Giovanni Scelzi Excited For World Of Outlaws Debut This Weekend In Texas

Story By: SHAWN MILLER / GARY SCELZI MOTORSPORTS – FRESNO, CA – Giovanni Scelzi will make his World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series debut this weekend in Texas.

Scelzi and his family owned No. 41s are slated to compete on Friday at Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige and on Saturday at LoneStar Speedway in Kilgore for the East Texas LoneStar Shootout with ‘The Greatest Show on Dirt.’

“If I can get comfortable quickly and just make the show and then be on the pace I’ll be pretty happy with it,” he said. “This weekend is about seat time and trying to get acclimated to racing with the World of Outlaws before they come to the West Coast.”

This weekend is an opportunity to turn laps at the highest level of 410ci winged sprint car competition before Scelzi joins veteran car owner and crew chief Paul Silva for five straight weeks of World of Outlaws competition. The team is sponsored by Richard and Jennifer Marshall of Priority Aviation Services for a 20-race schedule this season.

Scelzi made his 410 debut last year and it was a rousing success. He competed in 18 races and contended for the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series championship down to the wire before finishing second – by only one point – in the championship standings.

Scelzi set quick time during qualifying five times and he timed in inside the top five 14 times during those 18 races. In fact, he’s only qualified outside the top 10 once in the class.

“Last year we struggled because qualifying didn’t put us in a good spot,” he said. “With the World of Outlaws format and how much qualifying plays into it I think we’ll be ok if I catch the trend of qualifying good.”

Scelzi recorded a trio of 410 sprint car wins – all with the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series – and he netted seven podiums, 11 top fives and 16 top 10s, including a current streak of 13 consecutive.

His first triumph, which came on a last-lap pass on May 13 at Placerville Speedway in Placerville, Calif., made him the youngest winner in King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series history.

Scelzi was also recently named the 2017 North American 410 Sprint Car Poll Rookie of the Year by a voting panel of media members, promoters, sanctioning officials and manufacturers.