Giovanni Scelzi Making World of Outlaws World Finals Debut This Weekend

Inside Line Promotions – PORT ROYAL, Pa. (Oct. 31, 2018) – Giovanni Scelzi will make his World of Outlaws World Finals debut this weekend in North Carolina.

Scelzi, who will drive Bernie Stuebgen’s No. 71 sprint car, is slated to compete Thursday through Saturday during the marquee World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series event at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord.

“It’s a track Bernie has been to a lot,” he said. “He and Joey Saldana had a lot of success there last year. Bernie has given me a fast car all year so I’m excited. The track is slick and smooth and wide. I seem to do well on those types of tracks.”

Scelzi and Stuebgen have been a fast combination this year, including last weekend during the famed Tuscarora 50 hosted by Port Royal Speedway. More than 50 competitors invaded the $51,000-to-win event, which was pushed to Sunday after rain washed out Friday’s preliminary night and postponed Saturday’s show.

“We didn’t qualify that great, but it worked out because of the inversion,” Scelzi said. “We timed in 11th quickest in our group, but because there were three heats and a four-car inversion in each heat it put us on the pole.”

Scelzi won his heat race to lock himself into the third starting position for the 50-lap main event on the half-mile oval.

“I fell back to seventh at the beginning, but I got going and got up to fourth,” he said. “On restarts I ran the bottom and made up time. I slid Shane (Stewart) and got to fourth. I thought we were really good and if a yellow happened we might have got a podium, but we for sure had a top-four car.”

Unfortunately, the race car sustained a parts failure while Scelzi was running fourth with approximately 19 laps remaining. He was unable to finish and was credited with a 19th-place finish.

“I want to say great job to the race track,” he said. “It rained all week, but the track was wide and racy. We did some different stuff to the car and it worked. Thanks to Bernie and Betsy for the opportunity. I’m really looking forward to the World Finals this weekend.”