Aaron Reutzel won the Night Before the Tuscarora 50 Friday at Port Royal (Chad Warner Photo) (Video Highlights from FloRacing.com)
"The Boot from Clute," "The One Foot Wonder," call him whatever you want - but you certainly have to call Aaron Reutzel tough.
Still plagued by complications from a Fractured Right Foot he sustained in a July 18 crash at Eldora Speedway, Reutzel dug deep and put on a gutsy performance to win Friday's Night Before the 50 at Port Royal Speedway.
It was only his second race back behind the wheel of the Ridge & Sons Racing No. 87 after spending seven weeks sidelined and trying to recover at home in Iowa. The Clute, Texas native is still utilizing a scooter to get around, a modified race shoe loaded with carbon fiber to make him comfortable in the car, and crutches to stand in victory lane.
Friday wasn't even the first time in 2025 that Reutzel had to fight through the pain en route to Whiskey Myers Victory Lane. Back in March, after suffering a broken nose at Las Vegas, he won only two races later. How many races did it take to win during this return? Yep, two.
Putting the Power Plus No. 87 on the pole position alongside the Kreitz Racing No. 69K, it was surprisingly neither Reutzel nor Ryan Smith who jumped to the early lead in Friday's 25-lapper. Fourth-starter Parker Price-Miller, aboard the Indy Race Parts No. 71, nailed the initial start and slid his way to the lead by the exit of turn two.
A native of Kokomo, Indiana, PPM controlled the opening eight laps in pursuit of his first-career Kubota High Limit Racing win and his first-career win at Port Royal Speedway. Lap traffic was the biggest decider in the race as Reutzel capitalized on Lap 9 and took control of the point for good.
Going green-to-checkered, the race appeared most intense past halfway on Lap 13 when a four-way battle for the lead broke out in traffic with Reutzel, PPM, and Pennsylvanians Anthony Macri and Brent Marks all separated by less than a second.
Down the stretch, the closest anyone got to Reutzel was Macri at 0.872-seconds behind on Lap 18/25, but the No. 39M was never able to pull off a move to attack the No. 87 for the win. Holding on for the victory, it was Reutzel's eight overall victory of the 2025 season - five of those coming as official Kubota High Limit Racing wins, pushing his career total to six scores through 44 starts with the series.
In the bigger picture, Reutzel's run - following an epic west coast swing for super sub Justin Sanders - has the Ridge & Sons Racing team only four-points behind Rico Abreu Racing in the heated championship chase with 13 races left.
It was a podium chalked full of former Tuscarora 50 champions with Aaron Reutzel (2019), Anthony Macri (2022), and Brent Marks (2015) all owning one previous title at the Port Royal Speedway crown jewel. On Saturday, they'll all be a factor in chasing a second.
Closing out the opt-10 on The Night Before the 50 was Ryan Smith, Parker Price-Miller, Giovanni Scelzi, Rico Abreu, Brenham Crouch, Troy Wagaman Jr, and Brad Sweet.
THE ALL-IN NOTEBOOK (9/5/25)
Port Royal Speedway (Port Royal, PA)
Dirt Draft Fastest in Flight A Hot Laps - Brady Bacon (15.656)
Capitol Renegade Flight A QuickTime - Aaron Reutzel (15.342)
Dirt Draft Fastest in Flight B Hot Laps - Parker Price-Miller (15.573)
