CONCORD, N.C. — Gio Scelzi gave himself a stellar graduation gift during the recent United Rentals Patriot Nationals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
Scelzi picked up his second World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory on the opening night of the two-day show with a thrilling pass of NASCAR star Kyle Larson.
The 17-year-old, who recently finished his final semester of high school, has turned his focus to life on the road and racing sprint cars under the tutelage of Indy Race Parts owner Bernie Stuebgen.
That focus showed on the race track in Scelzi’s veteran move on to pass Larson, as well as when he was asked if being done with his schooling was a benefit to his racing dreams and endeavors.
“It’s been a long road, but I’m definitely excited to close the school chapter of my life and turn my attention to the race track full time,” Scelzi told SPEED SPORT. “It’s a big weight lifted off my shoulders and I think allows us to reset a little bit. Bernie’s team is pretty unique with just him and I working on the cars together. It takes a lot of time during the week, but we have a really fast program because of it.
“I love doing this; racing is what I’ve wanted to put my focus toward for a long time and I’m looking forward to being able to do that through the summer and fall.”
When one considers that at just 17, Scelzi was finishing school, racing on most weekends and working for Stuebgen in the Indy Race Parts shop as much as he was able to, it’s understandable to think that the California teenager might have struggled at times to organize his schedule.
He’s grateful that it’s a struggle which has gotten a bit easier since his high school graduation, however.
“It’s been tough to balance. There’s been a lot of late nights in the shop and early mornings, too,” Scelzi noted. “To just focus on racing now makes that extra time even more worthwhile. I put my computer down after I got done with my last semester a few weeks ago and haven’t touched it since then.
“It’s been nice just to focus on racing and race cars and have some fun with it all.”
Scelzi scored his first World of Outlaws victory last fall during the opening night of National Open weekend at Williams Grove Speedway, instantly inking his name among legends of the sport as an Outlaw winner at the stark young age of 16.
Since then, he’s continued to impress and excel on the way to his second Outlaw victory at Charlotte, a process that has been aided by Stuebgen’s guidance and wrench-turning as Scelzi’s crew chief.
“Bernie and I spend almost every day together, and when we don’t, we’re either driving down the road or something like that preparing for the next race,” said Scelzi. “We spend a lot of time together and get along really well, and I think that’s a lot of it, is just chemistry between two people and not arguing or fighting. Me being a young driver, I’m always hard enough on myself, so whether we win or run last … he doesn’t really say a whole lot because he knows we’re capable of great things.
“That relationship makes it a lot easier on me to be focused and stay confident.”
As his confidence has risen, so has Scelzi’s performance behind the wheel. His pass of Larson to win at Charlotte made the NASCAR star appear as if he was standing still in turn three, a testament to a newfound driving fire on Scelzi’s part.
“I think just being more aggressive, for me, has been the biggest way I’ve grown,” said Scelzi. “These guys, if you make a mistake, you end up being passed by two, three or even four cars in one corner. That’s tough to make back up, so you have to get all you can get all the time. Me capitalizing on those mistakes from others and being aggressive like the rest of the field is has made me a better driver.
“I think the smarts were always there, but the experience wasn’t and still isn’t, in some cases,” he added. “I lack in a lot of ways, having never seen a lot of race tracks before and having to learn as I go, so I think I’ve grown in that way, as well as a person with living away from home, working with Bernie and growing up a lot more than I would have before I got started on this journey.”
Scelzi knows he still has a lot of growing to do, but feels that he’s at a point where he’s ready to begin shaping his own path forward.
“I hope this is the part of the process where I start to truly grab hold of the dream,” Scelzi said. “With two Outlaw wins now, I feel more solidified with these guys and feel like everyone knows now that (Williams Grove) wasn’t just a fluke deal. It’s a big accomplishment for me and for my confidence.
“It’s tough out here, but hopefully this dream is starting to actually become a reality,” he added. “My Charlotte win was a thinking man’s game, I feel like, and one of the best nights I’ve driven in my life.”
Scelzi has no plans of continuing that dream without Stuebgen in his corner.
“As long as the truck’s got diesel in it and there’s methanol for the car, we plan to keep racing together.”