Inside Line Promotions
MERCED, Calif. (Aug. 2, 2021) – The dream season continued last weekend for Dominic Scelzi, who earned his 16th feature victory of the season on Friday at Ocean Speedway.
Scelzi was on point each time he hit the quarter-mile oval in Watsonville, Calif., where he set quick time out of 19 drivers during qualifying to open the night. Scelzi then gained two positions to finish second in a heat race before duplicating the success in the dash, advancing from sixth to fourth.
“We timed in well going quick time, which is always really good,” he said. “We raced good in the heat race and in the dash. In the main event it took us longer than we would have liked to get to second. When we got there we were within striking distance of (Justin) Sanders when he broke. I’m not saying we would have passed him, but I felt confident we’d have a shot or two at him. It didn’t play out that way where we had to because he broke and we inherited the lead with a few laps to go.”
Scelzi effectively navigated the tricky track throughout the race and was on the rear bumper of the leader when he suddenly stopped in the closing laps. Scelzi dodged a near wreck with the slowing car and then took advantage of a clear track on the restart to pull away for his second straight 360ci sprint car victory at the oval.
“At the beginning of the race the curb was big and choppy,” he said. “There were a couple of guys it bit. As the race went on it got a little easier to run. It took me about halfway through before I ran the top hard. Through turns three and four the last six to eight laps you’d have to enter against it, pull off it in the center and get back against it on the exit. Jimmy (Carr) had the car absolutely perfect.”
The strong weekend continued on Saturday at Merced Speedway, which hosted the Sprint Car Challenge Tour. Scelzi qualified third quickest overall out of 34 drivers and fastest in his group before he maneuvered from fourth to second place in a heat race. A third-place outing in the dash started him on the inside of the second row in the A Main.
“The track was starting to get abrasive,” he said. “I got to second on the start and was all over (Colby) Copeland the entire race. The rubber was too fast. As it moved down the track we were right on his bumper. On the last lap I decided to try to be a hero and run one lane up to sneak by him. I slipped out of it and lost a spot to finish third.
“The way we’re treating this season is you win or you lose. At the end of the day I’d rather run third trying to win the race than settle for second.”
QUICK RESULTS –
July 30 – Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 2 (4); Dash: 4 (6); Feature: 1 (4).
July 31 – Merced Speedway in Merced, Calif. – Qualifying: 3; Heat race: 2 (4); Dash: 3 (3); Feature: 3 (3).
SEASON STATS –
41 races, 16 wins, 31 top fives, 35 top 10s, 37 top 15s, 37 top 20s
UP NEXT –
TBD
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.GaryScelziMotorsports.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DominicScelzi41
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scelzi41
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Meridian Steel
Meridian Steel manufactures steel for a variety of uses, including 80 percent of the steel used by Scelzi Enterprises. For more information, visit http://www.MeridianSteel.com.
“Sam at Meridian Steel has been a supporter for us for several years and is tied in with our family business,” Scelzi said. “Not only is he a sponsor of our race team, but he enjoys racing in general. We’re grateful to have his support.”
Scelzi would like to thank Red Rose Transportation, Inc., Scelzi Enterprises, Whipple Superchargers, Fuel Delivery Services, Inc., Red Line Oil, Roth Motorsports, Schoenfeld Headers, NAPA Auto Parts, Todd Jorgensen, FK Rod Ends, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, K&N Filters, Sparco, Allstar Performance, Auto Meter, Kenny’s Components and Worldwide Bearings for their continued support.