JW: Hey Gio! It’s great to chat with you again. First off, let’s get this one out of the way... Let’s chat about the Knoxville Nationals. After you have been able to have time to digest everything that happened that weekend, how do you look back at that entire week and the event as a whole? Where do you stand on everything that went down for you? It was an impressive week from your end.
 
GS: When we went into Knoxville in June, we struggled a lot as a team for the two-day Outlaw show. When the Outlaws opened up our restrictions we went there on the Fourth of July weekend. We went with a different car and put together a whole different program for Knoxville that week to get some reps in with what we had. It completely transformed our program going to Knoxville that week and prepared us for the Nationals. We knew after what we had put together for that week we would have a platform to be competitive going into the Nationals, which we were. I felt like I was maxed out physically and mentally by the end of the Nationals. You never want to lose a race, but at the same time, running second to one of the best drivers in the world changes the outlook as time has passed. Obviously, it was disappointing… That said, we put together as complete a week at the Nationals as we could have done and I’m super proud of all the guys at KPC Racing for the effort and support. Not to mention, all of the sponsors, who we put on a great running for. The Nationals are a home race for all of us.
  
JW: Let’s take a look at the World of Outlaws season for you as we are over the halfway point of the season. Even though there is still a lot of racing to go, how do you evaluate the year for you and KPC Racing throughout 2024 and as we head toward the latter part of the year?
 
GS: I put myself a lot more in position to win races, but there are quite a few times I haven’t finished the job on a lot of races, such as Pevely [I55] during the Iron Man weekend. Starting up front is absolutely crucial in these races. If you aren’t pulling a one or two in the dash, it makes the entire night a lot harder to compete for a win. Your bad nights have to be fifth, sixth, and seventh to be able to stay in the hunt on a consistent basis to even be anywhere close to competing for the championship. You have to capitalize on the good nights and moments when you have them. I feel that I have let a few of them slip away this year. Unfortunately, we haven’t been as consistent lately as we were at the beginning of the year.
 
JW: The World of Outlaws championship fight is arguably one of the hardest championships to compete for in all of motorsports from around the world. Having to be “on it” each night for around 90 races a year pushes the drivers mentally and physically the entire year. How has the second full-time season of points racing been for you and the team?
 
GS: We are always working towards next year on different packages. It’s always a learning process throughout each year and looking forward to the next year. Our program is constantly evolving and we strive to keep looking at different ways, we [KPC Racing] as a team can take the next level on our package, whether it’s chassis, shocks, axels - anything. If you aren’t trying to move forward, you are going backward. We changed our program a bit from last year and will continue to tweak it moving into next year. 
  
JW: Whether you want to believe it or not, you have become one of the top drivers in sprint car racing over the past couple of years now. You have grown and continue to develop into one of the top drivers in the sport. Do you enjoy the fact that you are a driver that your competition looks at as one of the main players they have to beat, night in and night out?
 
GS: I’m very, very proud of my team and what they have built at KPC Racing. It’s a very unique team, with our backers, where we are based in Iowa, and the long-term outlook of where the team's goals are. They help and provide me with a support system in order for us to be successful. Knowing they are 100% behind me and support me on and off the race track is key. We are growing and building together well as a team. It’s a team effort. It started from the first day I came on board with KPC [Racing]. I can’t take all the credit here as it’s a team sport. I wouldn’t be here, having the success I have had at this point if it wasn’t for this amazing team of people and supporters I get to work with. I love what we are building at KPC Racing.
  
JW: Let’s take a swing away from the on-track stuff for a bit and talk about the off-track stuff. Talk to me about your show “Gio Says” that you have been doing for the last number of months with your co-host Chris Williams. How did this show come about? When did you decide that you wanted to pursue an online show/podcast? Spill all the details!
 
GS: One of our sponsors, Shawn Edwards (A+ Lawn & Landscape), reached out to me and linked me up with Chris Williams, who owns  “Cyclone Fanatic” and is involved in around four or five podcasts. This is his full-time job, producing shows and being on podcasts. He grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska announcing at 14/15 years old at Eagle Raceway and I80. Racing is where his heart is, but he makes money on the sports side of the industry. We went out for lunch one day and Chris mentioned that he wanted to do a weekly podcast with me recapping my weekends racing. I said to him, if you do all of the legwork to get it off the ground, as he has the studio and all of the gear to make it happen, I told him that I will give you my time. We have only done around five or six podcasts up to this point. We have had the Blaney’s on, my dad [Gary Scelzi] and [Danny] Lasoski, but we only put together a handful of podcasts at random. We want to put together a schedule that ideally works for both of us and our listeners so they know when our next episode is coming out, instead of going dark for a month or two. That will come with time once we iron out what works best for us. Having someone like Chris [Williams] works wonders. He is awesome. He can fit into any conversation no matter the topic or the guests. We will continue to build out the show and see where else we can take it when it comes to our guests and the subject matter that we decide to discuss. Having the show be an open platform for us to say whatever we want is what I really like about doing the show. No filter, just honest and open talk. Part of me having my own podcast is so that I can talk about what I want, without being tied to anyone or any organization. 
  