Capitol Renegade Flight B QuickTime - Chase Dietz (15.743)
TJ Forged Heat One Winner - Giovanni Scelzi
DMI Heat Two Winner - Anthony Macri
BR Motorsports Heat Three Winner - Brad Sweet
Rod End Supply Heat Four Winner - Parker Price-Miller
C-Main Winner - Austin Bishop
FK Rod Ends Dash Winner - Aaron Reutzel
Winters Performance B-Main Winner - Chase Dietz
Jake's Golf Carts Fastest Lap Award - Parker Price-Miller (17.671)
Rod End Supply Hard Charger - Troy Wagaman Jr. +13 (22nd-9th)
Lap Leaders - Parker Price-Miller 1-8; Aaron Reutzel 9-25
High Limit Racing
Port Royal Speedway
Port Royal, Pennsylvania
Friday, September 5, 2025
Capital Custom Trailers Qualifying Flight A
1. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 15.342[6]
2. 42-Sye Lynch, 15.374[7]
3. 5-Brenham Crouch, 15.431[1]
4. 39M-Anthony Macri, 15.530[2]
5. 7BC-Giovanni Scelzi, 15.536[12]
6. 8-Brock Zearfoss, 15.548[3]
7. 2-Gerard McIntyre Jr, 15.604[5]
8. 48-Danny Dietrich, 15.643[10]
9. 26-Justin Peck, 15.686[11]
10. 1A-Ashton Torgerson, 15.699[17]
11. 27-Troy Wagaman Jr, 15.761[24]
12. 20-Brady Bacon, 15.806[18]
13. 35-Austin Bishop, 15.831[4]
14. 9-Chase Randall, 15.873[15]
15. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 15.878[23]
16. 27S-Dylan Cisney, 15.885[25]
17. 17B-Steve Buckwalter, 15.896[9]
18. 55-Logan Wagner, 15.905[13]
19. 12-Lance Dewease, 15.936[20]
20. 5J-Jeremy Weaver, 15.944[26]
21. 12H-Blane Heimbach, 16.041[21]
22. 22-Jonathan Preston, 16.047[14]
23. 99-Devin Adams, 16.116[16]
24. 18J-JT Ferry, 16.182[8]
25. 33-Derek Hauck, 16.379[19]
26. 45S-Samuel Miller, 16.385[22]
Capital Custom Trailers Qualifying Flight B
1. 23-Chase Dietz, 15.743[3]
2. 19-Brent Marks, 15.754[1]
3. 69K-Ryan Smith, 15.801[8]
4. 71-Parker Price Miller, 15.807[12]
5. 49-Brad Sweet, 15.924[7]
6. 13-Daison Pursley, 15.930[5]
7. 66-Ryan Newton, 16.031[2]
8. 14-Trey Starks, 16.072[4]
9. 24-Rico Abreu, 16.089[9]
10. 11-TJ Stutts, 16.207[23]
11. 10-Ryan Timms, 16.211[13]
12. 88-Tanner Thorson, 16.240[25]
13. 22H-Doug Hammaker, 16.241[14]
14. X-Matt Campbell, 16.289[16]
15. 55W-Mike Wagner, 16.293[19]
16. 5K-Jake Karklin, 16.361[20]
17. 45-Jeff Halligan, 16.369[11]
18. 77-Michael Walter, 16.370[10]
19. 29S-Brent Shearer, 16.429[22]
20. 67-Justin Whittall, 16.451[26]
21. 27H-Steven Snyder Jr, 16.491[21]
22. 39-Lynton Jeffrey, 16.542[6]
23. 20T-Ryan Taylor, 16.605[24]
24. 95-Garrett Bard, 16.774[17]
25. 47K-Kody Lehman, 16.832[18]
26. 24D-Danny Sams III, [15]
TJ Forged Heat Race #1 (8 Laps)
1. 7BC-Giovanni Scelzi[2]
2. 5-Brenham Crouch[1]
3. 87-Aaron Reutzel[4]
4. 26-Justin Peck[5]
5. 2-Gerard McIntyre Jr[3]
6. 27-Troy Wagaman Jr[6]
7. 12-Lance Dewease[10]
8. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[8]
9. 99-Devin Adams[12]
10. 35-Austin Bishop[7]
11. 12H-Blane Heimbach[11]
12. 33-Derek Hauck[13]
13. 17B-Steve Buckwalter[9]
DMI Heat Race #2 (8 Laps)
1. 39M-Anthony Macri[1]
2. 42-Sye Lynch[4]
3. 1A-Ashton Torgerson[5]
4. 8-Brock Zearfoss[2]
5. 48-Danny Dietrich[3]
6. 20-Brady Bacon[6]
7. 55-Logan Wagner[9]
8. 5J-Jeremy Weaver[10]
9. 9-Chase Randall[7]
10. 22-Jonathan Preston[11]
11. 18J-JT Ferry[12]
12. 45S-Samuel Miller[13]
13. 27S-Dylan Cisney[8]
BR Motorsports Heat Race #3 (8 Laps)
1. 49-Brad Sweet[2]
2. 69K-Ryan Smith[1]
