Another Weekend Nets Another Win for Reutzel

Lonnie Wheatley, CLUTE, Texas (April 14, 2016) – It took a little longer to get that first win of 2016 than reigning Lucas Oil ASCS National champion Aaron Reutzel might have liked.

But, after getting his first win at the Gator Motorplex on April 2, Reutzel waited just six more nights to capture his second win of the year in the Shark-powered Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution/BC Fundz No. 87 Triple-X Sprint Car at last Friday’s ASCS Gulf South/ASCS Southern Outlaw Sprints showdown at Mississippi’s Jackson Motor Speedway.

And the Clute, TX, racer nearly made it a weekend sweep the next night in the Wren Motorsports/Momentum Racing Suspensions machine before settling for fifth after an all-or-nothing slider for the lead in the closing laps.

“It was a lot of fun, the track was just phenomenal both nights,” Reutzel says.  “It was a really technical track, that’s reflected in the top five finishers on both nights.”

Friday started out in promising fashion with Reutzel racing from the tail of his heat to claim second.  “We drew a good heat and got through it,” Reutzel explained.

After starting the Friday night feature in fifth, Reutzel raced into the lead early aboard the Danny Sander Construction/ButlerBuilt entry and never looked back en route to his second win in a row.

“On the first lap, everyone jumped to the bottom,” Reutzel recalls.  “The top was really just dirt piled up against the wall.  I tried it and showed that you could make it work up there.  We took the lead on the fourth lap and that was pretty much it.”

With $2,000 in the bank after Friday’s win, a $3,000 share was on the line Saturday night with another $1,000 bonus for the weekend sweep.

Starting third, Reutzel tried his preferred high line early on, but the going was tricky.

“It was similar to the night before, but there was less dirt on the wall,” Reutzel explains.  “It was pretty sketchy.  I tried to run it for a couple of laps and then fell back in on the bottom.”

The bottom proved not to be a long-term solution though.

“The bottom wore out, so we went back to the top,” Reutzel says.  “It was sketchy up there, it took a couple of laps to get it cleaned off.”

And when the top side was cleaned off, the Wright Way Logistics/Walker Performance Filtration machine was on the move.

“We got going real good and got up front,” Reutzel relates.  “I thought I was leading for a little bit, then I saw (Andy) McElhannon way out front.”

The chase was on as Reutzel tried to reel in McElhannon for the top spot.

“I ran him down and got right behind him, then the caution comes out,” Reutzel says.

The caution proved costly, with Reutzel relaying that, “We’re rolling around under caution and it got the top dirty.  Then it took another four or five laps to get the top going again.”

At this point, running the top side is not without significant risks.  “It’s almost pure wall at this point, it’s getting real sketchy,” Reutzel relates.

Sketchy or not, Reutzel is making it work to his advantage.  “We got to him and we’re passing for the lead between him and the wall and another caution comes out!”

Into the final handful of laps and with little time to get the top side going again, Reutzel had a choice to make; go for the win or ride for second.

Going for the win and the bonus money was the only real option.

“I tried a Hail Mary on the top, hit the fence and almost turned it over,” Reutzel comments.  “We took the chance and ended up coming across in fifth.”

With an exciting weekend of action in Mississippi in the books, Reutzel and crew will take a week off before taking on the World of Outlaws at the famed Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX, on March 22-23.

The WoO double at Devil’s Bowl Speedway will mark the first of six consecutive scheduled Outlaw events until Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour action resumes on Thursday night, May 5, at Kansas City’s Lakeside Speedway.

2016 Quick Stats:  22 races, 2 wins, 6 top-fives, 10 top-tens.

Up Next: World of Outlaws Sprint Cars at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX, on April 22-23.

Keep Track:  Keep track of Aaron Reutzel’s on-track action including schedule and results at http://www.aaronreutzelracing.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aaron-Reutzel-Racing/117666254913127 or on Twitter at @AaronReutzel.  You can also e-mail Aaron at aaronreutzel@yahoo.com.

If you would like Aaron Reutzel Racing press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.

Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on www.sprintcarmania.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events.  For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.

Clauson Captures Pair of “Circular Insanity” Runner-Up Finishes

Lonnie Wheatley, FARMINGTON, Mo. (April 14, 2016) – So you want to race 200 times in one year?

