On Saturday in 410 sprint car racing we saw 71 teams come out to race in November! 45 teams showed up at BAPS for $25,000 to win and 26 showed up for the POWRI weekend finale in Oklahoma. Additionally, we saw some 410 drivers bring out a 360 and compete with ASCS at Central Arizona for two nights. What more could we ask for this late in the season?
Winners
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (Tri-State)
Aaron Reutzel (Tri-State)
Danny Dietrich (BAPS)
Aaron Reutzel (Tulsa)
Notebook
What a way to close the season at BAPS for the PA Posse. The field included Anthony Macri, Chase Randall, Garet Williamson, Justin Henderson, Brock Zearfoss, Jacob Allen, Logan Schuchart, Lance Dewease, Danny Dietrich, Justin Peck, Kyle Reinhardt and many more. Troy Wagaman led for most of the night and it looked like we was on his way to another win to close out 2023. A late race caution bunched the field up and Danny Dietrich was able to sneak by and capture the win. A big shout out to Aaron Bollinger who ended up in second.
What stands out about those results? To me, it’s World of Outlaws regular Brock Zearfoss failing to make the show. I can’t comment on track conditions because I wasn’t there, but it’s a bit alarming for Zearfoss and team. I think he is a prime candidate to switch over to High Limit in 2024, as I don’t think there is more of a team in need of a change of scenery.
Sam Hafertepe Jr took the win on the first night of POWRI’s Oklahoma weekend finale. He’s another driver that traditionally runs a packed schedule all over the country and could be someone that one of the national series is hoping commits full time. Cory Eliason, driving a second RSR no. 8, was on the podium and was joined by his teammate Aaron Reutzel. It may be completely irrelevant, but I thought it was interesting that Eliason was driving the no. 8 and Reutzel was driving the no. 8X. Some rumors are circulating that Reutzel is looking to cut back on travel. Could Eliason be the man to go out with the RSR team on the road while Reutzel sticks to a local schedule at Knoxville?
Reutzel did win the second night at Tri-State and Eliason was once again on the podium. I am curious to see how this plays out as we are entering the first official week of the off-season.
TMAC WON AT CENTRAL ARIZONA! It’s not a 410 race, but it was still cool to see Terry McCarl back in victory lane. Dominic Scelzi took the victory on the second night with the ASCS Southwest region.
In other 410 news, Chase Johnson and Joel Meyers Jr had some fun taking their sprint cars on asphalt at Sonoma over the weekend. Johnson and others were showcasing sprint cars to the folks in town for the Velocity Invitational. It was a great opportunity to get some eyes on the sport, as many in attendance were likely seeing a sprint car for the first time. Johnson really embraced the idea and showed up with a fun little fact sheet about his 410 sprint car.
For me, that’s the official end to the 2023 sprint car season. It was one of the most eventful seasons in recent memory, with constant driver changes, series announcements and big money races. Fortunately for sprint car fans, it looks like the drama is just beginning. I am going to switch some focus over to the Australian sprint car season and see which drivers from the United States head over there. We already know that Rico Abreu will be heading to Perth. Joel Meyers Jr and Brenham Crouch also appear to be headed to New Zealand. Stay glued to Master Gassers for all updates and rumors for the upcoming season.
Oh yeah one more thing…RIP to a legend.
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