Gio Scelzi won Port Royal's Bob Weikert Memorial Sunday (Chad Warner Photo)
Scelzi is Third Different Leader at Port Royal to Deliver Spire Their First-Ever Sprint Car Victory
PORT ROYAL, PENN. (July 27, 2026) - If you're going to wait 110 races and 16 months between wins, you might as well make the next one something you'll never forget; and Giovanni Scelzi certainly did that on Sunday night.
Driving by Chase Dietz, Tyler Courtney, and Brent Marks, and then surviving a frantic finish through lap traffic, Scelzi ended his long-drought with a thrilling score in the Bob Weikert Memorial presented by Greencastle Livestock Market on Sunday night.
Starting from the inside of row two in the 40-lap finale, the Fresno, California native bided his time through the opening half as Dietz, Courtney, and Marks all placed their own bids for the top spot. When the open red fuel stop on Lap 20 allowed future Hall of Fame crew chief Eric Prutzman to tune on the Chili's Grill & Bar #77 is when everything changed.
Throwing his name into the four-car battle once racing resumed, Scelzi immediately made his presence felt as he rolled into second and then drove by the best car in the state, Dietz, to lead Lap 28. Over the final 12 laps, he maneuvered lap traffic and survived a couple of close calls as the trio behind him stayed hot on his heels before crossing the line with a 1.165-second margin of victory.
The win marked Scelzi's first score since March 14, 2025, 110 races ago when he topped a World of Outlaws event at Kennedale (TX) with his former team, KCP Racing. This one delivered the first-ever victory for Spire Motorsports' Sprint Car operation, spearheaded by Eric Prutzman, Cole Neuhalfen, and Kinzer Dussel.
For the kid they call "Hot Sauce," it was the largest payday of his career as he lifted a $100,000 check high. Surprisingly, it was also his first-career triumph at Port Royal's "Speed Palace." His two career victories with Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing have now occurred in big-paying races with a $50,000 score at Lakeside (KS) in 2023 and now this six-figure win three years later.
Chasing Scelzi to the line after leading 22 of the 40 laps was Chase Dietz of York, PA, matching his career-best finish with Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing. It was a strong runner-up finish for the Stehman Motorsports #23 team, who still lead the nation with 17 victories this season.
Closing out the podium was early leader Tyler Courtney aboard the Clauson-Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #7BC. After starting from the pole and staying at the front all race long, Brent Marks finished in the fourth spot in his #19 machine. Behind the dominant foursome of this race was Ryan Smith with an incredible 24th-to-5th run aboard the Kreitz Racing #69K to guarantee Rod End Supply Hard Charger honors.
Rounding out the top-10 on Sunday night was Danny Dietrich in sixth, Daison Pursley in seventh, Anthony Macri in eighth, Justin Peck in ninth, and Aaron Reutzel in tenth.
With championship leader Rico Abreu forced to utilize a provisional for the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #24, the point standings tightened dramatically with Aaron Reutzel and Ridge & Sons Racing plus Giovanni Scelzi and Sprie Motorsports able to make up big time ground.
