DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript
Dirt racing news, results, discussion, analytics. Sprint cars, late models, modifieds, you name it. From national series, to top local shows. Brought to you five days a week. Email the show at info@dirtrackr.com.
One driver, two careers, one pivotal decision? | Daily 9-11-2024
Is it just me, or has Aaron Reutzel had a strange sprint car career? We'll talk about that today, plus comparing Corey Day and Buddy Kofoid, surprising winless sprint car drivers, and much more. Let's go!
It's Wednesday, September 11th, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily presented by Kubota Genuine Parts.
You guys that have been around a while know that I've shared sprint car ticket discounts from Lincoln Speedway before, and I've got another one for you. The World of Outlaws sprint cars have a new date at Lincoln which was just announced this week. Coming up on October 12th they'll head back to Lincoln for the $20,000-to-win World of Outlaws Keystone Showdown. And if you want to go, I've got a coupon code to save you $5 off each ticket. If you use code "DIRTRACKR" at checkout at dirtrackr.com/keystone or worldofoutlaws.com, you can take advantage of the deal. Lincoln Speedway, in Abbottstown, Pennsylvania was one of the original tracks on the World of Outlaws inaugural schedule in 1978 and has been host to The Greatest Show on Dirt every year since 2012. Earlier this season, current championship leader David Gravel fought off Gio Scelzi, Carson Macedo and Anthony Macri to earn Big Game Motorsports its 100th World of Outlaws victory. Lincoln is always packed for Outlaw shows, so tickets will go fast. Buying in advance gets you the best deal, and buying with code "DIRTRACKR" gives you the best ticket deal anywhere. So get $5 off each ticket at dirtrackr.com/keystone or worldofoutlaws.com with code "DIRTRACKR."
At Clay County Fair Speedway last night, Aaron Reutzel went to victory lane after passing early leader Hank Davis on lap nine. Reutzel doesn't make a ton of appearances with the ASCS anymore, with his last win with the series coming in 2023 at the 360 Knoxville Nationals on a prelim night. His last win in a regular series event was at I-30 in 2022. Davis ended up second, and championship leader Seth Bergman finished third. Unfortunately for Sam Hafertepe, he suffered a flat tire very late in the feature, and finished 14th. He was going to be in line to take some more points out of Bergman's lead, but instead gave up significant ground. Headed to Arrowhead Speedway this weekend, the gap is now back to 73 points.
Can we talk for just a quick minute about how strange Aaron Reutzel's career has been? Just this past weekend, Reutzel won with High Limit at the Tuscarora 50, which was his first national touring sprint car win since an Outlaw victory at Ransomville in 2021. This guy dominated the All Stars for three seasons, winning championships in 2018, 2019, and 2020, winning 36 times along the way, before moving full time to the Outlaws in 2021. He got that opportunity with Roth Motorsports, and things were going fairly well that season. Wins at East Bay, Williams Grove, Huset's, and Ransomville through his first 50 starts. He also racked up 15 top fives, 33 top tens, and an average feature finish in the nines. He won that show at Ransomville, was 13th at Weedsport, and that's when things went sideways. He was busted for that thin frame, and issued a lengthy suspension. And in the aftermath, lost the Roth deal and was off the Outlaw tour. That Reutzel penalty was also a key moment in the history of DIRTRACKR, as for a very long time, that was my most viewed video. He emerged in September that season after the suspension driving for Ridge and Sons Racing with Brian Ridge, and things have looked very different since then. No more traveling coast-to-coast with a series, and instead focused on the midwest and much smaller schedules. He went from running 70 to 80 races a year, to 50 and 60, in a much smaller geographic area. More 360 shows, lots of weekly action at Knoxville, and a significant pull back from the national scene. Reutzel was the sixth highest earning driver in 2019, with only Brad Sweet, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart, Donny Schatz, and Daryn Pittman earning more money than he did. This season he's 25th on the money list, with 13 wins across 410 and 360 action. A big reason behind Reutzel's pull back is his family life, with two young kids at home, he told FloRacing's Kyle McFadden in 2023 that his mindset had changed and that he was leading more of a family life now. You certainly can't blame him for wanting that, especially with how difficult the road life can be. But regardless of how you view Reutzel, we obviously know he's not the favorite for a lot of people, he was definitely on his way to being a top sprint car driver in the country. But one decision about a chassis he liked and World of Outlaws certification stickers, and his entire career shifted. Pretty wild.
