Giovanni Scelzi Comes Back From 3rd to Win Night Two at Cotton Bowl

Giovanni Scelzi racing during night two of the Texas Two-Step at Cotton Bowl Speedway. (Photo: Sean Folsom | The Podium Finish)

PAIGE, Texas — Night two of the World of Outlaws Texas Two-Step at Cotton Bowl Speedway took place on Saturday night, showcasing a 30-lap main event with $12,000 up for grabs.

The 410 sprint cars drove two-by-two into Turn 4 to begin the race with Donny Schatz and Giovanni Scelzi on the front row. As soon as the green flag dropped, Scelzi immediately put pressure on Schatz and got side-by-side with him as they went through Turns 1 and 2.  As they exited Turn 2 and raced down the backstretch, Scelzi took the low side, passing Schatz and taking the lead going into Turn 3.

On Lap 4, action between Brent Marks, Logan Schuchart and Bill Balog stole the show. As they entered Turn 1, Schuchart went low on Marks, taking over third place as they exited Turn 2. Racing down the back chute, Schuchart stayed in third knowing that Marks was there. As they entered the third turn, Balog went low and tried to shove his nose in there to no avail.

As they crossed the start/finish line on Lap 5, Marks decided to increase the pressure on Schuchart. Racing into the first turn, Marks went low on Schuchart and stayed low all throughout Turn 2. Schuchart had just a little more power and pulled away once again on the back stretch.

On Lap 6, a new contender showed up to the party: David Gravel. As Marks, Schuchart and Sheldon Haudenschild all battled, Gravel went way down low and performed a slide job on Marks to take over third. Gravel did not keep third very long as Marks pulled a slide job on him throughout Turn 4.

Gravel lost yet another spot during the next lap to Schuchart, who also pulled a slide job on him. Gravel and Schuchart battled throughout all of the turns and as they entered Turn 2, Gravel slid up into Schuchart and clipped him with his right rear. This caused Schuchart to fishtail and let off the gas.

At the end of Lap 13, Scelzi was way ahead and hit lapped traffic, but second place had a battle going on. Schatz and Marks headed into Turn 3 side-by-side, but Marks prevailed coming out of the corner. Schatz attempted to slip back into the position but ultimately settled in the third position by the end of the lap. As they crossed into Lap 14, Schatz was right on Marks’ heels.

Giovanni Scelzi and Brent Marks battling for first during night two of the Texas Two-Step at Cotton Bowl Speedway. (Photo: Sean Folsom | The Podium Finish)

On Lap 20, Schuchart took over fourth place once again by drafting Gravel and sliding around him on the outside. Haudenschild was also in the mix as he was racing on the bottom groove through the corners. As they raced down the back chute, Schuchart drove away, leaving Haudenschild and Gravel battling right next to each other. Nearing Turn 3, Gravel was finally able to pull away from Haudenschild.

Four laps later, Scelzi began to feel the pressure, losing the lead after a successful pass by Marks. As they exited Turn 4, however, Scelzi launched back into first right under Marks’ nose, reclaiming the position he had kept all night long.

Unfortunately, Scelzi had to overtake Marks for the lead once more after getting loose and losing momentum to his competitor. Scelzi came right back though, going low on Marks and cutting up in front of him to once again hold the lead.

With one lap to go, Schatz decided to give Marks a run for his money. Side-by-side and wheel-to-wheel on the back stretch, Schatz was aggressively hunting for the second-place position. Ultimately, his slide job attempts failed as Marks had just a little bit more speed.

Scelzi went on to win the race of which he had held the lead all 30 laps for. When asked about his win and car, Scelzi was all smiles and happiness.

“I need to go find a top-dollar machine at the casino right now,” said Scelzi. “Man, the car is so fast. It minimizes the mistakes I make, so I can stick it in the slick part of the racetrack. Thank you to my guys.”