*THE ALL-IN NOTEBOOK (7/26/26)
Port Royal Speedway (Port Royal, Pennsylvania)
Bob Weikert Memorial presented by Greencastle Livestock Market
Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps - Cameron Smith (16.162)
Capitol Custom Trailers QuickTime - Logan Wagner (16.475)
TJ Forged Heat One Winner - Matt Campbell
DMI Heat Two Winner - Brock Zearfoss
BR Motorsports Heat Three Winner - Aaron Reutzel
Rod End Supply Heat Four Winner - Parker Price-Miller
Driven2SaveLives C-Main Winner - Mark Smith
Winters Performance B-Main Winner - James McFadden
DURST Dice Roll Driver - Justin Peck (9th-to-9th)
Jake’s Golf Carts Fastest Lap - Chase Dietz (17.275 seconds on Lap 3)
Rod End Supply Hard Charger - Ryan Smith +19 (24th-to-5th)
Whiskey Meyers Victory Lane Visitors - Spire Motorsports #77
CASM Win Sticker - Giovanni Scelzi (1st)
Angel Donor Charity - Driven2SaveLives ($1,500)
Lap Leader(s) - Courtney 1-4; Dietz 5-10; Courtney 11; Dietz 12-27; Scelzi 28-40
Interstate Batteries A Feature (40 Laps): 1. 77-Giovanni Scelzi[3]; 2. 23-Chase Dietz[4]; 3. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[2]; 4. 19-Brent Marks[1]; 5. 69K-Ryan Smith[24]; 6. 29-Danny Dietrich[6]; 7. 9-Daison Pursley[5]; 8. 39M-Anthony Macri[14]; 9. 26-Justin Peck[9]; 10. 87-Aaron Reutzel[18]; 11. 71-Parker Price Miller[20]; 12. 55W-Logan Wagner[7]; 13. 13-Tanner Holmes[13]; 14. 8-Lance Dewease[12]; 15. 42-Sye Lynch[8]; 16. 17GP-Brock Zearfoss[17]; 17. 1A-Cameron Smith[16]; 18. 9R-Chase Randall[19]; 19. 24D-Danny Sams III[10]; 20. 11-TJ Stutts[23]; 21. 21-James McFadden[21]; 22. 47K-Kody Lehman[11]; 23. 24-Rico Abreu[25]; 24. 55-Kerry Madsen[27]; 25. 10-Matt Campbell[15]; 26. 5K-Jake Karklin[22]; 27. 11T-Mike Thompson[26]; 28. 11A-Austin Bishop[28]
Winters Performance B Feature (15 Laps): 1. 21-James McFadden[1]; 2. 5K-Jake Karklin[3]; 3. 11-TJ Stutts[2]; 4. 69K-Ryan Smith[6]; 5. 24-Rico Abreu[8]; 6. 27-Troy Wagaman Jr[4]; 7. 67-Justin Whittall[5]; 8. 11A-Austin Bishop[7]; 9. 5-Brenham Crouch[11]; 10. 71R-Logan Rumsey[14]; 11. 11T-Mike Thompson[9]; 12. 22H-Doug Hammaker[16]; 13. 77K-Kody Hartlaub[12]; 14. 66-Ryan Newton[15]; 15. 99-Devin Adams[10]; 16. 17-Mark Smith[13]
Driven2SaveLives C Feature (8 Laps): 1. 17-Mark Smith[2]; 2. 71R-Logan Rumsey[6]; 3. 66-Ryan Newton[1]; 4. 22H-Doug Hammaker[4]; 5. 88-Tanner Thorson[9]; 6. 35-Buddy Schweibinz[10]; 7. 17X-Owen Dimm[5]; 8. G5-Gage Pulkrabek[7]; 9. 27S-Dylan Cisney[13]; 10. 55M-Domenic Melair[12]; 11. 33W-Michael Walter[3]; 12. 55-Kerry Madsen[8]; 13. 39-Lucas Wolfe[11]
TJ Forged Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 10-Matt Campbell[2]; 2. 5K-Jake Karklin[1]; 3. 9R-Chase Randall[3]; 4. 47K-Kody Lehman[5]; 5. 9-Daison Pursley[7]; 6. 5-Brenham Crouch[9]; 7. 55W-Logan Wagner[8]; 8. 11T-Mike Thompson[4]; 9. 71R-Logan Rumsey[12]; 10. 27-Troy Wagaman Jr[6]; 11. 55-Kerry Madsen[10]; 12. 27S-Dylan Cisney[11]
DMI Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 17GP-Brock Zearfoss[2]; 2. 26-Justin Peck[4]; 3. 29-Danny Dietrich[6]; 4. 99-Devin Adams[1]; 5. 67-Justin Whittall[3]; 6. 19-Brent Marks[7]; 7. 17-Mark Smith[10]; 8. 24D-Danny Sams III[8]; 9. 24-Rico Abreu[5]; 10. 88-Tanner Thorson[11]; 11. 17X-Owen Dimm[9]
