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Lonnie Wheatley, CLUTE, Texas (June 5, 2015) – Going from one set of high banks to another for current Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour points leader Aaron Reutzel is the current situation.
And after a runner-up finish atop the Belleville High Banks in Kansas, a return to Oklahoma’s Salina Highbanks on Saturday could bode well for the driver of the Shark-powered BC Fundz/Basic One Services No. 87 Triple X Sprint Car.
“We’ve always been pretty fast there,” Reutzel says of the Salina, OK, speedplant. “We were fast at last year’s ASCS race before we broke and then we were strong last month with the Outlaws there so hopefully we can keep it up.”
Reutzel takes to Salina fresh off one of few tracks faster after the ASCS debut atop the Belleville High Banks on Sunday.
Reutzel landed the pole for Sunday’s 25-lap feature aboard the Wren Motorsports/Momentum Racing Suspensions machine after a strong heat race run.
“It was getting close to the top, so we geared the car to run the top,” Reutzel said of the Belleville feature strategy in the Dissolvealloy Frac Ball Revolution machine.
And it was working ideally, with Reutzel leading the way handily over the first half of the race aboard the Danny Sander Construction/ButlerBuilt machine.
Then lapped traffic played a role in a most unexpected manner.
“I got to lapped traffic and went to slide someone and found the rubber on the bottom,” Reutzel explains.
Finding that rubber proved the difference in the race.
“I thought we found the rubber and we were gold,” Reutzel explains. “I could feel it lugging some but I thought we’d be okay in the rubber, then there went Brian (Brown) on the high side. He had so much momentum it was faster than being in the rubber.”
Reutzel settled for strong second place finish in the Lone Star Hydro Maintenance/Wright Way Logistics mount to maintain a 55-point lead in the $60,000 Lucas Oil ASCS National title chase.
“I kind of wish we wouldn’t have found the rubber though,” Reutzel laughs afterward.
The runner-up finish came as a strong rebound after falling out of Saturday night’s Eagle Nationals in Nebraska while running among the top five.
“I’m not sure what we had there,” Reutzel said of the Eagle run. “We started third and were in fifth. It was a little rough up top so I was trying to burn off some fuel before moving up there and trying that out.”
He never got the chance to test the upper portion of the Eagle oval.
“It just quit running,” Reutzel said of the Eagle go.
But after bouncing back with a runner-up finish at Belleville, Reutzel looks to carry that momentum into Saturday’s card at the Salina Highbanks before Speedweek begins seven nights later at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX.
2015 Quick Stats: 27 races, 6 wins, 15 top-fives, 17 top-tens.
Up Next: Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour action at Oklahoma’s Salina Highbanks Speedway on Saturday night.
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.
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