Sevens are Wild for Bellm

Lonnie Wheatley, NIXA, Mo. (July 22, 2015) – Seven seems to be the number sticking to the driver of the  PPG Automotive Finishes/Colorvision No. 14k Sprint Car, as Kyle Bellm posted a pair of seventh-place finishes in Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour points this past weekend in Montana.

The leading Rookie of the Year contender, Bellm is also ranked seventh in series points going into this week’s events at Wyoming’s Gillette Thunder Speedway on Wednesday night and then Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, SD, on Friday.

It’s a ranking Bellm looks to improve upon over the latter portion of the season.

“Fifth is still within reach, we just have to put together some good runs the rest of the way,” Bellm said.

If the past weekend is any indication, climbing another couple of positions or so on the point charts is well within reach for the driver of the Schure Built Suspensions/Christian County Collision Repair Sprint Car.

Bellm rallied forward from 12th to seventh in Friday’s feature at Electric City Speedway in Great Falls, MT, and then ranked as the High Point driver after Saturday heat race action at Billings Motorsports Park before a packed right rear wheel forced him to settle for seventh again after running among the top five most of the way in the feature event.

“It was a good weekend, we’re getting closer to getting a win,” Bellm says. 

Bellm’s first Big Sky action was Friday at Great Falls’ Electric City Speedway, where he climbed a handful of positions in the feature after advancing from eighth to fifth in his heat.

“The track was fast after the rain delay,” Bellm says.  “It was pretty narrow so it was tough to pass, but we finally managed to pick up a few positions.”

From there, action continued at Billings Motorsports Park on Saturday night where the Bybee Lawn Care/Dynotech Racing Engines machine was dialed in.

“We were good, we should have been a top-five car at the very least,” Bellm comments.

After racing from fourth to win his heat race and earn top point honors for the night, Bellm redrew the six to start third row outside in the feature.

An early slide job would prove to be detrimental for the driver of the Scheaffer’s Oil machine later in the event.

“I slid someone on probably the fourth or fifth lap, hit the cushion and it knocked the mud cover off,” Bellm explains.  “The wheel filled with mud and the vibration was terrible the rest of the race.”

Still holding on among the top five despite the vibration, Bellm was ultimately fortunate to escape with a seventh place finish.

“It vibrated so much that it cracked the wheel and air was leaking out,” Bellm says.  “We were fifth on the last caution but the tire was almost flat, we were able to limp it home though.”

With another pair of top-tens in the books, Bellm makes his first Wyoming start on Wednesday night before tackling Black Hills Speedway on Friday.

“I’m looking forward to this Wyoming track, I hear it’s in between the size of the two tracks we were just at so we should be good,” Bellm explains.  “Hopefully we can make a good week of it and get a couple of top-fives.”

Up Next: Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour action at Wyoming’s Gillette Thunder Speedway on Wednesday night and Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, SD, on Friday night.

Keep Track:  Keep track of Kyle Bellm’s on-track action including schedule and results at http://www.kylebellm.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KyleBellmRacing?fref=ts or on Twitter at @kylebellmracing.

If you would like Kyle Bellm 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.

Reutzel Reaches Victory Lane in Montana – Set for Three Races in Four Days this Week

Lonnie Wheatley, CLUTE, Texas (July 22, 2015) – The weekend sweep, it was oh so close for Aaron Reutzel.

The Clute, TX, racer fell just one position short of sweeping the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour weekend of competition in Montana aboard the Shark-powered BC Fundz/Basic One Services No. 87 Triple X Sprint Car with a win at Great Falls’ Electric City Speedway on Friday night and then a runner-up finish at Billings Motorsports Park on Saturday.

It was another stellar weekend that kept Reutzel and the Wren Motorsports/Momentum Racing Suspensions team atop the $60,000 ASCS National Tour title chase.

Reutzel will try to build upon that lead with another pair of events this week beginning Wednesday night at Wyoming’s Gillette Thunder Speedway and then Friday at Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, SD, before making a return engagement aboard the Roth Motorsports No. 83sr for Saturday’s King of the West 410-ci Sprint Car Series “Peter Murphy Classic” at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway.

This past weekend started out with a bit of luck.

“We drew a good heat and we were lucky that we did because the car was way too tight,” Reutzel said.  “Had we been in a different heat, I don’t know that we could have gone forward.” 

Reutzel took advantage, advancing from sixth to second to make the redraw.  And then he and crew member Don Grable learned from that heat race.

“We got it loosened up,” Reutzel says.  “Then it started raining a little, so we loosened it up some more.”

It proved to be the right move for the Dissolvealloy Frac Ball Revolution team.

“It seemed like we were about the only ones that were good in the feature, everyone else was all balled up,” Reutzel said.

After starting fourth, Reutzel quickly made his way to second before ultimately chasing down Phil Dietz in traffic to capture his eighth overall win of the year aboard the Danny Sander Construction/ButlerBuilt machine.

“With the rain it was a little narrow, we were just able to go through traffic a little better than Phil did,” Reutzel said.

Reutzel carried that momentum over to Saturday night’s event at Billings Motorsports Park, where he very nearly completed the weekend sweep aboard the Lone Star Hydro Maintenance/Wright Way Logistics Sprint Car.

“We were close to it, we just got to racing with Wayne (Johnson) for second and Johnny (Herrera) got away,” Reutzel explains.

After winning his heat race, Reutzel started fifth in the feature.

By the time he worked his way to second, Herrera was checked out.  “At one point, I couldn’t even see Johnny, he was a half track ahead of us,” Reutzel says.

But Reutzel pressed on and nearly stole the win.

“We tracked him down, I had one shot to try to slide him but I hit the cushion and went through it and he got back by,” Reutzel explains.

The battle with Wayne Johnson was the big topic of discussion after the second place finish.

“I thought it was good racing, we put on a good show,” Reutzel says.  “He ran through my nose once, then I slid him, I just raced him the way he raced me.”

“With about anyone else out here, Seth or Johnny or whoever, it would have just been good, hard racing,” Reutzel concludes.

With a successful tour of Big Sky country in the books, it’s time for three races in four days beginning Wednesday night at Gillette Thunder Speedway where Reutzel led all the way last year until a spindle broke with just four laps to go.  Then it’s on to Black Hills Speedway on Friday, a track at which Reutzel posted a podium finish last season.

Reutzel will then jet to the west coast to rejoin forces with the Roth Motorsports team for some 410-ci King of the West action at the always entertaining Thunderbowl Raceway.

2015 Quick Stats:  40 races, 8 wins, 22 top-fives, 29 top-tens.

Up Next: Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour action at Wyoming’s Gillette Thunder Speedway on Wednesday night at Black Hill Speedway in Rapid City, SD, on Friday night before King of the West action aboard the Roth No. 83sr at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway on Saturday.

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.