7/5/2019
Aaron Reutzel
Reutzel Racks Up another All Star Win – Continues Title Defense with Pair of Events this Weekend
Lonnie Wheatley, CLUTE, Texas (July 5, 2019) – Aaron Reutzel racked up perhaps one of his more impressive wins in All Star Circuit of Champions competition at Joliet’s Dirt Track at Route 66 last Saturday.
Then he stormed eastward and picked off a pair of top-five finishes in Pennsylvania Speedweek competition.
Now, Reutzel and the Baughman-Reutzel Motorsports No. 87 Sprint Car team resume their All Star Circuit of Champions with a pair of events along the Western Pennsylvania / Eastern Ohio border this weekend at Sarver’s Lernerville Speedway on Friday night and then Hartford’s Sharon Speedway on Saturday night.
Reutzel raced to victory lane at both venues during last year’s championship campaign aboard the Folkens Brothers Trucking/Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution Triple-X entry.
“We had good runs at both tracks last year, so hopefully that means we can have another good weekend,” Reutzel commented.
After the first of last weekend’s pair of All Star events fell victim to rain at Illinois’s Jacksonville Speedway, Reutzel romped to victory lane at Joliet the next night for the second year in a row aboard the Precision Catalyst/Hollywood Blasting & Coating/Beard Equipment machine.
And he did it the hard way after a Dash tumble that had the team prepared to break out the backup car and start at the tail.
“I got in on the cushion and half spun, and when you’re going that fast the half spin turns into a flip,” Reutzel explains. “When I got back to the trailer, our guys were already rolling out the backup and it was ready to go.”
Further examination made the team reconsider their options.
“When the car got back, we looked it over and it was mostly just bolt on stuff so we decided to fix it and at least hang on to the eighth starting position,” Reutzel says. “It turned out to be a really good decision.”
Reutzel wasted little time rallying through the field and stormed on to an easy All Star victory for the fifth time this season and sixth overall of 2019 in the Nattress Construction/Momentum Racing Suspensions machine.
“I got up to third and was closing in on Paul (McMahan) and I kept seeing Kyle (Larson) more and more before we had a red,” Reutzel said before a mid-race red flag occurred.
Reutzel raced into the lead in short order when action resumed and was well in command the rest of the way. “We have had a good car there the last two years, that place has been good for us,” Reutzel said of the Joliet clay oval.
Reutzel then took in his first of three legs of Pennsylvania Speedweek competition on Monday night at Lincoln Speedway and promptly turned in the night’s quickest time.
A bad redraw for the feature made for a challenge, with Reutzel ultimately finishing out the night in fifth.
“We drew the seven for the feature and then there was always people racing for position right ahead of us so it made it hard to get anywhere,” Reutzel recalls. “We finally had a couple of cautions late and I was able to get up to fourth. I tried to make a move after the last caution to move up but it cost us a spot and we ended up fifth.”
Moving on to Grandview Speedway on Tuesday night, it was more of the same with early speed netting a heat race win and a similar feature redraw netting another fifth place finish.
“It was about exactly the same as Lincoln,” Reutzel says. “We were good at times of the race; at one point we were there with the lead group. It was just hard to get going anywhere though consistently.”
Reutzel finished out his portion of Pennsylvania Speedweek at Port Royal Speedway on Wednesday and ended the night early with a cut tire.
“We missed it some in qualifying and then had a good heat race,” Reutzel says. “We were racing for position in the feature and got into it with someone and cut the right rear tire, so that was the end of our night.”
Back on the All Star trail this weekend, Reutzel looks to open his points lead as he chases a second consecutive series title.
2019 Quick Stats: 37 races, 6 wins, 14 top-fives, 22 top-tens.
Next Up: All Star Circuit of Champions Lernerville Speedway (Sarver, PA) on Friday and Sharon Speedway (Hartford, OH) on Saturday. For those unable to attend, all three nights will be available live via PPV at www.speedshifttv.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.
Article Credit: Lonnie Wheatley