Giovanni Scelzi found himself on the pole and in contention to win his first Knoxville Nationals at 19 years old in 2021; a chance to be the youngest ever winner of the prestigious event.
He had a promising start, leading 10 laps, but ultimately finished fourth – his career-best finish in the event. Now, 22, and five Knoxville Nationals starts under his belt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series competitor is leaning on his experience and maturity to chase a NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals title from the fifth starting position.
“Honestly, it was pretty overwhelming the first time,” Scelzi said about trying to win the Knoxville Nationals. “You know, all the thoughts go through your mind, you can be the youngest Knoxville Nationals winner ever. We were extremely fast back in 2021. It wasn’t typical for them to have track work before the Feature, but they’ve kind of made that a normal thing now and really didn’t prepare right. I feel like we had a really good package on Wednesday, and we didn’t want to stray from it for Saturday. So, the track will be different… You have to stay on top of it.”
He’ll enter the 50-lap main event with the confidence of a strong performance Wednesday night, which saw him race from sixth to the win in 25 laps, evaporating Jacob Allen’s over a second lead in the closing laps with an immaculate drive around the bottom lane.
“The entries were really slick,” he said after the race. “It was hard to carry speed into the apex of the corner, the car wanted to step out from under you. My car felt awesome. It was easier to drive it straight and get that grip on exit.”
The win came after another strong run at Knoxville Raceway during the Capitani Classic on Sunday, where Scelzi finished second – the start to his successful run up to Saturday’s contest.
Now in his second full-time year with KCP Racing on the World of Outlaws tour, currently sitting fourth in Series points with three wins this season – tied with Donny Schatz and Carson Macedo for the third most – Scelzi has found his footing as an “Outlaw.” He has nine Series wins and has experience scoring big paydays such as a $20,000 grab at Beaver Dam Raceway in July. But a crown jewel win still awaits.
With the confidence in his car – sporting a special black and gold livery, capable of winning its own award – and a matured approach to big events, Scelzi is keeping the pressure to win at bay.
“I feel like now, I’m a little bit older, I’ve been in position to win those races,” Scelzi said. “Obviously, haven’t won a crown jewel yet. You can’t stress about it because you’ll make yourself go crazy. Sometimes, racing every weekend will make you go crazy. I don’t know, this is the pinnacle of our year. I feel like our year peaks at Nationals.”
While grandstand tickets are sold out for Saturday’s 63rd NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s, you can still watch every lap of “The Granddaddy of Them All” live on DIRTVision.
