Giovanni Scelzi Makes Late Charge For 360 Knoxville Nationals Prelim Victory Friday

Story By: BRYAN HULBERT / ASCS – KNOXVILLE, IA – Making the charge through traffic in the closing laps at the Knoxville Raceway, California’s Giovanni Scelzi captured Night 2 of the 31st annual My Place Hotels 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank.

Gio’s first career victory with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network; Scelzi’s win comes just 14 races after his brother, Domonic Scelzi, added his name to the record books at the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup. The win is his second in 360cid competition at Knoxville Raceway in as many races contested at the Iowa half-mile.

Asked if the laps a week ago helped, Scelzi simply replied, “Oh yeah, for sure.”

Chasing Austin McCarl through traffic in the closing laps, the pair looked for open lanes to clear the slower cars, with both trying the middle line through turns one and two. Sticking hard on the right rear, Scelzi was quick to return to the center line as the pair worked Lap 17.

Building momentum off the fourth turn, Gio kept true to the middle entering turn one, pulling event with the No. 27 in the second turn. Drag racing to the back straightaway, the KCP Racing No. 18 shot to the lead and pulled away by 1.745-seconds.

In his hunt for the win, Gio stated, “I got stuck behind Skylar [Prochaska] for a while, and he was just good enough that I couldn’t clear him, and wasn’t sure where to go, but once I cleared him, I knew I could get going. I had lost track of where Carson [McCarl] was at, and he ended up right in front of me, but this was an awesome car. It pretty much drove itself.”

McCarl, in second, was chased to the line by Skylar Prochaska, who held second the opening 12 laps. Scott Bogucki rolled across the line fourth, with Daryn Pittman taking fifth on the closing lap. Terry McCarl took sixth, with Brooke Tatnell in seventh. Battling nearly the entire event, Clint Garner got the better of Ian Madsen, with Colorado’s Jake Bubak moving up three spots to complete the top ten.

A field of 47 drivers was on hand to bring the weekend attendance to 90 competitors for the 31st annual My Place Hotels 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank.

SCE Gaskets Heat Race wins went to John Carney II, Jake Martens, Jake Bubak, Colby Copeland, and Seth Brahmer. The BMRS B-Feature win went to Sawyer Phillips.

Racing continues Saturday, August 7.

Race Results:

Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour
Knoxville Raceway [Knoxville, Iowa]
My Place Hotels 360 Knoxville Nationals
Friday, August 6, 2021

Car Count: 47
Event Count: 90

Hoosier Tire Qualifying: [2 cars per set, 2 laps each] 1. 39, Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK [1], 16.128; 2. 40, Clint Garner, Sioux Falls, SD [3], 16.370; 3. 3P, Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA [2], 16.513; 4. 7BC, Tyler Courtney, Indianapolis, IN [7], 16.553; 5. 83A, Austin Miller, Lacona, IA [24], 16.576; 6. 24, Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA [45], 16.622; 7. 47X, Dylan Westbrook, Scotland, ONT, Can. [11], 16.630; 8. 14, Brooke Tatnell, Sans Souci, NSW, Aust. [12], 16.713; 9. 28, Scott Bogucki, McLaren Vale, SA, Aust. [15], 16.733; 10. 97, Greg Wilson, Benton Ridge, OH [6], 16.743; 11. 18, Gio Scelzi, Fresno, CA [34], 16.757; 12. 27, Carson McCarl, Altoona, IA [16], 16.757; 13. 35P, Skylar Prochaska, Lakefield, MN [5], 16.810; 14. 64, Ian Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Aust. [42], 16.842; 15. 35, Josh Higday, Des Moines, IA [19], 16.847; 16. 7M, Chance Morton, Coweta, OK [14], 16.877; 17. 56N, Davey Heskin, St. Michael, MN [37], 16.889; 18. 7C, Devin Kline, Knoxville, IA [47], 16.920; 19. 44, Chris Martin, Ankeny, IA [8], 16.927; 20. 22L, Connor Loeffler, Georgetown, SC [4], 16.962; 21. 18R, Ryan Roberts, Aurora, NE [23], 16.966; 22. 27B, Jake Martens, Fairview, OK [28], 16.977; 23. 9X, Jake Bubak, Arvada, CO [32], 16.984; 24. 20, AJ Moeller, Rockwell City, IA [17], 17.032; 25. 13V, Seth Brahmer, Wisner, NE [18], 17.049; 26. 7, John Carney II, El Paso, TX [33], 17.073; 27. 94, Jeff Swindell, Bartlett, TN [43], 17.086; 28. 83T, Tanner Carrick, Lincoln, CA [27], 17.175; 29. 5V, Colby Copeland, Roseville, CA [25], 17.207; 30. 15, Christian Bowman, Altoona, IA [26], 17.214; 31. 13MJ, Brandon Halverson, Jackson, MN [21], 17.220; 32. 18T, Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR [30], 17.226; 33. 21G, Gunner Ramey, Sedalia, MO [20], 17.242; 34. 2C, Whit Gastineau, Moore, OK [40], 17.283; 35. 75, Tyler Blank, California, MO [9], 17.317; 36. 17B, Ryan Bickett, Ramona, SD [36], 17.320; 37. 77X, Alex Hill, Six Nations, ONT, Ca [46], 17.411; 38. 19, Wes Wofford, Alamogordo, NM [29], 17.426; 39. 95, Matt Covington, Glenpool, OK [38], 17.506; 40. 11N, Harli White, Lindsay, OK [44], 17.539; 41. 1A, John Anderson, Des Moines, IA [13], 17.544; 42. 88, Rowdy Reber, Rapid City, SD [39], 17.724; 43. 14J, Mike Johnston, Des Moines, IA [31], 17.743; 44. 116, Vance Wofford, Alamogordo, NM [10], 17.797; 45. 57B, Boyd Peterson, Ithaca, NE [35], 17.952; 46. 55B, Brandon Anderson, Glenpool, OK [41], 18.229; 47. 35S, Jason Shultz, Carlisle, PA [22], NT.

