3/10/2018
Aaron Reutzel
Reutzel Lands First World of Outlaws Feature Win!
Lonnie Wheatley, TULARE, Cal. (March 9, 2018) – The third time indeed proved to be the charm.
Just the third night of action for the newly-formed Baughman-Reutzel Motorsports No. 87 Sprint Car team resulted in a landmark first-career World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car feature victory for Clute, TX, racer Aaron Reutzel.
Reutzel surged over the final portion of Friday night’s 35-lap feature atop the high-banked Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, CA, taking command with just a handful of laps to go en route to capturing the $10,000 triumph aboard the Folkens Brothers Tucking/Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution Triple-X Sprint Car.
It was an emotional win for the past ASCS National champion that has designs on the All Star Circuit of Champions title in 2018 with the new BRM combination.
“I don’t even know what to say, I’m trying not to cry,” Reutzel said upon climbing out of the Precision Catalyst/Hollywood Blasting & Coating/Beard Equipment machine. “This is a dream come true. I’ve run a lot of Outlaw shows since 2015, I think I’ve led two every year since and you start doubting yourself and thinking you can’t do it so this is truly amazing. I’m so lucky to have the people that I have behind me.”
“This really is truly amazing,” Reutzel exclaimed. “It’s something you don’t ever think is gonna happen when you’ve tried for so long. It’s been a dream of mine for a really long time. I’m talking about dream at night, think of everything you can to be in this position.”
“I can’t thank Grant (Boyum) enough,” Reutzel went on to say. “We hired him last year to be our tire guy and he’s turned into one helluva crew chief. This was him tonight. He just kept digging on the car, I kept complaining about it and telling him what I thought was wrong and he worked his butt off.”
The triumph aboard the Nattress Construction/Momentum Racing Suspensions entry was an impressive one by any measure. After starting fourth, Reutzel kept himself among the top handful of cars throughout. As the laps clicked off, Reutzel began to move forward past the halfway point.
Reutzel raced into third on the 23rd round and then made quick work of reigning World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz just three circuits later to move into second. He then reeled in race leader Cory Eliason in short order and finally gained control for keeps on the 31st round after swapping the point on several occasions.
“I knew if I couldn’t pass him right away, I was at least trying to make him think I was running the bottom,” Reutzel explained of the winning move. “I didn’t want to show him my line so it worked out pretty good there.”
Once out front, Reutzel made some nifty moves through traffic to put away his second big win atop the Tulare clay after topping the Peter Murphy Classic in 2015.
“This track is truly special to me,” Reutzel said of the Thunderbowl. “I came here with Dennis Roth and won the Peter Murphy Classic and now I won my first Outlaw show here. It just fits my driving style, gas it up and on the fence.”
Reutzel will get a shot at two in a row atop the Thunderbowl Raceway with another round of World of Outlaws action on Saturday night, weather permitting.
2018 Quick Stats: 3 races, 1 win, 2 top-fives, 2 top-tens.
Up Next: World of Outlaws at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, CA on Saturday. For those unable to catch the action in person, it is available via PPV on www.dirtvision.com.
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.
(Matt Hill Photo)
Article Credit: Lonnie Wheatley