JW: In addition to your podcast show, you have taken a massive step in the past year as one of the main representatives from the sprint car world, from doing podcast interviews, website columns, on and off-track event appearances - etc. Do you enjoy getting yourself out there and being a face for not only yourself and representing the World of Outlaws but also being an ambassador for sprint car racing as a whole?
 
GS: I do! I try to be as objective as possible. I feel like I am.  I’m very honest and upfront about different topics and discussions. I’m not afraid to share an opinion, which is something you don’t see from a lot of people within the sport as most people like to keep their thoughts behind closed doors. This is part of the reason I like having a podcast because I think it’s good to have discussions on multiple topics and not be afraid to have differing opinions and thoughts on subjects. We might not agree on everything, but that’s okay. I’m open-minded and have an opinion. If you don’t like it, that’s fine, you don’t have to listen. End of story. 
  
JW: Something you did back in June that was extremely unique was the “Ultimate Fan Experience” Competition. It raised a lot of eyebrows within the racing community and beyond. Take me through the process from start to finish, along with the winner of the competition, Jordan Paulsen, who won the prize. How did the entire competition go from your end, as you were the one who spearheaded the initiative?
 
GS: About five or six years ago now, KCP [Racing] did a ‘Drive Day’ with all of our sponsors. We brought four cars, with bigger seats in them, all with 410s in them, and let them make laps around Knoxville. They all still talk about it to this day! Another thing was we halfway partnered with the World of Outlaws to do it. Things didn’t really pan out the way we were hoping when it came to the additional marketing and support we thought to put this together. There were certain agreements we made with them that didn’t come through at all.  That meant the entire financial burden was on my team [KPC Racing] to make it happen. All the credit needs to be put toward and given to them. We didn’t make a lot of money from it, only enough to pay my guys for that day of work and the track rental fee of $3000. Knoxville was very, very helpful in getting us set up leading to and on the day. Plus, the whole event with Jordan [Paulsen] went smoothly which we were super happy about. I remember when I texted him about letting him know he won; he couldn’t believe it. If we were to do it again, we need to structure it a bit better. We would schedule the entry and end dates of the contest to be a lot earlier in order to give us more time to prepare for the event. Plus, it would be more financially in our favor to have a contest for a short period, say like one month, and throw all of the money into a short marketing campaign to do it the following month. It was our first time doing it. Again, if we were to do it again, and it’s a big if, we would do it much differently to make it more viable for everyone involved; mainly, our team by adding in a paid entry to apply and a few other changes to the timeline and the specifics of the event, like criteria needed to entry.
 
JW: As we close off our conversation, I wanted to touch on the very recent post that Brent Marks made about his thoughts on the current situation we are seeing in sprint car racing when it comes to passing and competitive action on the track. What are your thoughts on his statement about the sport at this current time? In addition, do you agree with him on the fact that some changes need to be implemented in order to get a better product on track? Where are you on this debate?
 
GS: I couldn’t agree more with him. Brent is right - 100%. This year was a huge year to show off our sport with all of the momentum we have gotten over the last few years. Both series [High Limit & World of Outlaws] have not lived up to the potential that they both have. Personally speaking, I don’t think there is enough room for two National touring series. For example, Bill Balog ran with the All-Stars for the last couple of years to get his program to where it needs to get to before jumping onto the World of Outlaws and going out on the road. Now, there is a divide between local guys and national guys that continues to grow and get larger. Local guys in their areas are not as good as they normally would be without having a regional series or two to help with the development. In the past, the Outlaws would go to parts of the country and face fierce competition from the locals. Now? The only real competition we get in a region is when we go out to West Coast. The divide keeps growing and will continue to grow. All of racing now has a divide between local racing and national. Whether that comes down to equipment, money, opportunities, travel, sponsorship - the list goes on. We can only hope that a divide will come next year that can be in-between the local and national levels to help with driver and team development. No one can argue this far into the 2024 season that they don’t see a glaring hole without having a regional series or two to help foster the competition in our sport.