By Gary Thomas
Stockton, CA – April 13, 2019…Going into the weekend Fresno’s Gio Scelzi had never won a main event at the Stockton Dirt Track. That all changed in a big way however, after the 17-year-old swept both ends of the second annual Asparagus Cup to go home with $25,000 for two nights of work.
It marked the second and third wins of Scelzi’s career with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards, tying him with brother Dominic, Shane Golobic and Mitchell Faccinto for the most all-time. His victory came aboard the Scelzi Enterprise/ Panella Trucking No. 41 machine.
“We had a great car all weekend long so I can’t thank Bernie and this whole team enough,” Scelzi said to infield announcer PJ Petersen. “I got around Colby there early on just focused on running my own race through lapped traffic. It feels pretty awesome to walk out of Stockton with 25-grand for the weekend.”
The A-main started out with High Sierra Industries Dash winner Colby Copeland jumping into the lead. The driver of Canales Racing No. 5c led the opening six-laps before Scelzi sliced under him on lap seven to grab the top-spot. After that Scelzi worked lapped traffic like a magician and was never seriously challenged again, en route to taking the Ed Entz checkered flag. San Jose’s Tim Kaeding had a fine run to finish in the second spot at the helm of the Josh Bates Motorsports No. 42x, while two-time Sprint Car Challenge Tour champion Kyle Hirst completed the podium aboard the Tiner-Hirst Ent. No. 94.
Copeland crossed the stripe in fourth with Hollister’s Tony Gualda completing the top-five. The top-10 was rounded out by Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, Hollister’s Ryan Bernal, Fremont’s Shane Golobic, Rutherford’s Rico Abreu and Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox. Golobic earned the Pit Stop USA Hard Charger Award by carving his way from 22nd to eighth.
Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto captured the Ti 22 Performance B-main and as mentioned Copeland won the High Sierra Industries Dash. All Star Performance Heat one went to Roseville’s Willie Croft, A.R.T. Speed Equipment Heat two was won by Tony Gualda, BR Motorsports Heat three was snagged by Sutter’s Logan Seavey and King Racing Products Heat four went to Ryan Bernal. Willie Croft opened the evening by earning the Quick Time Mortgage/ ADCO Driveline and Custom Exhaust Fast Time Award, clocking a blistering fast 14.149 second lap. A total of 37 cars were on hand to finish off the Asparagus Cup.
Full results from the night can be viewed at https://speedhive.mylaps.com/Events/1644749…
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards will return to action on Saturday April 27th at the Petaluma Speedway in Petaluma, California.
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour is proudly sponsored by Elk Grove Ford, Abreu Vineyards, Hoosier Racing Tires, Kyle Larson Racing, All Star Performance, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Pit Stop USA, Auto Meter, ADCO Driveline and Custom Exhaust, Bullard Construction, Bullet Impressions Inc., Chris Kenner Racing Specialties, CLT Logging, CRV Carbon Solutions, D&D Roofing, Garth Moore Insurance and Financial Services, High Sierra Industries, Keizer Wheels, Kevin Sharrah Designs, Moto Wear, Metal Works, PT Shocks, Quick Time Mortgage and Solar, SprintCarUnlimited.com, Ti 22 Performance and Walker Performance Filtration.
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour is operated under the Russell Motorsports Inc. banner, which also manages the Placerville Speedway in Placerville, California. For sponsorship opportunities and inquiries, RMI can be reached at 530-344-7592 or office@sprintcarchallengetour.com
More information on the Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards can be found at our official website www.sprintcarchallengetour.com – Be sure to also like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sprintcarchallengetour and follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/360SCCT for the latest breaking news regarding SCCT. You can also find us on Instagram by searching scct360.