Lonnie Wheatley
CLUTE, Texas (July 1, 2014) – A first time visit to Wichita’s 81 Speedway on Sunday night wasn’t in the original weekend game plan for Aaron Reutzel.
But, when Saturday night’s Twin Features for 360’s at Knoxville Raceway was washed out, plans changed for Reutzel and the Bob and Christie Miller’s Car Parts Machine/Wren Motorsports No. 87 Triple-X team.
“We needed a paycheck,” Reutzel quipped about the decision to take in Sunday night’s NCRA vs. ASCS Sooner Region tilt atop the 3/8-mile 81 Speedway oval near Wichita, KS.
A paycheck is what Reutzel and crew member Ryan Beechler came away with, as Reutzel dominated the field to post his sixth overall feature win of the year, this one worth $2,000.
While Reutzel led every lap in his first visit to the long-standing traditional NCRA venue, it started out in questionable fashion.
“We only got one hot lap in if you could even call it that, so I’m not real sure what to expect,” Reutzel commented before his heat race.
The answer came quickly. Gridding the Momentum Racing Suspensions/Danny Sander Construction/ButlerBuilt machine outside row two of the night’s first heat race, Reutzel stuck to the top side of the track and swooped past front row starters Jake Martens and Josh Baughman in the opening pair of corners en route to winning the 10-lap heat race and earning enough points in the process to earn the pole starting position for the 30-lap feature event.
Reutzel gunned into the lead at the outset of the feature event and had the race well in command throughout despite several close calls with the wall exiting turn two.
“We were a little soft on the right rear, I nearly got into it several times,” Reutzel explained.
Reutzel kept it at ‘close-calls’ only and maintained command, weathering just one caution after 20 laps as he was lapping well into the top ten.
Reaching traffic again in just five laps, Reutzel still went on to his sixth win of the year without challenge aboard the Lone Star Hydro Maintenance/BC Fundz/Wright Way Logistics entry. It was also his 19th top-five and 27th top-ten finish of the year.
“The car was great, I can’t say enough about this team with Ryan (Beechler) working on the car and all the help from Bob and Christie Miller and everyone else involved,” Reutzel said in victory lane.
“It’s been a great year so far, but we were really needing a win right now. It’s nice to get back in victory lane, maybe we can get a few more now,” Reutzel concluded.
The Clute, TX, racer gets four more opportunities to add to the win column this weekend with ASCS Warrior Region events in the “Show-Me State” of Missouri. Events at Double X Speedway in California, MO, where Reutzel posted a recent third place finish, on Thursday and Sunday bookend a Friday card at Fulton’s Callaway Raceway and Saturday action at Moberly’s Randolph County Raceway.
2014 Quick Stats: 34 races, 6 wins, 19 top-fives, 27 top-tens, 7 heat race wins, 4 “B” Main wins.
Up Next: Four times the fun with the ASCS Warrior Region in Missouri at California’s Double X Speedway (Thursday and Sunday), Fulton’s Callaway Raceway (Friday) and Moberly’s Randolph County Raceway.
Keep Track: Keep track of Aaron Reutzel’s on-track action including schedule and results at http://www.aaronreutzelracing.
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.