Moving on, I've got two sprint car situations for you to ponder today. First, I got a DM on social media asking my opinion on a driver comparison for 2024. A husband and wife debating who is having the better season right now, Buddy Kofoid or Corey Day. Kofoid fifth in the standings with the Outlaws, Day fifth in the standings with High Limit. Day has nine wins, 22 top fives, and 39 top tens in 65 starts, with $457,000 in earnings. Kofoid has three wins, 24 top fives, and 46 top tens in 61 races, with $324,000 in earnings. Day's average finish is 10th with High Limit, and closer to 11 overall. Kofoid is at 7 with the Outlaws, and in the mid 8's overall. So Kofoid better average finish, more top fives, more top tens. He's definitely more consistent, even with some of the mechanical issues they've faced. Day though with more wins and more earnings. I think based on the wins and money, including several big scores, I'd give the edge to Day. Drop me a comment and let me know what you think. And I've got one more. Master Gassers on Twitter yesterday posted six drivers who are all winless in 410 competition this season, and asked which was most surprising. Those winless drivers in his post include Spencer Bayston, Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne, Kraig Kinser, Jordan Goldesberry, and Kerry Madsen. My opinion here is that it's Peck. Those guys have had several good runs this season, and I'm surprised they haven't closed one out. Especially after that Kokomo win last season. It continues to surprise me as well that Peck hasn't grabbed an Outlaw win yet. I do think you could make a case for Madsen as well, especially given the schedule he's run. MSTS shows, IRA, and a bunch weekly at Huset's and Knoxville. He should have won at least one of those you'd think. Leave your own thoughts below.
Yesterday at Oswego Speedway, the track build began for this year's Super Dirt Week festivities. If you don't know, Oswego is normally a paved track, but they put in a ton of effort to turn it into a dirt track for the week. They even had the mayor of Oswego stop by to get things started. The Super DIRTcar Series, DIRTcar 358s, DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds, and DIRTcar Pro Stocks hit Oswego October 7th through the 12th for the 52nd edition of the event. They've added $30 grand to the full week purse, with the 200 lapper paying $52,000 to win, the 358 race paying $20,000 to win, and the sportsman and pro stock features paying $5000 and $3000 to win. Mat Williamson won both big modified paydays last year, sweeping the big block and 358 features. Before Super Dirt Week gets rolling though, the Super DIRTcar Series has three races in between. September 21st at Albany Saratoga, and two nights at Atomic Speedway in Ohio, September 27th and 28th.
A couple schedule notes for you. The Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series has cancelled their Friday show at Lavonia because of Hurricane Francine. They'll be back to racing September 20th and 21st at Thunderhill Raceway. Brandon Overton still the championship leader. And the Thursday FloRacing Night in America show at I-75 has been postponed because of Francine. They are in the process of trying to find a reschedule date. The next Flo series show is September 25th at Brownstown.
I'm a rising tide raises all boats guy, so hopefully as my audience grows, I can help other content creators grow as well. That's why every Wednesday on the show I spotlight guests and happenings on the other dirt racing podcasts in the space. This week, Winged Nation has Roger Crockett, and last week they had Trey Starks. Passing Points has Tyler Edwards, Quicktime has Jake Bubak, Hoogie's Garage has Max Guilford and Ricky Warner, Turn 2 Terribles has Danny Dietrich, and there are new episodes of the Dirt Reporters from Dirt on Dirt, Dirt Track Confessions, the Dirt Nerds, and the Driver's Project. To discover something new, head over to dirtrackr.com/podcasts.
If you want more video content, jump over to youtube.com/dirtrackr, scroll to the bottom, and you'll find a section featuring other dirt racing YouTube channels. In there are track and series channels, a bunch of drivers, and more.
That's it for the show today. I have a new issue of the Slider to send out soon, this one another interview from Jordan Wilman. If you want to sign up to get those emails for free, you can do that at dirtrackr.com/theslider.
Hope you guys have a great Wednesday out there, we'll see you back here tomorrow!