By T.J. Buffenbarger
PLYMOUTH, In. (August 17, 2019) — Aaron Reutzel bounced back from a disappointing night where his main event run ended early on Friday to win the main event Saturday with the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 at the Plymouth Speedway. Reutzel started on the front row and led every lap holding off a late race challenge by Brock Zearfoss through slower traffic for the victory. The win was Reutzel’s seventh of the year with the All Stars and ended a recent stretch of bad luck for the driver from Clute, Texas.
“It feels good. I feel like my guys do their job night in and night out and we put ourselves in contention to win, but we can’t control what other people do,” said Reutzel of his recent stretch of unusual problems occurring. “It just feels good to finally get a win and be able to seal the deal.”
Retuzel was strong from the start but felt was critical of himself for letting up on his pace through some of the slower cars in the mid- point of the race.
“I felt like the first half of the lapped cars I got through fast,” said Reutzel. “ I didn’t feel like anyone got through as fast as I did so I kind of slowed my pace down and I got to a few lapped cars that weren’t sure where they were going. I felt like that was a safe move, but after talking to my guys I probably should have kept my pace up a bit because (Zearfoss) was coming.”
Reutzel and Gerard McIntyre started on the front row for the 30-lap main event. After racing side by side through the first two corners Reutzel drove to the lead off turn two. McIntyre found himself in a torrid race for second with Zearfoss and Dale Blaney until the caution appeared on lap seven for a spin by Max Stambaugh in turn two.
Retuzel pulled away during the restart while Zearfoss continued to race with McIntyre for the second position. Zearfoss took the spot at the end of lap nine with a daring pass on the outside of the track coming off turn four.
Zearfoss quickly closed in on Reutzel on lap 17, but Reutzel was able to get away in traffic while Zearfoss was blocked in. Zearfoss quickly recovered and closed in on Reutzel in the closing laps, but Reutzel was able to quickly dispose of several slower cars that Zearfoss was unable to navigate and pulled away for the victory.
Reutzel felt that slide job of the slower cars at the end was as much preventing someone else doing that to him as much as it was getting through traffic.
“They finally got a gap between them and the last lap if someone was there that was their time to throw a bonzi slider,” said Reutzel. “So, I made sure I was the one throwing the sliders.”
Zearfoss held on for second while Greg Wilson made a late race charge to round out the podium after starting in the eighth spot.
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1
Plymouth Speedway
Plymouth, IN
Saturday August 17, 2019
Qualifying:
1. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 12.233[20]
2. 70X-Justin Peck, 12.387[21]
3. 11-Dale Blaney, 12.427[2]
4. 26-Cory Eliason, 12.490[14]
5. 71P-Parker Price-Miller, 12.510[15]
6. 99-Skylar Gee, 12.546[8]
7. 70-Brock Zearfoss, 12.664[5]
8. W20-Greg Wilson, 12.732[26]
9. 11N-Buddy Kofoid, 12.751[13]
10. 07-Gerard McIntyre Jr, 12.777[11]
11. 13-Paul McMahan, 12.791[6]
12. 21-Brinton Marvel, 12.802[1]
13. 71M-Paul May, 12.828[24]
14. 49-Shawn Dancer, 12.854[23]
15. 14-Tony Stewart, 12.933[12]
16. 98-Chad Boespflug, 12.941[17]
17. 16C-Gregg Dalman, 13.082[3]
18. 4K-Kody Kinser, 13.256[19]
19. 97-Max Stambaugh, 13.288[9]
20. 14S-Garrett Saunders, 13.294[4]
21. 4-Danny Smith, 13.354[16]
22. 40-George Hobaugh Jr., 13.472[7]
23. 18-Josh Shantz, 13.519[10]
24. 71E-Tyler Esh, 13.570[22]
25. 18S-Micheal Summers, 13.753[25]
26. I07-Mark Coldren, 14.052[18]
Heat Race #1 (10 Laps)
1. 13-Paul McMahan, [1]
2. 70-Brock Zearfoss, [2]
3. 99-Skylar Gee, [3]
4. 11-Dale Blaney, [4]
5. 21-Brinton Marvel, [5]
6. 97-Max Stambaugh, [7]
7. 16C-Gregg Dalman, [6]
8. 40-George Hobaugh Jr., [9]
9. 14S-Garrett Saunders, [8]
Heat Race #2 (10 Laps)
1. 11N-Buddy Kofoid, [2]
2. 07-Gerard McIntyre Jr, [1]
3. 26-Cory Eliason, [4]
4. 14-Tony Stewart, [5]
5. 71P-Parker Price-Miller, [3]
6. 4-Danny Smith, [7]
7. 98-Chad Boespflug, [6]
8. 18-Josh Shantz, [8]
9. I07-Mark Coldren, [9]
Heat Race #3 (10 Laps)
1. 70X-Justin Peck, [3]
2. W20-Greg Wilson, [2]
3. 87-Aaron Reutzel, [4]
4. 71M-Paul May, [1]
5. 49-Shawn Dancer, [5]
6. 71E-Tyler Esh, [7]
7. 18S-Micheal Summers, [8]
DNS: 4K-Kody Kinser,
Dash (6 Laps)
1. 87-Aaron Reutzel, [2]
2. 07-Gerard McIntyre Jr, [1]
3. 11-Dale Blaney, [3]
4. 70-Brock Zearfoss, [4]
5. 13-Paul McMahan, [5]
6. 70X-Justin Peck, [7]
7. 11N-Buddy Kofoid, [6]
8. W20-Greg Wilson, [8]
B-Main (8 Laps)
1. 98-Chad Boespflug, [1]
2. 16C-Gregg Dalman, [2]
3. 40-George Hobaugh Jr., [5]
4. 14S-Garrett Saunders, [7]
5. I07-Mark Coldren, [8]
6. 18-Josh Shantz, [6]
7. 18S-Micheal Summers, [3]
DNS: 4K-Kody Kinser,
A-Main (30 Laps)
1. 87-Aaron Reutzel, [1]
2. 70-Brock Zearfoss, [4]
3. W20-Greg Wilson, [8]
4. 07-Gerard McIntyre Jr, [2]
5. 70X-Justin Peck, [6]
6. 14-Tony Stewart, [12]
7. 13-Paul McMahan, [5]
8. 11-Dale Blaney, [3]
9. 99-Skylar Gee, [10]
10. 26-Cory Eliason, [9]
11. 11N-Buddy Kofoid, [7]
12. 71M-Paul May, [11]
13. 71P-Parker Price-Miller, [13]
14. 97-Max Stambaugh, [16]
15. 49-Shawn Dancer, [15]
16. 4-Danny Smith, [17]
17. 98-Chad Boespflug, [19]
18. 21-Brinton Marvel, [14]
19. 16C-Gregg Dalman, [20]
20. 40-George Hobaugh Jr., [21]
21. 71E-Tyler Esh, [18]
22. 14S-Garrett Saunders, [22]
23. 18-Josh Shantz, [24]
24. I07-Mark Coldren, [23]