career Win in Indy Race Parts Ride
Inside Line Promotions – ORRVILLE, Ohio (Sept. 4, 2018) – Giovanni Scelzi highlighted a stout weekend by capturing his first career feature victory in the famed Indy Race Parts backed No. 71 sprint car last Friday.
Scelzi made his debut at Gas City I-69 Speedway in Gas City, Ind., where he opened the BOSS Series show by qualifying 15th quickest in the Bernie Stuebgen owned race car. Scelzi then maneuvered from fourth to win a heat race before starting the A Main on the outside of the seventh row.
“We ran the top most of the race,” he said. “Yellows fell well my way. I had a lot of good breaks. I’d pass a few cars and a yellow would come out. It always kept the field together. I felt like every yellow I gradually chopped through the field.”
On the last lap Scelzi closed to the rear bumper of the leader entering turn three and he dove to the bottom. The drivers were side by side through the center of the corner before Scelzi found the grip to rocket to the finish line first.
“I was going to drive around him and he went to block so I went under him,” he said. “I was expecting to get chopped, but we had a clear path and it worked out.”
The team took the momentum to Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio, on Saturday for an Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions event. Scelzi qualified fourth quickest out of 34 drivers and a third-place run in a heat race left him only one position shy of making a dash. That lined him up 11 th for the main event.
“We really worked around everywhere; the very bottom, middle and top,” he said. “We were aggressive at the beginning trying to pass cars and we got better as the race went on. When you get toward the front all the guys are so fast it makes it tougher to gain positions, but it was a good night to move forward like we did.”
Scelzi powered to the sixth-place finish, which marked his fifth career top 10 with the series.
The weekend concluded on Sunday at Wayne County Speedway, where Scelzi timed in third quickest overall out of 35 drivers. He powered from fourth to second place during a heat race and gained a position to end second in a dash. That started Scelzi fourth for the A Main.
“The last time we were at Wayne County we were really fast,” he said. “On Sunday we qualified really good and were quick time for a while. We had a good heat race and passed Dave Blaney on the last corner to make the dash.
“Once I got to second (in the main event) I got a little bit comfortable. (Tim) Shaffer got underneath me in turn four and the yellow came out right after he got by so that was bad timing, but I don’t think anyone was going to beat him. Later in the race I passed Ryan Smith for second and a yellow came out to put him back in front of me. We didn’t have another good opportunity to make the pass.”
Scelzi’s third-place outing was his first career podium during All Star competition.
He is slated to compete this Wednesday and Thursday at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Ind., during the Driven 2 Save Lives BC 39 with the USAC P1 National Midget Series. Scelzi will drive for Jerome Rodela during the inaugural event.
Scelzi and Stuebgen will then venture to Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pa., for the Tuscarora 50 on Friday and Saturday with the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions.