GRAND FORKS — Don Mack loved fast, tacky race tracks conducive to speed and passing. The late River Cities Speedway promotor and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member would have loved the racing surface Friday night at The Bullring, where the World of Outlaws managed to complete a 40-lap feature despite a near hour-long rain delay that produced a lightning-fast surface when racing resumed. In the end, California driver Giovanni Scelzi took the checkered flag, holding off Sheldon Haudenschild and winning the inaugural Don Mack Classic before a near-capacity crowd.
Under threatening skies, WoO officials tried to beat the rain. But a shower hit the track just as the feature was about to begin. That resulted in an hour-long delay as RCS officials had to rework the quarter-mile track.
Scelzi started on the pole and led the first 19 laps before Haudenschild took took the top spot. But Scelzi regained the lead two laps later and held on the rest of the way as he had to navigate lapped traffic while holding off charges from Haudenschild and 12-time RCS winner Donny Schatz, who finished third. ADVERTISEMENT "The track was real fast early," said Scelzi.
"It was super difficult to pass but it worked out. I got held up by lappers and Sheldon blazed around me." But he recovered quickly to hold on for his eighth career WoO victory.
"This is a great race track," said Scelzi. "Kudos to the race track crew for sticking with it." Haudenschild, who was seeking his seventh win of the season,.
