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HANFORD, Calif. (Oct. 11, 2021) – Dominic Scelzi soaked up the success of another stout weekend as he picked up a trio of feature victories during the 36th annual Cotton Classic to push his season win total to 21 triumphs.
“I’m over the moon happy,” he said. “We had a great weekend and are closing in on 23 wins this season, which would give me 50 career. If I can hit 27 wins, which I know is a long shot, that would match the number of wins I earned in my first nine years of racing.”
Scelzi swept the night at Keller Auto Speedway on Friday, winning the Kings of Thunder 410ci winged sprint car feature as well as the Sprint Car Challenge Tour main event.
Scelzi qualified ninth quickest and placed fifth in a heat race to open the 410 action. That lined him up on the inside of the fifth row in the A Main.
“We didn’t qualify very good in the 410,” he said. “We were a little bit tight. Then in the heat race the track was fairly slick, but really dirty. We didn’t get a very good start and fell to sixth. We got back to fifth and finished there.
“In the feature we picked someone off every couple of laps. I got to fourth and then (D.J.) Netto and (Justin) Sanders hit each other. I was able to get to second. I felt good prior to that, but that helped out a ton. We restarted second and I felt like I tricked Bud (Kaeding). I got him to run the bottom in turns one and two. I ripped the top and hit the bottom in turns three and four to drive by him with a few laps remaining.”
Scelzi pulled away for the victory to add to his lead in the Kings of Thunder standings. He was just as efficient during 360 competition as he advanced from seventh to third place in a heat race and from fifth to win a qualifier. That started him on the outside of the front row in the main event.
“The scoring loop went out and they weren’t able to qualify us so they lined the heats up by pill draw,” he said. “We did really well and passed some guys. In the qualifier we methodically worked our way through there. That put us starting second in the feature. The race went green and the polesitter beat me into turn one. He missed the bottom into turns three and four and I got by him. We ran the top and bottom throughout the race. I got through traffic pretty good. I felt really, really good and we were able to lead all 30 laps to get the win.”
Saturday started with similar success for Scelzi, who timed in fourth quick in the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series qualifying. A heat race win was followed by a dash triumph, which put Scelzi on the pole for the feature.
“We went out 18th in qualifying and the track had slowed down tremendously,” he said. “I was a little worried about getting a good time. I felt we had a hell of a lap. We got into the cushion perfectly and didn’t spin the tires where the cushion fell off the edge.
“In the heat race we passed Kyle (Hirst) around the top in turns one and two and then got to the bottom in turns three and four. We were around the bottom the rest of the heat race. For the dash we got put on the pole, which is awesome. We won that and started on the pole of the first feature.
“I ran the middle for most of the race, but I was able to run the top, the bottom, everywhere. The track was really slick and wide. There were three lanes of racing and we used all of them.”
Scelzi led the distance during the first of twin 20-lap main events. He was credited with 20th in the second feature, which was completely inverted. Scelzi exited the weekend having virtually locked up the series championship.
Scelzi was also strong in the 360 portion of the night, setting quick time during qualifying, winning a heat race and finishing second in the dash. The main event wasn’t run because of a medical emergency in the pits.
This weekend will be dormant for Scelzi, whose next event is the Trophy Cup Oct. 21-23 at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif.
QUICK RESULTS –
Oct. 8 – Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif. (410 sprint car) – Qualifying: 9; Heat race: 5 (5); Feature: 1 (9).
Oct. 8 – Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif. (360 sprint car) – Heat race: 3 (7); Qualifier: 1 (5); Feature: 1 (2).
Oct. 9 – Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif. (410 sprint car) – Qualifying: 4; Heat race: 1 (2); Dash: 1 (1); Feature #1: 1 (1); Feature #2: 20 (27).
Oct. 9 – Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif. (360 sprint car) – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 1 (4); Dash: 2 (2); Feature: Cancelled (2).
SEASON STATS –
63 races, 21 wins, 45 top fives, 53 top 10s, 58 top 15s, 60 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Oct. 21-23 at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., for the Trophy Cup
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.GaryScelziMotorsports.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DominicScelzi41
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scelzi41
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Fuel Delivery Services, Inc.
Based in Stockton, Calif., Fuel Delivery Services, Inc., is a premier bulk transporter of refined petroleum products. For more information, visit http://www.FuelDeliveryServices.net .
“Fuel Delivery Services, Inc., has been a partner of ours since the first year we began racing sprint cars,” Scelzi said. “They supply a lot of product for our family business as well. We’ve been fortunate to work with them for more than a decade.”
Scelzi would like to thank Scelzi Enterprises, Red Rose Transportation, Inc., Whipple Superchargers, Schoenfeld Headers, Roth Motorsports, Red Line Oil, NAPA Auto Parts, Todd Jorgensen, FK Rod Ends, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, K&N Filters, Sparco, Allstar Performance, Auto Meter, Meridian Steel, Kenny’s Components and Worldwide Bearings for their continued support.