(Photo by Trent Gower Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – ELMA, Wash. (Sept. 6, 2022) – David Gravel achieved a milestone last Saturday when he captured his 75th career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series feature victory.
The Big Game Motorsports driver became only the 12th driver in series history to reach that mark and it came during the final night of Skagit Speedway’s Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals, which paid $26,000 to win.
Gravel qualified eighth quickest, placed second in a heat race and won the dash to earn the pole position for the 35-lap main event at the dirt oval in Alger, Wash.
“We capitalized on the good dash draw,” he said. “I just drove at my own pace. I didn’t really know how close those guys were behind me. I knew not to make any big mistakes and was able to do that. You just base yourself off of lapped cars. I never saw anyone’s nose or heard them until coming to the white flag off turns three and four.
“I think the track changed. I thought the top was the fastest lane and then at the end the bottom was really good. That’s the one thing with lapped cars, if they are on the bottom and you’re the top you can see if you are gaining or not. Everything went according to plan and I was able to get the job done.”
It was a great ending to a three-race event that featured a fifth-place finish during the Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals on Thursday and a charge from 16th to ninth in the event feature on Friday.
“The first night we put ourselves in position,” he said. “We didn’t have the car to win, but had a solid car.
“On Friday we qualified bad and did the best we could to get the best finish and that was ninth that night. We had a good car in the feature and the track took rubber around the bottom so we ran out of time to get more positions.”
The holiday weekend concluded on Monday at Grays Harbor Raceway, where Gravel qualified 11th quickest, advanced from fourth to third in a heat race and rallied from eighth to second in the main event.
“Starting 8th in the feature after our heat race I thought we had a shot for a good finish,” he said. “We picked them off one by one. We got rolling good at the end and was really good on the very, very bottom of the race track. I wish we had a few more laps.”
This weekend the team ventures to Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., for the Gold Cup Race of Champions. Gravel’s preliminary night is Friday leading into the $25,000-to-win finale on Saturday.
“It’s a different format this year,” he said. “I haven’t been a part of the Gold Cup format when it’s a split field. It’s non-points races all weekend so there’s no pressure for points. We won a prelim night there last year so hopefully we put ourselves in position to win the final night this weekend.”
QUICK RESULTS –
Sept. 1 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Qualifying: 8; Heat race: 2 (2); Dash: 4 (4); Feature: 5 (4).
Sept. 2 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Qualifying: 16; Heat race: 4 (4); Feature: 9 (16).
Sept. 3 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Qualifying: 8; Heat race: 2 (2); Dash: 1 (2); Feature: 1 (1).
Sept. 5 – Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash. – Qualifying: 11; Heat race: 3 (4); Feature: 2 (8).
SEASON STATS –
58 races, 6 wins, 33 top fives, 51 top 10s, 55 top 15s, 57 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday and Saturday at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., for the Gold Cup Race of Champions 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 Sep 06, 2022
- Article Date: 9/6/2022 by Inside Line Promotions