Lonnie Wheatley, CLUTE, Texas (March 5, 2015) – Florida treated Aaron Reutzel good. Real good.
The Clute, TX, racer finished off his February in Florida by romping to Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour victory lane last Friday night at Ocala’s Bubba Raceway Park aboard the Shark-powered BC Fundz/Basic One Services No. 87 Triple X.
With the triumph, already his third of the year aboard the Wren Motorsports/Momentum Racing Suspensions machine, Reutzel escaped Florida with the early lead in the $60,000 Lucas Oil ASCS National championship points chase.
“About the only bad thing about it was being locked into Saturday’s feature and then getting rained out, we didn’t get a chance to go for the sweep,” Reutzel said of the final Florida weekend of February.
After a prelim win and then a runner-up finish in East Bay’s Ronald Laney Memorial prelim, Reutzel went to Ocala last weekend among the favorites to visit victory lane after posting an All Star Circuit of Champions runner-up finish in the Danny Sander Construction/ButlerBuilt machine atop the egg-shaped oval earlier in the month.
Reutzel didn’t disappoint.
“The heat race was critical, we were able to get around Hafertepe early and that was what we needed,” Reutzel explained. The move from third to second landed him eighth in passing points and in the redraw. “They left us the one, so our luck may be changing with that part.”
Starting from the pole position in the Lone Star Hydro Maintenance/Wright Way Logistics entry, the strategy was simple enough.
“The way the track was, I knew whoever got to the first turn in first would be hard to beat,” Reutzel explained.
Reutzel won the drag race to the first turn and that was all she wrote, with Reutzel setting the pace for all 25 laps.
“I was mainly just trying to care of my tires, I was maybe half throttle most of the race,” Reutzel explained. “When I started getting to traffic, I tried to back off more to stay away from them. I knew nobody could get around us.”
Reutzel was right, taking his second series win of the year in four outings to leave Florida in the rearview mirror with his closest title contender 58 points back.
“It went as well as we could have hoped for,” a happy Reutzel said after the opening pair of ASCS National Tour weekends. “East Bay was tough with so many good cars and then the way Ocala was we could have easily redrawn fifth and run fifth, so we’re pleased with the start.”
After on off weekend at home, Reutzel will take in the initial pair of ASCS Gulf South events at Beaumont and Baytown next weekend before National Tour action resumes with the Devil’s Bowl Spring Nationals in Mesquite, TX, on March 20-21.
2015 Quick Stats: 11 races, three wins, six top-fives, six top-tens.
Up Next: ASCS Gulf South on March 13 at Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, TX, and then March 14 at Battleground Speedway in Highlands, TX.
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.
(Photo courtesy of Chris Seelman)
- Lonnie Wheatley on Mar 05, 2015
- Article Date: 3/5/2015 by Lonnie Wheatley