Lonnie Wheatley, CLUTE, Texas (October 15, 2015) – Just two more weekends of action stand between Aaron Reutzel and the $60,000 Lucas Oil ASCS National championship.
It begins with this weekend’s Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals in Mesquite, TX, on Friday and Saturday before wrapping up with I-30 Speedway’s “Short Track Nationals” in Little Rock, AR, on October 28-31.
First up is the half-mile Devil’s Bowl Speedway clay oval, where Reutzel has finished third in each of the last two editions of the Winter Nationals aboard the Shark-powered BC Fundz/Basic One Services No. 87 Triple X Sprint Car.
“We’ve had good speed there, hopefully we can draw a good number and just go from there,” the Clute, TX, racer commented.
A strong weekend in Mesquite for the driver of the Wren Motorsports/Momentum Racing Suspensions machine would go a long way to remove the bitter taste of last weekend’s Regional action in Kilgore, TX.
“It was a last minute decision to go, I guess I shouldn’t have,” Reutzel said of last Saturday’s ASCS Red River Region event at Kilgore’s Lone Star Speedway.
After a heat race win, a certain podium finish and potential feature win for the driver of the Dissolvealloy Frac Ball Revolution machine came to a premature conclusion with an unprecedented disqualification; a disqualification for what was deemed ‘rough driving under caution’ according to ASCS reports.
“It’s a call that’s never been made in the history of ASCS,” Reutzel says. “And the ASCS official that made the call didn’t even see what happened.”
The controversy occurred as Reutzel was trying to chase down race leader Sam Hafertepe, Jr., in traffic aboard the Danny Sander Construction/ButlerBuilt machine.
Battling with a lapped car, a caution flew just as Reutzel made his way around the backmarker.
“Right after I got by, the caution came out,” Reutzel explains. “I was at the top of the track in turn one, I was waiting for him to come by so I could tell him where I wanted him to go on the restart.”
That didn’t work out though.
“I don’t know if he didn’t see the caution or what but all of a sudden I see a white nose wing, he runs into the side of me and spins himself out,” Reutzel relates.
“Before I get down the backstretch, the official comes on the radio and says I’m disqualified for rough driving,” an exasperated Reutzel recalls. “The guy was behind me, but the official didn’t see what happened.”
“You can’t make a call on an assumption,” Reutzel concludes. “It’s really frustrating when you’re racing for a living and a call like that takes money away from your family.”
Now, with that Regional outing in the rearview mirror, the driver of the Lone Star Hydro Maintenance/Wright Way Logistics machine sets his focus on this weekend’s Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals.
And that’s where he’ll look to add to his six ASCS National Tour wins and 11 overall on the season before trying to move up one position in I-30 Speedway’s Short Track Nationals after a runner-up finish last year.
2015 Quick Stats: 63 races, 11 wins, 30 top-fives, 40 top-tens.
Up Next: Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour action at the Devil’s Bowl Speedway “Winter Nationals” in Mesquite, TX, this Friday and 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.
- Lonnie Wheatley on Oct 15, 2015
- Article Date: 10/15/2015 by Lonnie Wheatley