Watertown, Conn.—May 24, 2012 — Last week David Gravel competed on the largest two tracks that winged sprint cars race on — Rolling Wheels Raceway Park and Orange County Fair Speedway, each 5/8-mile in length and each located in New York. This week the 20-year-old returns to a pair of traditional Midwest bullrings, including racing on one of the smallest tracks he will visit all season, as he competes with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions and the World of Outlaws over the Memorial Day Weekend.
Gravel takes to the track for a two-night event with the All Stars at the quarter-mile Fremont Speedway in Ohio on Saturday, May 26 and Sunday, May 27, before a trip to the high-banked three-eighths-mile Lawrenceburg Speedway in Indiana on Monday, May 28 to take on the World of Outlaws.
“When you have a three-race weekend, the big thing is to make sure you have enough fuel on-hand and you have tires ready to go, that are grooved and siped,” said Gravel. “Being prepared in advance definitely makes it easier on you during the weekend. We’ll have our tires ready and an extra barrel of fuel and we should be all right. My crew chief Tyler (Swank) always has the car ready to go.”
Gravel made his debut at Fremont in 2009 with the All Stars during Ohio Speedweek. The native of Watertown, Conn., made six starts at the quarter-mile last season, with five of those coming in events with the All Stars and one with the World of Outlaws. He finished ninth in the 50-lap finale during the Fall Classic at the bullring.
“It’s tough to come from the back and win,” shared Gravel. “Fremont can be a narrow place at times, but it can also be very racy. You can pass some cars there, but it’s definitely tougher than at other tracks. We’ve been running better at Fremont and had a solid night last time we were there and I’d really like to get a win there.”
Gravel has made 10 starts in his career at Fremont, recording three Top-10 finishes, including a fifth-place performance during Ohio Speedweek in 2010. He finished sixth in the Fall Classic that same year. Gravel, who has set fast time with the All Stars twice this season, as well as a pair of times with the World of Outlaws, was fastest in time trials at Fremont in 2010 during Ohio Speedweek, with a stout 38-car field in attendance.
“With the format of the All Stars, getting a good time trial lap is very important, especially at a place like Fremont,” noted the East Coast driver. “Making it into the feature through the heat race always helps, as does making it into the dash. You have to be aggressive at Fremont, especially if you have a good car.”
The driver of the No. 89G Kistler-powered J&J has competed once at Lawrenceburg Speedway, with that coming in the 2009 Hoosier Fall Classic with the All Stars. He was fastest in qualifying that night, of the 32 drivers that took to the track, and came from sixth to third in the first heat race, which put him in the dash, where he would finish fourth. In the 35-lap main event Gravel finished just outside of the Top-10 in the 12th position.
“I’ve run pretty well at Lawrenceburg,” said the 20-year-old. “I was fastest in qualifying with the All Stars there, so we are confident at that track. I like the track and surface and feel pretty comfortable there. We have done pretty well with the Outlaws this season, so hopefully we can keep that up.”
Gravel enters the pair of events for the All Stars third in points on the strength of six Top-10 finishes, including a pair of podium finishes. In 10 starts with the Worlds of Outlaws in 2012, he has picked up five Top-10 finishes, with two of those being Top-Five showings, including last Saturday night at Orange County Fair Speedway.
“With the way we have been running, I am really looking forward to this weekend and the three races,” shared Gravel. “We have shown night in and night out that we have the speed to run up front and be in contention. We just need luck on our side some of the time. If we turn in three solid runs this weekend, I’ll be happy with that.”
David Gravel and DDR Motorsports would like to thank: J&J Chassis, JRC Transportation, Kistler Engines, Musco Fuels and P&M Transportation for their continued support.
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Follow David Gravel on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DavidGravel89g and receive live updates from the track each and every race night. Results are also posted to the David Gravel Racing site on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Gravel-Racing/143538695709198. Also visit, www.DavidGravel89.com for racing updates.
- Admin Account on May 24, 2012
- Article Date: 5/24/2012 by DDR Motorsports PR