(Photo by Trent Gower Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – WEEDSPORT, N.Y. (Aug. 2, 2022) – David Gravel captured his fifth feature triumph of the season last Saturday at Weedsport Speedway, where he led the final 18 laps of the 30-lap Empire State Challenge Weekend opener.
It marked the seventh consecutive season that Gravel has earned at least five World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series wins and it was the second straight year that the Big Game Motorsports driver recorded a victory at the track.
“It was a great weekend,” he said. “We were able to win another race and nearly win the second night after starting ninth. You couldn’t ask for much more.
“Since the Eldora week we’ve been in contention to win more races and have been able to take advantage of that. It feels good to do that. We’re definitely better than we were and are trying to get back to how good we were at the beginning of the season.”
Gravel qualified fifth quickest on Saturday. A runner-up result in a heat race garnered a spot into the dash, which Gravel won after lining up on the outside of the front row. That gave him the pole position for the main event.
“Donny (Schatz) got the jump and I just paced myself,” he said. “As we got into lapped traffic I got the wing back and let the race play out. I got through lapped traffic well and was able to go into any lane and put lapped cars behind me and not slow down my pace.”
Gravel took the lead on Lap 13 and held on during a late-race restart for the win.
The team returned to the track on Sunday, when Gravel timed in ninth quickest. He finished where he started – third – in a heat race to line up on the inside of the fifth row in the A Main.
“We got a good jump in the feature and I was able to pass a couple of guys,” he said. “We got into the top five and made some moves around the outside. I got to second with 10 laps to go and knew I had a chance to win the race. We had a shot there. Lapped cars were on the outside and we were on the inside. I just didn’t have an opportunity to make a big leap at the leader, but overall it was a solid performance.”
Gravel’s charge to a runner-up result netted the Hard Charger Award for passing the most cars.
The team will race this Friday and Saturday at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo., during the Ironman 55 before heading to Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, on Sunday for the 11th annual Capitani Classic presented by Great Southern Bank.
QUICK RESULTS –
July 30 – Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y. – Qualifying: 5; Heat race: 2 (2); Dash: 1 (2); Feature: 1 (1).
July 31 – Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y. – Qualifying: 9; Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: 2 (9).
SEASON STATS –
45 races, 5 wins, 25 top fives, 39 top 10s, 42 top 15s, 44 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday and Saturday at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo., for the Ironman 55 with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and Sunday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, for the 11th annual Capitani Classic presented by Great Southern Bank
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 Aug 02, 2022
- Article Date: 8/2/2022 by Inside Line Promotions