(Photo by Paul Arch)
Inside Line Promotions – TULARE, Calif. (March 16, 2022) – David Gravel used a pair of late charges to garner back-to-back podium finishes last weekend at Thunderbowl Raceway.
The Big Game Motorsports driver is now the only competitor with a top-10 outing during every World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series race this season.
“We have a lot of confidence right now,” he said. “We’re running well. We just need to make sure we qualify well each night and that’s really what will set us up for success.”
The event started on Friday with Gravel qualifying second quickest. A heat race win advanced the team into the dash. Gravel placed fourth to line up on the outside of the second row for the main event.
“It took me a bit to find a good lane that worked well,” he said. “The second half of the race Gio (Scelzi) and (Kyle) Larson were going back and forth. I was able to catch up and then we had a close call with Larson when he got crossed up in turn two. We got by him and closed on Gio, but he ran a good race and was able to hold on.”
Gravel finished less than four tenths of a second away from his second triumph of the season.
Saturday’s action began with Gravel timing in ninth quickest. He finished where he started – third – in a heat race to narrowly miss making the dash. That lined him up on the inside of the fifth row in the feature.
“We had a solid starting spot, but didn’t get a good start,” he said. “I ended up getting over someone’s tire and we were on two wheels. We fell back to 13th. I just tried to be really patient and we had one good restart when I got by a bunch of guys on the bottom. Later in the race I moved up in turns three and four. We were able to get a good result out of what could have been a bad night.”
Gravel’s third-place showing was his fourth podium of the season.
Up next is a trip to Merced Speedway in Merced, Calif., on Friday. Gravel won the most recent World of Outlaws race at the track in 2014. This weekend concludes on Saturday at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif. He finished 13th in 2016 during his lone visit to the track.
“We haven’t been to Merced since they reworked the track so I’m looking forward to that,” he said. “I think they added more banking. We haven’t raced at either track in a while so I’m glad to be heading back.”
QUICK RESULTS –
March 11 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 4 (3); Feature: 2 (4).
March 12 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Qualifying: 9; Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: 3 (9).
SEASON STATS –
7 races, 1 win, 6 top fives, 7 top 10s, 7 top 15s, 7 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Merced Speedway in Merced, Calif., and Saturday at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif., for the Ocean Outlaw Showdown with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
MEDIA LINKS –
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BigGameMotorspt
HUSET’S SPEEDWAY –
Huset’s Speedway is a dirt oval located in Brandon, S.D. The track opened in 1954 and has undergone a large renovation within the last few years, making it a premier destination for both marquee racing events and weekly programs. For more information, visit http://www.HusetsSpeedway.com.
JACKSON MOTORPLEX –
Jackson Motorplex is a 4/10-mile dirt track located in Jackson, Minn. It hosts special events from May through September, including races with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, Midwest Power Series, Tri-State Late Models and more. For more information, visit http://www.JacksonMotorplex.com.
TICKET LINK –
To purchase online tickets for events at either Huset’s Speedway or at Jackson Motorplex, visit http://mpv.tickets.com/schedule/?agency=JKMV_PL_MPV&orgid=55369#/?view=list&includePackages=true.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on Mar 16, 2022
- Article Date: 3/16/2022 by Inside Line Promotions