From Inside Line Promotions
FRESNO, Calif. (December 4, 2017) – Dominic Scelzi produced a number of monumental moments during his 2017 campaign.
Scelzi earned a trio of feature victories, including winning two of the biggest 360ci winged sprint car events in California and garnering his first career win outside of his home state.
The first trip to Victory Lane came on June 24 at Calistoga Speedway in Calistoga, Calif., where Scelzi drove Nick McColloch’s race car to the victory during the Sprint Car Challenge Tour portion of the $10,000-to-win California Dirt Classic.
“Every successful sprint car driver wins that big one and we did it that night,” Scelzi said. “That was huge for me. It’s the biggest paying 360 race in the state and it was really neat to beat the quality of cars there. It was a very big deal for me and I’m extremely thankful to be the guy to take the trophy home.”
Scelzi was victorious in the Midwest on July 25 at Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway in Dubuque, Iowa, where he piloted his family owned, Roth Motorsports supported car to the triumph during the Sprint Invaders race.
“To race that hard with Terry McCarl was really cool,” he said. “I grew up watching him and he’s become a friend of mine. To battle with him and pick up a win was really neat.”
Scelzi capped his season by winning the Sprint Car Challenge Tour portion of the Tribute to Gary Patterson on Nov. 11 at Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton, Calif.
“Winning the Tribute to Gary Patterson was special because of the history of the race,” he said. “Any racer in California knows how important that race is. Gary was one of the best to come out of California.”
Scelzi also earned the Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the Year Award and his first career podium finish with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series with a third-place result during the famed Gold Cup.
“Being the Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the Year is huge for me,” he said. “I feel like we definitely gained a lot at Knoxville this year. You can only compete for that award once and to take that trophy home means a lot to me.
“We had some strong runs with the Outlaws this season that we didn’t get the results we were in contention to earn. I was extremely happy to run third at such a prestigious race. Racing with the World of Outlaws is pretty tough and getting our first podium was big.
“A big thanks goes to everyone who has supported our team. We have great partners and I have a great family. I also want to thank Brandon and Scotty for their dedication. I’m fortunate to be able to race and I’m grateful we had the success we did in 2017.”
Scelzi looks to continue his momentum this offseason when he will return to Australia to compete for the World Series Sprintcars championship with Wormall Motorsport. Scelzi is slated to compete from Dec. 26 to Feb. 25 before he will open his season in the United States racing with the World of Outlaws during its West Coast swing in March.