Sunshine to the Shamrock after a Pair of Vegas Top Fives

Lonnie Wheatley, INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (March 8, 2018) – Tyler Courtney already got one title chase under way in strong form with a pair of USAC National Sprint Car wins in Florida a couple of weeks ago.

Now, “Sunshine” tries to begin another championship pursuit on the right foot with Saturday night’s season-opening USAC Midget card at Du Quoin’s Southern Illinois Center “Shamrock Classic.”

“I’m excited to start the Midget season.  You have to take advantage of every night, every night is so critical,” Courtney said of the USAC P1 Insurance National Midget series.  “It’s a short but tough season in terms of number of races, it makes every night critical.  The championship comes down to finishing all the races and putting up top-tens each night.”

Sandwiched in between the opening Sprint Car events in Florida and this weekend’s “Shamrock Classic”, “Sunshine” hit the strip in Las Vegas for a pair of USAC West Coast vs. Southwest Sprint Car events aboard Mike Phulps’ Metal Works No. 56.  He came away with another pair of top fives with a fourth place run on Wednesday, February 28, and then a runner-up finish in last Thursday’s “Las Vegas Showdown” finale at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas.

“Mike and those guys are a great team to work with, they make it a lot of fun,” Courtney said of last week’s pair of events.

The team opened the double with a fourth-place run on Wednesday night after starting seventh in the feature.  “We struggled a little the first night, but that’s to be expected when you only run together a couple of times a year,” Courtney explains.  “It was also a new non-wing car for them so we were happy to salvage a top five.”

The team gained a pair of positions the following night, ultimately awarded runner-up honors.  “Thursday we were better, we were still just a tick off,” Courtney said of the night.

With his fifth top-five of the season in seven starts in the books, attention turns to Saturday’s “Shamrock Classic” aboard the Clauson-Marshall Racing Driven2SaveLives No. 7bc Midget.

“I’m excited to get back in the Midget, the CMR team has a really good package at Du Quoin,” Courtney said of his Stanton Racing Engines-powered Elk Grove Ford entry.  “Tim and the CMR team’s track record is really good at that place.”

And with nearly 50 cars expected for the USAC National Midget opener, it’s a big start to the season for the driver of the CSI Shocks/Schoenfeld Headers machine.

“The Shamrock is already an event with a lot of prestige about it,” Courtney explains.  “It would be a big one to win and it’s a big one to start the season with.”

Courtney has enjoyed past success atop the tight, indoor oval, with a win in the 2016 edition of the Junior Knepper Memorial contested annually in December.  But luck wasn’t on the side of the pilot of the Wilwood Brakes/Walker Filtration entry in last year’s pair of events at the Southern Illinois Center.

That’s something “Sunshine” looks to turn around on Saturday night.

“Indoor races can be tough, it takes a lot of luck,” Courtney explains.  “But to be a championship driver, you’ve got to make your own luck.”

Courtney will be looking for that lucky Shamrock this weekend.

2018 Quick Stats:  7 races, 2 wins, 5 top-fives, 5 top-tens.

Up Next: USAC National Midget “Shamrock Classic” at Du Quoin’s Southern Illinois Center on Saturday.  For those unable to catch the action in person, it is available via PPV on www.speedshifttv.com.

Keep Track:  Keep track of Tyler Courtney’s on-track action including schedule and results at www.tylercourtney.com.

If you would like Tyler Courtney Racing press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.

Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on www.sprintcarmania.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events.  For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.


Reutzel Scores WoO Top Five in BRM Debut; Thunderbowl Double this Weekend

Lonnie Wheatley, CLUTE, Texas (March 8, 2018) – Assembling all the parts and pieces to a new team is no easy task.  But the effort proved worthwhile right away as Aaron Reutzel raced to a top-five World of Outlaws finish in last week’s Baughman-Reutzel Motorsports No. 87 Sprint Car team debut at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas.

After showing substantial speed aboard the Folkens Brothers Tucking/Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution Triple-X Sprint Car only to be foiled by a cut tire on Wednesday night, Reutzel and crew bounced right back to earn the pole position for Thursday night’s feature event before posting a fifth-place finish.

“All in all, it was a good way to get started,” the Clute, TX, racer commented.  “Everyone involved was happy with how things went.”

Saturday’s scheduled card at Perris Auto Speedway was an early victim of rain.  The team stays in California for World of Outlaws action over the next three weekends beginning with Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway on Friday and Saturday.

The BRM team unloaded at the track for the first time last Wednesday night (February 28) for the opening leg of the World of Outlaws FVP Outlaw Showdown at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas.  And the Precision Catalyst/Hollywood Blasting & Coating/Beard Equipment team came out of the box quickly.

“We were happy with hot laps,” Reutzel says.  “But I guess that I made one too many laps, so they penalized us one lap in qualifying.”

That penalty proved costly.  “That one lap we had, I got hung out in the slick and ruined our lap,” Reutzel said of the circuit that put him 13th among his group.  “Then our heat was pretty much one lane, but we were happy with our speed.”

Gridding the “B” Main field sixth, Reutzel rallied into second in short order only to have a transfer position swiped away by a flattened left rear tire with the white flag in sight.

“I don’t know if we had it too low to start with or if we cut it or just what happened, but there wasn’t enough time to get back out,” the driver of the Nattress Construction/Momentum Racing Suspensions entry explained.

Reutzel began Thursday’s action with a qualifying effort that was fifth among his qualifying group.  “We went out dead last and still laid down what I thought was a decent lap.  I may have left a tenth or two out there, it’s been a while since we’ve qualified so I’m still knocking the rust off.”

There was no rust in racing action though, with Reutzel rallying from fifth to second in his heat race to secure a Dash position.

“We went from fifth to second in the heat race with no problem and about passed Brian Brown for the lead,” Reutzel recalls.

Reutzel went on to win the Dash to secure the pole position for the night’s feature event.

“We were good in the Dash, but I felt like we were just a little bit loose,” Reutzel explains.  “We tightened it up just a little bit, but it was just a little too much.”

With a tight race car for the feature, Reutzel still managed to put together a fifth-place run to make for a successful opening pair of events for the Baughman-Reutzel Motorsports No. 87 team.

“I couldn’t quite hit the ledges, and if you’re off just a little bit with these Outlaw guys, it’ll show,” Reutzel explains.

The BRM team will spend the next three weekends in California competing with the World of Outlaws before shifting to All Star Circuit of Champions action in Ohio.  And the California swing gets rolling with this weekend’s pair of events at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway on Friday and Saturday.  

Reutzel has enjoyed some past Thunderbowl success with a Peter Murphy Classic win in 2015.

“Tulare has been good for me,” Reutzel says.  “Hopefully it’s a get-up-on-the-fence kinda deal.  It if is, then I think we’ll be alright.”

2018 Quick Stats:  2 races, 1 top-five, 1 top-ten.

Up Next: World of Outlaws at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, CA on Friday and Saturday.  For those unable to catch the action in person, it is available via PPV on www.dirtvision.com.

Keep Track:  Keep track of Aaron Reutzel’s on-track action including schedule and results at http://www.aaronreutzelracing.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aaron-Reutzel-Racing/117666254913127 or on Twitter at @AaronReutzel.  You can also e-mail Aaron at aaronreutzel@yahoo.com.

If you would like Aaron Reutzel Racing press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.

Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on www.sprintcarmania.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events.  For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.