12/3/2014
Aaron Reutzel
Reutzel Takes Another Win into a Short Off-Season
Lonnie Wheatley, CLUTE, Texas (December 3, 2014) – Aaron Reutzel put an exclamation point on a successful 2014 season with his ninth overall win of the year during Friday night’s Thanksgiving Bash opener at Southern New Mexico Speedway.
And he nearly finished off the season in truly spectacular fashion, falling just a handful of laps short of the $10,000 winner’s share in Saturday night’s 2014 finale.
“It started out good at least,” Reutzel said of his final weekend of 2014 competition aboard the BC Fundz/Wren Motorsports No. 87 Triple X Sprint Car.
Very good indeed, with the Clute, TX, driver capturing his first career non-wing, 360-ci Sprint Car feature win in Friday’s Las Cruces action. It was also Reutzel’s second win of the month at Southern New Mexico Speedway after topping the ASCS National event atop the 3/8-mile clay oval.
After winning his heat race, Reutzel started the Friday feature from the front row outside. But, the start didn’t go quite as planned.
“I kinda got run over getting into turn one and we fell back to third,” Reutzel explains. He didn’t stay back there long, though.
“I jumped to the top and it took us three or four laps to get it worked in,” Reutzel says. Once he got the top side worked in, there was no stopping Reutzel in the Momentum Racing Suspensions/Danny Sander Construction/ButlerBuilt machine as he raced to his first wingless win.
With the big Thanksgiving Bash $10,000 winner’s share on the line on Saturday night, Reutzel won his heat race from fourth to earn high point honors for the night. Which, in this case, results in a sixth starting position for the main event with the invert.
“We knew it would take rubber, we just didn’t know exactly when,” Reutzel said of the Thanksgiving Bash 30-lapper.
With rubber imminent, Reutzel wasted little time getting the Basic One Services/Lone Star Hydro Maintenance/Wright Way Logistics machine to the front.
“I went all out right off the bat, I knew we had to get to the front in a hurry,” Reutzel explains. “We got by R.J. (Johnson) and (Ryan) Bernal while they were battling for the lead, we were out front in six or seven laps.”
From there, it was just a matter of getting to the finish line.
“I really wasn’t worried about tires, I was taking care of it and making sure not to abuse the tires,” Reutzel says.
This one wasn’t to be though, as his right rear gave way with five laps to go. It was one of at least a half-dozen right rears among leading contenders to fall short of the 30-lap distance ultimately topped by Dave Darland.
“That was a heartbreaker,” Reutzel laments. “We had it wrapped up, I was more worried about making weight. I was taking it easy and it still blew with five to go.”
Still, the Friday night win followed up by a strong performance on Saturday has Reutzel and crew going into the ‘off-season’ on a positive note.
“It was great to run that well against that caliber of guys,” Reutzel says. “It sure would have been nice to have that $10,000 win though.”
With cars already being sent to the powder coaters and engines being refreshed, the off-season will fly by in the blink of an eye.
After all, the first race of 2015 for Reutzel and the familiar No. 87 Sprint Car team is just 30 days away.
2014 Quick Stats: 66 races, 9 “A” Main wins, 33 top-fives, 43 top-tens.
Up Next: “Winter Heat” Winged 410-ci Sprint Car action at Cocopah Speedway near Yuma, AZ, on January 2-3, 6, 9-10.
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.
(Photo courtesy of Manvel Motorsports)
Article Credit: Lonnie Wheatley
Submitted By: Lonnie Wheatley