3. 66-Ryan Newton[3]
4. 10-Ryan Timms[6]
5. 24-Rico Abreu[5]
6. 23-Chase Dietz[4]
7. 22H-Doug Hammaker[7]
8. 27H-Steven Snyder Jr[11]
9. 55W-Mike Wagner[8]
10. 47K-Kody Lehman[13]
11. 20T-Ryan Taylor[12]
12. 45-Jeff Halligan[9]
13. 29S-Brent Shearer[10]
Rod End Supply Heat Race #4 (8 Laps)
1. 71-Parker Price Miller[1]
2. 13-Daison Pursley[2]
3. 19-Brent Marks[4]
4. 88-Tanner Thorson[6]
5. X-Matt Campbell[7]
6. 5K-Jake Karklin[8]
7. 67-Justin Whittall[10]
8. 14-Trey Starks[3]
9. 11-TJ Stutts[5]
10. 24D-Danny Sams III[13]
11. 77-Michael Walter[9]
12. 95-Garrett Bard[12]
13. 39-Lynton Jeffrey[11]
FK Rod Ends Dash (7 Laps)
1. 87-Aaron Reutzel[1]
2. 69K-Ryan Smith[2]
3. 39M-Anthony Macri[3]
4. 71-Parker Price Miller[4]
5. 7BC-Giovanni Scelzi[6]
6. 19-Brent Marks[5]
7. 49-Brad Sweet[7]
8. 42-Sye Lynch[8]
C-Main (10 Laps)
1. 35-Austin Bishop[1]
2. 47K-Kody Lehman[2]
3. 24D-Danny Sams III[4]
4. 33-Derek Hauck[9]
5. 12H-Blane Heimbach[5]
6. 20T-Ryan Taylor[6]
7. 22-Jonathan Preston[3]
8. 17B-Steve Buckwalter[13]
9. 27S-Dylan Cisney[15]
10. 18J-JT Ferry[7]
11. 29S-Brent Shearer[14]
12. 45S-Samuel Miller[11]
13. 77-Michael Walter[8]
14. 45-Jeff Halligan[10]
15. 95-Garrett Bard[12]
16. 39-Lynton Jeffrey[16]
Winters Performance B-Main (12 Laps)
1. 23-Chase Dietz[2]
2. 27-Troy Wagaman Jr[1]
3. 12-Lance Dewease[5]
4. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[9]
5. 20-Brady Bacon[3]
6. 67-Justin Whittall[8]
7. 22H-Doug Hammaker[6]
8. 55-Logan Wagner[7]
9. 99-Devin Adams[13]
10. 27H-Steven Snyder Jr[10]
11. 14-Trey Starks[12]
12. 5J-Jeremy Weaver[11]
13. 55W-Mike Wagner[14]
14. 9-Chase Randall[15]
15. 11-TJ Stutts[16]
16. 5K-Jake Karklin[4]
17. 35-Austin Bishop[17]
18. 47K-Kody Lehman[18]
Kubota A-Main (25 Laps)
1. 87-Aaron Reutzel[1]
2. 39M-Anthony Macri[3]
3. 19-Brent Marks[6]
4. 69K-Ryan Smith[2]
5. 71-Parker Price Miller[4]
6. 7BC-Giovanni Scelzi[5]
7. 24-Rico Abreu[18]
8. 5-Brenham Crouch[9]
9. 27-Troy Wagaman Jr[22]
10. 49-Brad Sweet[7]
11. 2-Gerard McIntyre Jr[17]
12. 66-Ryan Newton[12]
13. 88-Tanner Thorson[16]
14. 26-Justin Peck[13]
15. 42-Sye Lynch[8]
16. 10-Ryan Timms[14]
17. 67-Justin Whittall[26]
18. 12-Lance Dewease[23]
19. 23-Chase Dietz[21]
20. 1A-Ashton Torgerson[11]
21. 13-Daison Pursley[10]
22. 8-Brock Zearfoss[15]
23. X-Matt Campbell[20]
24. 14-Trey Starks[25]
25. 48-Danny Dietrich[19]
26. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[24]
27. 55-Logan Wagner[27]
NEW 2025 Kubota High Limit Racing Championship Standings (After 38/51 Races):
Rico Abreu Racing #24 (2,085 PTS... -)
Ridge & Sons Racing #87 (2,081 PTS...-4)
Kasey Kahne Racing #49 (2,034 PTS... -51)
Clauson-Marshall Racing #7BC (1,999 PTS... -86)
Murray-Marks Motorsports #19 (1,975 PTS... -110)
Rudeen Racing #26 (1,863 PTS... -222)
Rod Gross Motorsports #88 (1,832 PTS... -253)
Buch Motorsports #13 (1,600 PTS... -485)
Jason Meyers Racing #14 (1,546 PTS... -539)
CJB Motorsports #5 (1,486 PTS... -599)
Chase Randall Racing #9R (1,422 PTS... -663)
Mosites Lynch Racing #42 (1,402 PTS... -683)
Randerson Racing #24D (1,220 PTS... -865)
UP NEXT: The 58th edition of the Tuscarora 50 concludes Saturday, September 6 with the $58,000-to-win finale of the crown jewel of Port Royal Speedway. Fans can buy tickets at HighLimitRacing.com.
Article Credit: Brian Walker