Dominic Scelzi had inched closer and closer to the rear end of Brian Brown’s No. 21 Casey’s car.
He was preparing to put a move down that had been 22 laps in the making – the entirety of the final green flag run in Sunday’s 360 race at Southern Iowa Speedway.
He made a 1.47 second lead turn to 0.92 and eventually got close enough to make a move that gave the fans in the stands their money’s worth.
“No, you know when you’re driving when you slow your pace down enough, but you don’t want to do something stupid and change the line you’ve been running either,” Brown said. “Overall, I just got lucky with the cut in the corner like that. It was probably the best corner cutting I made all night long.
Scelzi put his No. 41 car on the low end of the middle groove, sliding in front of Brown to set up for a drag race coming to the start/finish line.
Brown was as surprised as anyone that he had the shot though.
“I thought I had lost,” Brown said. “I got the turn, I got it cut and I went.”
Brown muscled ahead, finding grip when he went to the low line of the straightaway, and winning the race by half a car length.
The race was the first of two, back-t0-back winged sprint car races hosted by Terry McCarl during what is normally Knoxville Nationals week.
We were really good,” Scelzi said. “I knew I could get to him there late, but I knew it was just going to be one shot. Man, it sucks running second that close. We were right there, but it wasn’t meant to be.”
Scelzi ran second once again – the third time he has finished in the runner up spot in the past week.
He also was just one car short of a win in Thursday’s Knoxville 360 Nationals qualifier as well as last Sunday’s ASCoC return to Huset’s Speedway.
“I think if you play it back 1,000 times, the same thing is going to happen,” Scelzi said. “I don’t think you can slow down enough to not hit that hole off of turn four. It’s unfortunate to run second. I hate second so much, but hey it’s second place.”
At the end of the day, for Scelzi, he knows it will pay dividends for him.
But, on Sunday night, it paid $4,000 to the driver they call Blackjack.
“When you go to the bank tomorrow, they don’t care how far or how close,” Brown said. “It’s just who won. I’m glad to win that.”
The Osky Challenges continue with the second and final night coming on Monday with the 410 Sprint car show. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. CT.
Sage Fruit Ultimate ASCS Challenge Main Event
30 laps – Southern Iowa Speedway
1. 21, Brian Brown
2. 41, Dominic Scelzi
3. 3z, Brock Zearfoss
4. 17wx, Shane Golobic
5. 5c, Colby Copeland
6. 44s, Trey Starks
7. 15H, Sam Hafertepe Jr.
8. 35m, Tim Kaeding
9. 28, Scott Bogucki
10. 3P, Sawyer Phillips
11. 52, Blake Hahn
12. 3, Ayrton Gennetten
13. 17w, Harli White
14. 24, Garret Williamson
15. 63, JJ Hickle
16. 33, Colton Heath
17. 47x, Dylan Westbrook
18. 14, Jordon Mallett
19. 17A, Austin McCarl
20. 1K, Kelby Watt
21. 5J, Jamie Ball
22. 95, Matt Covington
23. 11, Roger Crockett
24. 27, Carson McCarl
