KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Aaron Reutzel followed up 360 wins at Knoxville Raceway (last week) and Jackson Motorplex (Friday night), with his third career 410 victory at Knoxville Raceway on Saturday.
The $5,000 prize was a nice consolation for the Clute, Texas, driver who would have reaped a $3,000 bonus in Midwest Power Series 360 action had he won that feature aboard the Ridge and Sons Racing No. 8.
Sam Hafertepe Jr. won for the second time in his career in the 360 class, giving Texas another victor. In the Pro Sprints presented by Pace Performance class, Eric Bridger won for the first time this year and the 12th time in his career.
Reutzel paced the 20-lap 410 feature over Brian Brown, Gio Scelzi, Justin Henderson and Lynton Jeffrey. Scelzi performed a 360 spin, bringing caution just three laps in. He blended in to seventh and restarted there. On the restart, Austin McCarl rode the cushion from sixth to fourth.
Jeffrey surrendered his good run when his left-rear tire went flat and he spun in turn three on lap four. The restart saw Reutzel, Brown, Henderson, Austin McCarl and Scelzi going back to green. Carson McCarl came to a stop with issues on the front end of his car. The caution negated an Austin McCarl pass of Henderson for the third spot.
When green again, Brown was all over the leader in a good battle, until Reutzel hit lapped traffic on lap 11. Austin McCarl worked his way by Henderson with six to go, and in traffic, he, Brown and Henderson went three-wide in exciting fashion for the second spot.
With three to go, Austin McCarl got by Brown for good, but was caught behind a lapper in his pursuit of Reutzel.
Reutzel’s win came ahead of Austin McCarl, Brown, Henderson and Ayrton Gennetten.
“I thought I was having a lot of problems (in traffic),” said Reutzel. “I definitely didn’t get through them clean. There were a couple who raced me back. Our car was really good, until I slowed down, and then it got a little tight. I wanted to go green to checker. The car was really good. It’s great to win the 410 one, that’s the one you always want to win, but we really wanted that 360 bonus. It just didn’t work out for us tonight. We’ve been running really well lately, it’s nice to be able to get a win.”
The finish:
Feature (20 Laps): 1. Aaron Reutzel (1); 2. Austin McCarl (10); 3. Brian Brown (2); 4. Justin Henderson (3); 5. Ayrton Gennetten (7); 6. Sawyer Phillips (12); 7. JJ Hickle (5); 8. Davey Heskin (8); 9. Don Droud Jr. (9); 10. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (24); 11. Chris Martin (13); 12. Dustin Selvage (20); 13. Matt Juhl (15); 14. Riley Goodno (23); 15. Tyler Drueke (19); 16. Zach Hampton (22); 17. Carson McCarl (11); 18. AJ Moeller (17); 19. McKenna Haase (16); 20. Ryan Giles (18); 21. Gio Scelzi (4); 22. Tasker Phillips (14); 23. Josh Higday (21); 24. Lynton Jeffrey (6). Lap Leader: Reutzel 1-20. Hard-charger: Hafertepe.