4/2/2015
Aaron Reutzel
Reutzel Goes from Border to River
Lonnie Wheatley, CLUTE, Texas (April 2, 2015) – Aaron Reutzel didn’t quite find victory lane in last weekend’s 305 Shootout at Southern New Mexico Speedway, but it certainly wasn’t from lack of trying as the driver of the Shark-powered BC Fundz/Basic One Services No. 87 Triple X Sprint Car posted another pair of podium finishes over the weekend.
Up next for the Clute, TX, racer, this weekend marks the first of two consecutive weeks of competition with the ASCS Red River Region before action resumes on the Lucas ASCS National trail for the current series points leader.
With Red River action up next for the Wren Motorsports/Momentum Racing Suspensions team, a weekend of 305 action near the border at Las Cruces, NM, was a wild one.
“We were plenty fast, circumstances just didn’t quite work out,” Reutzel said.
After advancing to finish second in Friday night’s heat race aboard the Dissolvealloy Frac Ball Revolution machine to land in the redraw, Reutzel started the 305 Shootout preliminary feature in fifth. But, before a lap was done, Reutzel already had issues after another car climbed his front end and left the nose wing mangled and hanging by a mere thread.
“We just got caught up in someone else’s trouble on that one,” Reutzel said.
After a quick trip to the pit area to make hasty repairs and then another stop after a caution two laps later, Reutzel had the Danny Sander Construction/ButlerBuilt machine on the move.
Slicing through the field, Reutzel rallied from 21st to sixth in the nine-lap stretch between cautions after lap two and then lap eleven. Over the final half of the race, Reutzel worked his way into the lead mix before ultimately crossing the stripe third to finish off the spectacular drive from the tail of the field.
“I’m just glad they put on these big shows so we can come here and show ‘em what’s up,” Reutzel said on the frontstretch afterward.
Friday’s tremendous run from the tail was later nullified though, as track officials eventually disallowed the finish due to pitting outside of the ‘designated work area’.
“An official told me it was okay to work on the car when it happened, then they decided different after the race,” Reutzel said.
So, rather than being locked into Saturday night’s $5,000-to-win 305 Shootout finale, Reutzel found himself on the outside looking in.
No matter though, as the Clute, TX, racer needed little more than a lap aboard the Lone Star Hydro Maintenance/Wright Way Logistics machine to race from sixth into the lead en route to winning his heat race.
The impressive heat race run put Reutzel atop the night’s heat race points and put him into the feature redraw, where he pulled the six pill to start third row outside.
While the Southern New Mexico Speedway clay oval offered up multiple grooves in Friday’s prelim, that wasn’t so much the case in Saturday’s finale with the low line clearly the preferred groove.
Reutzel still tried to make the top side work. And, with the assistance of lapped traffic, it nearly paid off before Reutzel was forced to settle for runner-up honors. A late caution negated traffic as a factor with just six laps to go in the 30-lapper.
“If that caution wouldn’t have come out, I think we might have had a chance to get the win,” Reutzel surmised.
With Las Cruces in the rearview mirror after finishes of third and second, Reutzel makes his first visit to the Red River Speedway in Wichita Falls, TX, on Friday.
“I watched a little bit of video of Red River Speedway and it looks like a pretty racy place, I’m looking forward to racing there,” Reutzel said.
With four triumphs to his credit already this season, Reutzel carries a streak of nine consecutive top-five finishes into this weekend’s action.
2015 Quick Stats: 16 races, four wins, 11 top-fives, 11 top-tens.
Up Next: ASCS Red River Region action at Red River Speedway in Wichita Falls, TX, on Friday night.
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.
Article Credit: Lonnie Wheatley
Submitted By: Lonnie Wheatley
