Aaron Reutzel celebrates in victory lane after a last lap pass gave him the win in the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car feature Thursday night at East Bay Raceway Park. Photo courtesy EBRP Media
The start to the 2015 season for the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series opened with a bang as Aaron Reutzel stormed to victory on night one of the 14th annual Ronald Laney Memorial and 17th King of the 360’s as part of Winternationals 2015 at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL.
Jumping from the top of this B.C. Funds No. 87, Reutzel paid high honors to the track crew, “What a hell of a racetrack. Wow, there are no words for that racetrack. It was just awesome up there bouncing the fence. That was unreal.”
Rolling to second on lap 5 from the eighth starting spot, Reutzel set sights on Mark Smith who grabbed the lead the previous lap from Tampa’s A.J. Maddox. Edging Smith on lap 7, the pair went slide for slide on lap 8 and would exchange the point three times before the caution waved for Chad Kemenah.
After two takes on the restart, Reutzel had to play catch up as Smith distanced himself from the No. 87. Losing ground again following a lap 10 caution for Wayne Johnson, whose night ended after contact with the wall, the Clute, TX driver commented on the mid-race stall, “I don’t know what happened. I knew our car was fast enough to win but it got so tight there. I don’t know if I had a tire going down or what but it took me at least five laps to get going. McCarl past me, then I started reeling McCarl back in and we were both able to get around the No. 1, but McCarl was good enough he could run anywhere he wanted so I knew he was going to be tough to beat but luckily he hit the bottom in lapped traffic and left me the top and that was all she wrote.”
The win is Aaron’s first at East Bay Raceway Park, and fifth with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour.
Crossing second, Iowa’s Terry McCarl charged from 17th in the Snowplow.com No. 24.
“It was a really tricky racetrack, but that’s what we love about East Bay,” he said. “It’s my favorite track down here in Florida. There are so many different variables going on. It’s a chess game out there. You know Mark got out there felling good, then the track changed and we found a spot, then that changed.”
Battling with McCarl throughout the closing laps, Pennsylvania’s Mark Smith completed the evening’s podium.
“It was a pretty nice race. I just couldn’t get my car to turn in the center,” commented Smith. “I was really, really, good as long as it would turn but the longer I went, the tighter it got and just couldn’t get it the way I wanted but we had a hell of a race there.”
Brad Loyet snagged fourth with Seth Bergman completed the top-five.
Johnny Herrera was the night’s Hard Charger, coming from 22nd to sixth with Jeff Swindell crossing seventh. Greg Hodnet from 20th to 8th, Matt Covington 9th from 19th, and Ohio’s Danny Smith completed the top ten.
With 67 drivers drawing in, 9 Heat Races took place with Terry Gray, Danny Martin, Jr., Wayne Johnson, Mark Smith, Brad Loyet, Aaron Reutzel, Jeff Swindell, A.J. Maddox, and Lou Kennedy, Jr. each taking wins. Three B-Features went to Terry McCarl, Matt Kurtz, and Matt Covington. Provisionals based on owner points from 2014 where used by Tony Bruce, Jr. and Lane Whittington.
Luke Thomas scored the Florida Mini Sprints victory Thursday night. Photo courtesy EBRP Media
In other action, a last lap pass by Luke Thomas of Wyoming, DE as the leader, Alex Bright of Collegeville, PA went high in turn two gave Thomas the win in the Florida Mini Sprint feature.
Thomas climbed from his “borrowed” car, the 14X of Tyler Walton, and explained to the crowd how thankful he was to Tyler Walton for offering him this car when the engine let go in hot laps of his original number 97 car that Kenny and Carol Vincent had brought for him to drive.
On lap four Bright had taken the lead and had no problems until that mistake in turn two cost him first place and he had to settle for second at the finish.
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Winternationals 2015 action continues at East Bay Raceway Park on Friday, with racing from the Lucas Oil ASCS and the Florida Mini Sprints. For more info, visit EastBayRacewayPark.com.
Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series
East Bay Raceway Park – Tampa, FL
Winternationals 2015 – Feb. 19, 2015
1. 87-Aaron Reutzel
2. 24-Terry McCarl
3. M1-Mark Smith
4. 05-Brad Loyet
5. 23-Seth Bergman
6. 45X-Johnny Herrera
7. 94-Jeff Swindell
8. 27-Greg Hodnett
9. 95-Matt Covington
10. 66-Danny Smith
11. 21K-Lou Kennedy, Jr.
12. 15H-Sam Hafertepe, Jr.
13. 17-Lane Whittington
14. W20-Greg Wilson
15. 3A-A.J. Maddox
16. 92K-Matt Kurtz
17. 77X-Wayne Johnson
18. 33M-Randy Hannagan
19. 10H-Chad Kemenah
20. 3B-Brad Greer
21. 10-Terry Gray
22. 18-Tony Bruce Jr
23. 24X-Danny Martin Jr.
24. 17B-Josh Baughman
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