Dominic Scelzi Produces Career-Best Season With Six Victories and Knoxville Nationals A Main Start
Inside Line Promotions – FRESNO, Calif. (Nov. 13, 2018) – Dominic Scelzi enjoyed a career-best season in 2018.
“I look at it as building on how we did in 2017,” he said. “I felt like after the California swing last year we’ve been getting better and faster and more consistent and more competitive at bigger races. I feel like 2017 and 2018 ran together so much. The races we should have won in 2017 were races we won in 2018. We’re finishing them off a little better. Our qualifying has improved as well, which is huge. The last two years we’ve been building and building and I’m happy to see the direction we’re going.”
Scelzi captured a career-best six feature victories, which is more than his three previous seasons combined. Among those wins was a triumph at the famed Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, during the Knoxville Nationals. Scelzi won the SPEED SPORT World Challenge to lock into the Knoxville Nationals A Main for the first time in his career.
“I don’t know if there’s any other way to put it than the best moment of my life,” he said. “You’re winning at Knoxville, you’re winning the World Challenge and you’re locking into the Knoxville Nationals A Main. From a little kid I’ve dreamed of winning at Knoxville and being a part of the Knoxville Nationals. To win a race with so much prestige, it’s something beyond special. I’ll never forget the feeling. Every day when I wake up I’m thankful for it and to be put in the position that we were.”
Scelzi was also victorious at Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton, Calif.; at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif.; at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn.; at Dubuque County Fairgrounds in Dubuque, Iowa; and at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif.
“I didn’t win at the same place twice this year, which is kind of neat,” he said. “We were hot with the Outlaws and competitive every single night to start the season. When the Outlaws left California we ran the same way. In April and May I think I ran one time outside of the top five. We had second-place runs that could have been turned into wins. You look at that and it’s about learning how to win the races. In 2017 I felt like we should have won six times and we won three. This year I felt like we should have won 12 races and we won six. When 2019 comes around I hope we can continue on this path because I want to win 10 races next year.”
Other highlights this season include tying his career-best World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series result of third, garnering a top 10 during the 360 Knoxville Nationals, scoring the Hard Charger Award for passing the most cars during the 40th annual AGCO Jackson Nationals, competing for a top 10 during his debut in Central Pennsylvania, making both main events at the World of Outlaws World Finals and overcoming a fractured leg.
“I’ve got myself mentally tough and I feel I’m in a good place,” he said. “I think away from the track I’m mentally good. When I come to the track I take it beyond serious, but I’m in such a good place it rolls into the racing.
“I want to thank my parents, my crew guys – Scotty Martin, Brandon Hickman and Liam Spiccia – as well as all of our marketing partners for the tremendous support. Also, a huge thank you to Bernie and Betsy Stuebgen, the McGhee Family, Dennis and Teresa Roth, and Pat Donahue for putting me in their race cars this year, too.”