ROSSBURG, Ohio — Aaron Reutzel and Corey Day earned $12,000 victories during the Double Down Duels for the Kutota High Limit Sprint Car Series in an event that finished up Thursday morning at Eldora Speedway.
But what everyone was talking about was the disqualification of World of Outlaws point leader David Gravel after a second-place finish in the second 25-lap main event.
First Feature
Reutzel started fifth in the opening main event and traded the lead with James McFadden before taking the point for good on lap 12.
Reutzel endured several yellow and red flags during the second half of the race on what was a treacherous track after a rain shower hit the track midway through the program.
“My car was so good. I could go anywhere I could get through the holes,” Reutzel said of his superior handling car going through the treacherous conditions. “I really had to enter way above (the cushion) though. And I told my crew before the race started, I think that’s going to be in play.”
Logan Schuchart, who won the Eldora Million in 2023, started eighth and worked his way forward to finish second.
Kyle Larson started ninth and came home third.
McFadden and Anthony Macri completed the top five.
Larson turned the fast lap for Group A at 13.327 seconds.
Second Feature
Part-time NASCAR driver Corey Day started his Jason Meyers Racing No. 14bc started on the pole in the second 25-lap main event and was never headed en route to victory.
“When you have a good as car as that, half mile racing is easy,” said Day. “I don’t think my foot left the floor that whole entire race, so it makes your job really, really easy when you have a good car.”
Gravel made a late run at Day, but came up short. He was then disqualified during post-race technical inspection for the front wing being too far forward on his Big Game Motorsports No. 2.
Tanner Holmes was elevated to second after Gravel’s disqualification, while Rico Abreu, Tyler Courtney and Carson Macedo, who started 21st, completed the top five.
Gravel was the fast qualifier for Group B with a 13.616-second lap.
The Points
Points earned throughout Wednesday night using Eldora Speedway’s “Every Lap Matters” point system determined the lineups for Thursday’s $100,000-to-win Joker’s Jackpot.
With the top 12 drivers in points locked into Thursday’s main event, Abreu will start from the pole. He will share the front row with Larson.
Schuchart and Reutzel will start on row two. The other eight drivers locked into the field are Day, McFadden, Holmes, Macedo, Buddy Kofoid, Courtney, Macri and Bill Balog.
C Mains, B Mains and the feature will be televised live on FS1 on Thursday night. Gravel will have to transfer from one of the B mains.
The finishes:
Group A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 87-Aaron Reutzel[5]; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart[8]; 3. 57-Kyle Larson[9]; 4. 21-James McFadden[3]; 5. 39M-Anthony Macri[2]; 6. 83-Michael Kofoid[21]; 7. 49-Brad Sweet[11]; 8. 2C-Cole Macedo[16]; 9. 21B-Brian Brown[6]; 10. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[4]; 11. 7S-Chris Windom[14]; 12. 21H-Brady Bacon[17]; 13. 27H-Steven Snyder Jr[20]; 14. 55V-Kerry Madsen[7]; 15. 6-Ryan Smith[19]; 16. 42-Sye Lynch[1]; 17. 5-Brenham Crouch[18]; 18. 13-Daison Pursley[12]; 19. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[10]; 20. 71-Parker Price Miller[23]; 21. 88-Tanner Thorson[15]; 22. 10RR-Darin Naida[22]; 23. 23-Chase Dietz[13]; 24. 99-Skylar Gee[24]
Group B Feature (25 Laps): 1. 14BC-Corey Day[1]; 2. 18T-Tanner Holmes[2]; 3. 24-Rico Abreu[9]; 4. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[6]; 5. 41-Carson Macedo[21]; 6. 17B-Bill Balog[3]; 7. 48-Danny Dietrich[7]; 8. 23W-Garet Williamson[5]; 9. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[13]; 10. 49X-Cale Thomas[10]; 11. 9-Kasey Kahne[14]; 12. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[11]; 13. 17GP-Tim Shaffer[18]; 14. 45W-Cory Eliason[17]; 15. 15-Donny Schatz[15]; 16. 24D-Danny Sams III[12]; 17. 1A-Ashton Torgerson[23]; 18. 27-Emerson Axsom[24]; 19. 19H-Kevin Thomas Jr[19]; 20. 5W-Jeremy Weaver[20]; 21. 26-Justin Peck[4]; 22. 19-Brent Marks[16]; 23. 69K-Christopher Bell[22]; 24. 2-David Gravel[8], DQ.
