INDIANAPOLIS – After an emotional night at Williams Grove Speedway, in which he scored his first World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series victory, Gio Scelzi has begun to reflect on the many milestones he’s accrued during his first season racing on a national scale.

Scelzi, the 16-year-old son of drag racing legend Gary Scelzi, took his first major steps outside of his native California this season, racing 410 sprint cars across the country and moving more regularly into the touring ranks of the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions and World of Outlaws.

While he spent the first half of the season learning, spending time driving the famed Silva Motorsports No. 57 entry, Scelzi has come into his own since joining forces with Bernie Stuebgen at the end of April.

A series of strong finishes through the summer months all built towards his masterful performance during the opening night of the Champion Racing Oil National Open last Friday, in which Scelzi outraced David Gravel to score a $10,000 payday and become the youngest Outlaw winner in series history.

“It was such a cool weekend; I can hardly put it into words,” Scelzi told SPEED SPORT. “We actually made the decision to go there (to Williams Grove) because of weather. We were going to go to Wisconsin and run the IRA race last weekend … and we decided last minute to go east instead because things looked a little iffy out there, not to mention the competition between the Posse and the Outlaws is top-notch.

“We really weren’t going in with very high expectations, so to come out with a win was incredible.”

Scelzi’s whole night could easily fit that same description. He timed sixth-quick overall, swept both his heat race and the dash and then paced the final 12 laps of the 27-lap feature en route to the win.

“We just fell into a rhythm the whole night, to be honest with you. We qualified well, we heat raced well and won that, won the dash and then started on the front row for the feature,” recalled Scelzi. “Once we had the track position, I just rode there for a while because I knew how good a car we had. Early in a race, you usually know if you can challenge for a win or not, so it was cool to know we were fast right off the bat.

“Then to race with David (Gravel), a two-time National Open winner, like we did later on for the victory and be able to pass him in the end was unreal.”

Scelzi pointed out that he feels like he’s grown quite a bit during the past eight months. He called his first West Coast-swing with the Outlaws in Silva’s No. 57 “maybe a bit timid” but said he’s found his footing and confidence as the year has gone on.

“Early on in the year, I was really second-guessing myself and questioning if I was really ready to race with the Outlaws,” Scelzi admitted. “But from the first night Bernie, Betsy and I raced together … it just felt like the right fit. We’ve become friends, more than just a race team. It’s really cool to see how fast we’ve gelled and I feel like we haven’t really even missed a beat.

“Bernie talking to whoever he talked to that convinced him to put me in the seat was the best thing that has ever happened to my career,” he continued. “This car was fast before I got here and I’m glad it’s still fast now that I’m in it as well.”

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