Better come prepared with Plans B and C and then some in those cases when the original blueprint gets blown away.

That’s what Bryan Clauson and his teams managed to do this past weekend, salvaging a pair of races to run the “Circular Insanity Tour” season total to 38 races after the original plans of Sprint Car and Midget double duty at the Kokomo Grand Prix fell early in the week and then Plan B of an NSL 360-410 weekend double in southwest Iowa fell victim to Mother Nature as well.

Plan C called for turning the rig south with Clauson and Matt Wood’s Elk Grove Ford/Cancer Treatment Centers of America No. 17w Sprint Car taking in a Friday night ASCS Red River Region event at Creek County Speedway near Tulsa, OK, and then traveling back northeast up I-44 for some St. Francois County Raceway action at Farmington, MO, on Saturday night.

The efforts paid off with a pair of runner-up finishes, though the driver would have preferred to add another “W” or two to the ledger that already includes eight wins on the season.

“It was a successful week, I felt like we were in a position to win both,” Clauson comments.  “We were in position but just couldn’t close the deal.  When you’re that close the wins will start coming, especially when you’re racing 200 times.”

With temperatures beginning to climb, racing schedules accordingly become fuller.  Clauson and company have four races in three days on the slate for this upcoming weekend beginning with Friday night’s USAC Sprint Car event at Indiana’s Bloomington Speedway aboard the Cancer Treatment Centers of America/Jonathan Byrd’s Restaurant & Hospitality Group No. 63 non-wing Sprint Car.  Clauson has topped the last three USAC Sprint Car events at Bloomington.

From there, the rest of the weekend will be back in the Elk Grove Ford/Cancer Treatment Centers of America No. 17w winged Sprint Car for double duty at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway on Saturday night in both 410-ci and 360-ci action and then Sunday’s $5,000-to-win ASCS Warrior Region season opener at Sedalia’s Missouri State Fair Speedway.

Race 37

No Kokomo, no southeast Iowa.  Warmer temperatures awaited in Oklahoma where Bryan Clauson made his first Creek County Speedway start since 2008.  After a convincing heat race win, Clauson started the feature from the pole position and chased Seth Bergman for the lead throughout, ultimately settling for second.

“Creek County was fun, it widened out some for the feature but the top was still so fast it was hard to make any real moves.  If we could have got to traffic, I think it would have been a fun race between myself, the 23 car (Bergman) and the 52 (Blake Hahn).  Every time we got to the tail of the field, a caution came out so we never got to make a good run for the lead.”

Race 38

Four hundred miles up the road and an engine switch from 360-ci to 410-ci power, Farmington’s St. Francois County Raceway awaited.  A similar scenario played out, this time with Clauson working his way forward from fifth and coming up just short of a win after trying a slider to take it all on the final lap. 

“It was similar to the night before, again the top was the fastest way around.  We started fifth this time so it took about one-third of the race to get towards the front.  We had a long run that let us get to him (Brad Loyet) in traffic.  I slid it in there in three and four on the last lap but it didn’t stick.  That was one that we needed 26 laps to get the win.”

At the doorstep of 20% of the way through “Circular Insanity”, it’s Indiana, Iowa and Missouri on the slate for this weekend.

2016 Circular Insanity Tour Quick Stats:  38 races, 8 wins, 17 top-fives, 28 top-tens.

Up Next:

Friday – USAC Sprint Cars at Indiana’s Bloomington Speedway (Cancer Treatment Centers of America/Jonathan Byrd’s No. 63 Sprint Car

Saturday – Knoxville (IA) Raceway season opener (Elk Grove Ford/Cancer Treatment Centers of America No. 17w in both 410-ci and 360-ci competition)

Sunday – ASCS Warrior Region at Sedalia’s Missouri State Fair Speedway (Elk Grove Ford/Cancer Treatment Centers of America No. 17w)

Keep Track:  Keep track of Bryan Clauson’s 2016 Circular Insanity Tour at www.bryanclauson.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bryanclausonracing/?fref=ts and on Twitter at @bryanclausoninc.

If you would like Bryan Clauson “Circular Insanity Tour” press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.

Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on www.sprintcarmania.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events.  For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.