8/14/2014
Aaron Reutzel
Reutzel Rallies Topless to Fourth; Salina Highbanks up Next!
Lonnie Wheatley, CLUTE, Texas (August 14, 2014) – It wasn’t exactly business as usual for Aaron Reutzel.
A track he’d only been at once before. And this time without a wing, something the Clute, TX racer has done fewer than a dozen times in his career.
The end result for Reutzel and the BC Fundz/Wren Motorsports No. 87 Triple-X team were eye-opening though with a daring charge through the field from 18th to finish fourth in the opening leg of the USAC Southwest Sprint Cars “Freedom Tour” at Lawton Speedway in southwest Oklahoma.
“We finally figured out a few things on the car,” Reutzel said afterward. “That was fun, there were some pretty wild moments along the way.”
After losing the fifth position in his heat race at the line, Reutzel found his Scott Baylor Racing Engines/Basic One Services machine in “B” Main action against a stout field of 34 competitors atop the ¼-mile red clay oval.
Wasting no time, Reutzel maneuvered from third into the lead on the opening lap of the “B” Main and cruised on to an easy win to earn the 18th starting position for the feature aboard the Momentum Racing Suspensions/Danny Sander Construction/ButlerBuilt.
And, with the track slicking off to a treacherous cushion, it was playing right into Reutzel’s hands. In fact, early in the evening, Reutzel had commented that, “I hope it slicks off to a cushion, that’s the kind of track I like with the wingless car.”
Avoiding a couple of early scrambles, Reutzel worked his way up to eighth in the opening seven rounds and was up to fifth before the halfway point.
Reutzel slid past Koby Barskdale for fourth on the 16th round then pressured Mike Martin for third the rest of the way before settling for fourth place and Hard Charger honors.
With a night of wingless action in the books to run his season totals to 22 top-fives and 31 top-tens, it’s back to the business at hand of Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour action Saturday night atop Oklahoma’s Salina Highbanks.
Sitting fifth in ASCS National points with at least a pair of positions within striking distance for the Lone Star Hydro Maintenance/Wright Way Logistics machine, Reutzel looks for win number seven on the year in his first visit to the Salina Highbanks since 2012.
2014 Quick Stats: 44 races, 6 “A” Main wins, 22 top-fives, 31 top-tens.
Up Next: Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour action at the Salina Highbanks in Salina, OK, on Saturday 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 racinboys.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