SCE Gaskets Heat Races [Top 4 to A, Remainder to the B]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[4]; 2. 24-Terry McCarl[5]; 3. 7-John Carney II[1]; 4. 39-Daryn Pittman[6]; 5. 7M-Chance Morton[3]; 6. 18R-Ryan Roberts[2]; 7. 17B-Ryan Bickett[8]; 8. 13MJ-Brandon Halverson[7]; 9. 1A-John Anderson[9]; 10. (DNS) 55B-Brandon Anderson

Heat 2 [8 Laps]: 1. 27B-Jake Martens[2]; 2. 94-Jeff Swindell[1]; 3. 27-Carson McCarl[4]; 4. 40-Clint Garner[6]; 5. 56N-Davey Heskin[3]; 6. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[5]; 7. 77X-Alex Hill[8]; 8. 18T-Tanner Holmes[7]; 9. 88-Travis Reber[9]

Heat 3 [8 Laps]: 1. 9X-Jake Bubak[2]; 2. 35P-Skylar Prochaska[4]; 3. 83T-Tanner Carrick[1]; 4. 14-Brooke Tatnell[5]; 5. 7C-Devin Kline[3]; 6. 3P-Sawyer Phillips[6]; 7. 19-Wes Wofford[8]; 8. 21G-Gunner Ramey[7]; 9. 14J-Mike Johnston[9]

Heat 4 [8 Laps]: 1. 5V-Colby Copeland[1]; 2. 64-Ian Madsen[4]; 3. 20-AJ Moeller[2]; 4. 28-Scott Bogucki[5]; 5. 44-Chris Martin[3]; 6. 95-Matt Covington[8]; 7. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[6]; 8. 116-Vance Wofford[9]

Heat 5 [8 Laps]: 1. 13V-Seth Brahmer[2]; 2. 35-Josh Higday[4]; 3. 22L-Connor Leoffler[3]; 4. 15-Christian Bowman[1]; 5. 97-Greg Wilson[5]; 6. 83A-Austin Miller[6]; 7. 11N-Harli White[8]; 8. 75-Tyler Blank[7]; 9. 57B-Boyd Peterson[9]; 10. [DNS] 35S-Jason Schultz

BMRS B-Feature [Top 4 advance to the A-Feature]

B Feature [12 Laps]: 1. 3P-Sawyer Phillips[1]; 2. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[2]; 3. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[4]; 4. 56N-Davey Heskin[7]; 5. 97-Greg Wilson[5]; 6. 7C-Devin Kline[8]; 7. 18R-Ryan Roberts[10]; 8. 44-Chris Martin[9]; 9. 95-Matt Covington[19]; 10. 83A-Austin Miller[3]; 11. 17B-Ryan Bickett[16]; 12. 11N-Harli White[20]; 13. 77X-Alex Hill[17]; 14. 21G-Gunner Ramey[13]; 15. 55B-Brandon Anderson[26]; 16. 1A-John Anderson[21]; 17. 116-Vance Wofford[24]; 18. 13MJ-Brandon Halverson[11]; 19. 7M-Chance Morton[6]; 20. 18T-Tanner Holmes[12]; 21. 2C-Whit Gastineau[14]; 22. 75-Tyler Blank[15]; 23. 14J-Mike Johnston[23]; 24. 57B-Boyd Peterson[25]; 25. 88-Travis Reber[22]; 26. 19-Wes Wofford[18]; 27. 35S-Jason Schultz[27]

