(Photo by DRP)
Inside Line Promotions – STOCKTON, Calif. (April 17, 2018) – Giovanni Scelzi scored his first top-five result of the season last Friday before topping that by earning his first podium finish of the year on Saturday.
The weekend began for Scelzi and his family owned, Roth Motorsports supported No. 41 team on Friday at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif., during a Taco Bravo Sprints show. Scelzi qualified third quickest, finished third in a heat race and ended third in the dash to line up on the inside of the second row for the A Main.
“The track was rough around the bottom and then the top blew off,” he said. “I was one of the first guys to find the top. I was up to fourth when I smoked a hole and almost turned it over. It bounced up on the right front and luckily sat back down.”
Scelzi lost several positions during the close call, but he rebounded during the second half of the race by maneuvering back into the top five before recording a fifth-place result. Here is a link to watch the main event: https://youtu.be/XcLFSK-2ZuA.
“It’s a track I haven’t felt great at in the past so to get more comfortable and have speed was good,” he said.
The weekend concluded on Saturday at Stockton Dirt Track during the 3rd annual Jimmy Sills Classic, which was a Sprint Car Challenge Tour event that featured 53 competitors.
“We drew the No. 80 out of 80 pills so we were the last to qualify, but we timed in well for going out so late,” he said. “We moved forward in the heat and won the dash so everything set up well.”
Scelzi qualified 14th quickest overall and second best in his group. A runner-up result in his heat race advanced Scelzi into the dash, which he won after starting on the outside of the front row.
Scelzi continued the strong performance throughout the 30-lap A Main until his older brother, Dominic, made a race-winning pass with three laps remaining.
“The cautions fell at good times for me when we got to traffic,” he said. “We led 27 laps. Dominic showed me his nose and I got timid and tried to protect. I was around the bottom in turns one and two and he had momentum going down the backstretch and slid me into turn three.”
A caution came out a lap later and gave Dominic a clear track to pull away for the victory.
“It was definitely not what I wanted to see, but if I’m going to be beat I’m glad it was a team car,” Giovanni Scelzi said. “It’s one thing to lead a race and it’s another to win it. On a positive note to have a good night all the way through at Stockton was good for us.”
Scelzi ended third to garner his first podium of the season. Here is a link to watch the race: https://youtu.be/ME0WqI3sbMk.
He will return to Paul Silva’s No. 57 sprint car sponsored by Richard and Jennifer Marshall’s Priority Aviation Services this Friday at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif., and Saturday at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., with the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series.
QUICK RESULTS –
April 13 – Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif. – Qualifying: 3; Heat race: 3 (4); Dash: 3 (2); Feature: 5 (3).
April 14 – Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton, Calif. – Qualifying: 14; Heat race: 2 (3); Dash: 1 (2); Feature: 3 (1).
SEASON STATS –
9 races, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s, 5 top 15s, 7 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif., and Saturday at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., with the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.GaryScelziMotorsports.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GioScelzi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gary-Scelzi-Motorsports/225890834113599
VIDEO –
Here is a link to a highlight and promotional video: https://youtu.be/RjDQszUzoe0
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Priority Aviation Services
Priority Aviation Services, which is based in San Antonio, Texas, focuses on three areas in aviation – managing planes, providing pilots for private plane owners and brokerage.
“Richard and Jennifer Marshall of Priority Aviation Services have quickly become much more than a sponsor,” Scelzi said. “I appreciate their friendship and support, and I can’t wait to take advantage of the opportunity they have helped provide.”
Scelzi would also like to thank Whipple Superchargers, Fuel Delivery Services, Inc., Scelzi Enterprises, Red Rose Transportation, Inc., Carlucci Transport, Roth Motorsports, Panella Trucking, NAPA Auto Parts, Red Line Oil, Schoenfeld Headers, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, FK Rod Ends, Todd Jorgensen, Sparco, Simpson Race Products, Worldwide Bearings, K&N Filters, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Weld Wheels, Meridian Steel, Kenny’s Components, Auto Meter, Allstar Performance, DJS Safe Seats, Blast Tech, Arctic Cat and Southern Pacific Farms for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on Apr 17, 2018
- Article Date: 4/17/2018 by Inside Line Promotions