BR Motorsports Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 87-Aaron Reutzel[2]; 2. 69K-Ryan Smith[1]; 3. 21-James McFadden[3]; 4. 13-Tanner Holmes[5]; 5. 42-Sye Lynch[8]; 6. 39M-Anthony Macri[6]; 7. 11A-Austin Bishop[4]; 8. 1A-Cameron Smith[7]; 9. 22H-Doug Hammaker[9]; 10. 35-Buddy Schweibinz[11]; 11. 39-Lucas Wolfe[10]
Rod End Supply Heat 4 (10 Laps): 1. 71-Parker Price Miller[2]; 2. 8-Lance Dewease[4]; 3. 23-Chase Dietz[8]; 4. 77-Giovanni Scelzi[6]; 5. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[7]; 6. 66-Ryan Newton[1]; 7. 11-TJ Stutts[5]; 8. 33W-Michael Walter[10]; 9. 77K-Kody Hartlaub[3]; 10. 55M-Domenic Melair[11]; 11. G5-Gage Pulkrabek[9]
Capital Custom Trailers Qualifying (2 Laps): 1. 55W-Logan Wagner, 16.475[3]; 2. 24D-Danny Sams III, 16.491[6]; 3. 42-Sye Lynch, 16.538[9]; 4. 23-Chase Dietz, 16.544[34]; 5. 9-Daison Pursley, 16.637[4]; 6. 19-Brent Marks, 16.692[28]; 7. 1A-Cameron Smith, 16.694[2]; 8. 7BC-Tyler Courtney, 16.727[41]; 9. 27-Troy Wagaman Jr, 16.738[21]; 10. 29-Danny Dietrich, 16.742[5]; 11. 39M-Anthony Macri, 16.778[25]; 12. 77-Giovanni Scelzi, 16.802[1]; 13. 47K-Kody Lehman, 16.819[10]; 14. 24-Rico Abreu, 16.838[31]; 15. 13-Tanner Holmes, 16.873[15]; 16. 11-TJ Stutts, 16.932[11]; 17. 11T-Mike Thompson, 16.947[7]; 18. 26-Justin Peck, 16.951[30]; 19. 11A-Austin Bishop, 16.957[45]; 20. 8-Lance Dewease, 16.975[32]; 21. 9R-Chase Randall, 16.980[20]; 22. 67-Justin Whittall, 17.033[24]; 23. 21-James McFadden, 17.058[36]; 24. 77K-Kody Hartlaub, 17.059[14]; 25. 10-Matt Campbell, 17.060[13]; 26. 17GP-Brock Zearfoss, 17.067[23]; 27. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 17.074[44]; 28. 71-Parker Price Miller, 17.088[19]; 29. 5K-Jake Karklin, 17.099[12]; 30. 99-Devin Adams, 17.149[8]; 31. 69K-Ryan Smith, 17.153[22]; 32. 66-Ryan Newton, 17.218[40]; 33. 5-Brenham Crouch, 17.220[29]; 34. 17X-Owen Dimm, 17.225[17]; 35. 22H-Doug Hammaker, 17.282[16]; 36. G5-Gage Pulkrabek, 17.289[26]; 37. 55-Kerry Madsen, 17.308[39]; 38. 17-Mark Smith, 17.323[18]; 39. 39-Lucas Wolfe, 17.348[27]; 40. 33W-Michael Walter, 17.405[42]; 41. 27S-Dylan Cisney, 17.520[37]; 42. 88-Tanner Thorson, 17.533[43]; 43. 35-Buddy Schweibinz, 17.583[38]; 44. 55M-Domenic Melair, 17.646[33]; 45. 71R-Logan Rumsey, 17.825[35]
NEW 2026 Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing Championship Standings (After 30/56 Races):
Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #24 - Rico Abreu (1,807 pts)
Ridge & Sons Racing #87 - Aaron Reutzel (-8)
Spire Motorsports #77 - Giovanni Scelzi (-36)
Clauson-Marshall Racing #7BC - Tyler Courtney (-103)
Rudeen Racing #26 - Justin Peck (-123)
Brent Marks Racing #19 - Brent Marks (-139)
Vermeer Motorsports #55 - Kerry Madsen (-235)
Rod Gross Motorsports #88 - Tanner Thorson (-255)
Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #9 - Daison Pursley (-379)
Buch Motorsports #13 - Tanner Holmes (-384)
Mosites Lynch Racing #42 - Sye Lynch (-457)
Michael Dutcher Motorsports #17GP - Brock Zearfoss (-496)
CJB Motorsports #5 - Brenham Crouch (-519)
Chase Randall Racing #9R - Chase Randall (-563)
Randerson Racing #24D - Danny Sams III (-636)
WHAT’S NEXT: The High Rollers will take Monday to rest and recover before this hectic six-race, seven-day stretch concludes on Tuesday, July 28 with a Roto-Rooter Midweek Series event at Bridgeport Motorsports Park in Swedesboro, New Jersey. Tickets are available for purchase HERE, or you can watch every lap live on FloRacing.
Article Credit: Brian Walker