Gio Scelzi Scheduled for Chili Bowl Debut, Competing in Tuesday’s Preliminary Action!
(Collin Markle Photo)
Tulsa, OK | January 9, 2018 – Preparing to make his Chili Bowl Nationals debut in just his third attempt behind the wheel of a midget, Gio Scelzi, a sensational rising star in the California sprint car ranks, will enter this week as the youngest member of BC’s Dream Team. Driving a NOS Energy Drink, Driven 2 Save Lives No. 57BC entry, Scelzi will compete in preliminary action on Tuesday night with CMR teammate, Tyler Courtney.
“I’m really excited,” exclaimed Scelzi. “I have had quite a bit of experience on that track with micro sprints, so hopefully I can carry that over to midgets. I have the best equipment available, so there are no excuses there. I just have to do my job. If I can put it in the show and run in the top half, I would be pretty happy with that. I think we’ll have a good opportunity to do that if a break or two goes our way.”
A noted rising star for several years, Scelzi quickly made himself known throughout the micro sprint world at an early age. After dominating the local competition in California, Scelzi reached the national scale in 2015 when he triumphed at the Tulsa Shootout. Scoring an A-Class victory over a 200+ entry field, the then 13-year old young man put his name onto the map and has only continued to blow away spectators and competitors alike.
Turning into a hot commodity in the sprint car ranks, Scelzi maneuvered his way through the 360 division and has become a consistent threat week in and week out with the best of the best 410 competitors in California.
Making just his third attempt at midget racing, Scelzi’s second bid came in a familiar spotlight as he made his Clauson-Marshall Racing debut three weeks ago at the Junior Knepper 55 in Du Quoin, Illinois. Falling short of a feature transfer, the 16-year old still showed an unrivaled amount of promise while charging to the front of the B-Main.
Racing in Tuesday’s preliminary night, Scelzi will pilot his NOS Energy Drink, Driven 2 Save Lives No. 57BC alongside a seasoned veteran in CMR teammate, Tyler Courtney. Looking to make a splash in his Chili Bowl debut, make sure to keep your eye on Scelzi all week as he chases the prestigious honor of Chili Bowl Rookie of the Year.
Beginning on Monday, January 8th with a practice day, the 32nd annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals will continue with preliminary nights from Tuesday-Friday with Saturday’s 55-lap main event crowning a new Chili Bowl champion. Stay tuned to the Clauson-Marshall Racing networks throughout the week as we highlight BC’s Dream Team, a stout group of eight competitors vying for a Golden Driller.
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CLAUSON-MARSHALL RACING:
Race on. A saying that Bryan Clauson always related to his father Tim when our sport faced its darkest moments. It’s what racers do, we continue to race on. Following Bryan’s tragic passing in August of 2016, Tim Clauson and Richard Marshall never wavered when they formed Clauson-Marshall Racing. After unveiling a dream team at the 2017 Chili Bowl, CMR shifted focus to USAC. With a trio of Tyler Courtney, Justin Grant and Shane Golobic competing on the national level, along with Zeb Wise in the development ranks of POWRi Midgets and micro sprints, the future at Clauson-Marshall Racing looks brighter than ever. After a successful freshman campaign, the team will be expanding to sprint cars in 2018 as Ryan Newman joined in an ownership role to form Clauson-Marshall-Newman Racing. CMNR will tackle the 2018 USAC National Sprint Car slate with Tyler Courtney behind the wheel.
- Tim Clauson on Jan 09, 2018
- Article Date: 1/9/2018