Giovanni Scelzi brings a balance of experience and enthusiasm to River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, OK, but the big differentiator this week is going to be his equipment. In his first try to win the Golden Driller trophy that goes to the winner of the Chili Bowl, he will race one of eight cars for Clauson-Marshall Racing.

But the glass may only be half full this week, as his time behind the wheel of a Midget is limited.

Scelzi has only two Midget starts to his credit — both of which came last year in preparation for this race — but having just turned 16, he has not been eligible to run the prestigious event until 2018. That does not mean he has not turned some laps on this temporary, indoor course. Scelzi won the 2015 Winged A class in 2015 over a field of nearly 200 competitors. The next year, he came up only one position shy of winning back to back.

"I'm really excited," Scelzi said. "I've had quite a bit of experience there on that track with Micro Sprints. Hopefully I can carry that over to Midgets. I have the best equipment so there's no excuses there. I just have to do my job."

Scelzi goes to work on Tuesday when his preliminary races are run. The goal is to finish high enough to qualify for the A-Main and see what happens during the rest of the week, but with a field of 350 cars — all of which are piloted by drivers with the same goal — the task is going to be formidable.

Simply gaining experience is going to be invaluable as the Young Gun climbs through the ranks of open wheel racing.

"If I can put it in the show on the prelim night and run in the top half I'd be pretty happy with that," he said. "I think we'll have a good opportunity to do that if a break or two goes our way.