Giovanni Scelzi Looking for Momentum During Next Opportunity to Compete

Inside Line Promotions – STOCKTON, Calif. (March 19, 2019) – Two California quarter miles are on tap for Giovanni Scelzi this weekend.

Scelzi and Roth Motorsports are scheduled to compete with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series on Friday at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville during the Ocean Outlaw Showdown and on Saturday at Placerville Speedway in Placerville during the 49er Gold Rush Classic presented by Riebes NAPA Auto Parts.

“I’m looking forward to the weekend,” he said. “I’ve had some good runs at Placerville. Hopefully we’ll have good weather and we can get them both in this weekend.”

Scelzi raced with the World of Outlaws during a pair of events last weekend beginning on Friday at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., during the Silver Dollar Shootout presented by Reibes NAPA Auto Parts. He qualified fifth quickest in his group and finished third in a heat race to narrowly miss a spot into the dash.

“We timed in really good and almost made the dash,” he said. “I made a mistake in the heat and got passed. We still started in the top 10 in the feature. I just got too aggressive early. I hit the hole off turn four and slid off the edge of the track.”

Scelzi maintained a top 10 for the opening third of the race before a hole bounced him off the track and into a spin. He restarted at the back of the field and rallied to post an 18th-place finish.

The weekend wrapped up on Saturday at Stockton Dirt Track during the FVP Platinum Battery Showdown. Scelzi nearly overcame a tough qualifying performance by charging from ninth to seventh in a heat race. He started at the back of the Last Chance Showdown and had maneuvered from 14 th into fourth place by the closing laps, but he was caught up in a wild last two laps with multiple cars banging into each other. The contact damaged Scelzi’s car and he was unable to finish.

“We got into a transfer, but the right rear arm broke and the right rear tire went down after the collision,” he said. “That was a bummer to end like that after coming from the back of the pack. However, the progress we made was a confidence boost moving forward and hopefully we can continue that momentum this weekend.”