Sawblade.com A-Feature

A Feature [20 Laps]: 1. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[3]; 2. 27-Carson McCarl[2]; 3. 35P-Skylar Prochaska[1]; 4. 28-Scott Bogucki[4]; 5. 39-Daryn Pittman[8]; 6. 24-Terry McCarl[6]; 7. 14-Brooke Tatnell[5]; 8. 40-Clint Garner[7]; 9. 64-Ian Madsen[9]; 10. 9X-Jake Bubak[13]; 11. 3P-Sawyer Phillips[21]; 12. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[22]; 13. 94-Jeff Swindell[17]; 14. 7-John Carney II[16]; 15. 56N-Davey Heskin[24]; 16. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[23]; 17. 35-Josh Higday[10]; 18. 5V-Colby Copeland[19]; 19. 83T-Tanner Carrick[18]; 20. 27B-Jake Martens[12]; 21. 13V-Seth Brahmer[15]; 22. 15-Christian Bowman[20]; 23. 20-AJ Moeller[14]; 24. 22L-Connor Leoffler[11]

Lap Leader[s]: Carson McCarl 1-18; Giovanni Scelzi 19-20;
Hard Charger: Sawyer Phillips +10
High Point Driver: N/A
Provisional[s]: N.A

Combined Event Points:

1. 17W-Shane Golobic-489
2. 39-Daryn Pittman-483
3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.-480
4. 18-Gio Scelzi-480
5. 24-Terry McCarl-477
6. 40-Clint Garner-475
7. 27-Carson McCarl-470
8. 83H-Justin Henderson-470
9. 83-Lynton Jeffrey-469
10. 35P-Skylar Prochaska-469
11. 28-Scott Bogucki-469
12. 14-Brooke Tatnell-465
13. 09-Matt Juhl-463
14. 52-Blake Hahn-462
15. 3P-Sawyer Phillips-461
16. 24W-Garet Williamson-460
17. 4W-Jamie Ball-459
18. 64-Ian Madsen-455
19. 7BC-Tyler Courtney-454
20. 69-Brady Bacon-453
21. 26-Cory Eliason-448
22. 1-Sammy Swindell-448
23. 17A-Austin McCarl-446
24. 22MM-Kaleb Johnson-446
25. 9-Ryan Giles-445
26. 47X-Dylan Westbrook-443
27. 9X-Jake Bubak-438
28. 35-Josh Higday-437
29. 21-Brian Brown-436
30. 11-Roger Crockett-435
31. 63-JJ Hickle-433
32. 53D-Jack Dover-432
33. 56N-Davey Heskin-428
34. 9JR-Derek Hagar-428
35. 2M-Matt Moro-425
36. 94-Jeff Swindell-421
37. 27B-Jake Martens-420
38. 7-John Carney II-418
39. 13V-Seth Brahmer-412
40. 97-Greg Wilson-412
41. 5H-Michael Faccinto-411
42. 5V-Colby Copeland-410
43. 22-Ryan Leavitt-410
44. 22L-Connor Loeffler-410
45. 83A-Austin Miller-409
46. 36-Josh Baughman-408
47. 70-Calvin Landis-407
48. 9M-Ricky Montgomery-405
49. 83T-Tanner Carrick-404
50. 20-AJ Moeller-404
51. 91-Kyle Reinhardt-401
52. 53-Joe Beaver-399
53. 7C-Devin Kline-394
54. 15-Christian Bowman-391
55. 44-Chris Martin-388
56. 18R-Ryan Roberts-383
57. 24N-Nathan Mills-374
58. 7M-Chance Morton-372
59. 35L-Cody Ledger-370
60. 22X-Riley Goodno-363
61. 24T-Christopher Thram-346
62. 2F-Casey Friedrichsen-345
63. 95-Matt Covington-343
64. 2-Chase Porter-342
65. 17B-Ryan Bickett-342
66. 21G-Gunner Ramey-339
67. 77X-Alex Hill-336
68. 13MJ-Brandon Halverson-335
69. 11N-Harli White-332
70. 23K-Rob Kubli-330
71. 66-Chase Dunham-329
72. 18T-Tanner Holmes-329
73. 22S-Slater Helt-328
74. 86-Elliot Amdahl-321
75. 75-Tyler Blank-321
76. 8M-Kade Morton-320
77. 33-Alan Zoutte-320
78. 7TAZ-Tasker Phillips-319
79. 2C-Whit Gastineau-317
80. 1A-John Anderson-316
81. 23-Devon Dobie-315
82. 116-Vance Wofford-308
83. 18W-Lorne Wofford-308
84. 1K-Kelby Watt-308
85. 19-Wes Wofford-308
86. 55B-Brandon Anderson-305
87. 14J-Mike Johnston-298
88. 57B-Boyd Peterson-296
89. 88-Rowdy Reber-296
90. 35S-Jason Shultz-279