(Photo by Trent Gower Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – ROSSBURG, Ohio (July 20, 2021) – David Gravel guided Big Game Motorsports to a trio of top-10 outings last week in Ohio, where the team ran five races in a six-day span.
Gravel finished 10th at the Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic hosted by Attica Raceway Park in Attica last Tuesday during an event that at that time drew the most drivers in a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series event this season.
“The week started off okay,” he said. “We almost got to the dash in the heat race and then just kind of missed it in the feature. It was our first night in the car and we just didn’t quite have a handle on it.”
The action then shifted to Eldora Speedway for four races, including a pair of $175,000-to-win Kings Royal events.
Gravel started on a strong note last Wednesday, qualifying fourth quickest in his group before placing second in a heat race. He then advanced from eighth to fifth place in the dash and from fifth to third in the A Main.
“We were good every time we hit the track,” he said. “I felt like we had one of the best cars at the end.”
Rain wreaked havoc the next couple of days, forcing both Kings Royal races to be run on Saturday. Gravel timed in 22nd quickest and won a heat race to garner the third starting position into the afternoon show.
“I was able to win the heat and put ourselves in position to win the first Kings Royal,” he said. “We came up a little short finishing second. Being light at the scales was devastating. It still stings. We probably burned off at least 25 pounds of tread. We had 20 pounds bolted on the car. We did an extra 10 for that reason and it still wasn’t enough.”
Gravel ended up four pounds light at the scales and was disqualified, dropping him to 24th in the results.
The night program started off with Gravel qualifying 10th quickest out of the 58 drivers. He gained a position in a heat race to finish second, which lined him up on the outside of the fifth row for the second 40-lap, $175,000-to-win A Main of the day.
“In the other A Mains we hit it pretty good and this time we kind of missed it,” he said. “We were pretty much just hanging on. The track was way different than it was during the day. We had the car too tight and I couldn’t run down on the race track. I had to only run the outside and it’s tough to do that when you’re not in clean air. Everything is magnified when you’re mid-pack.”
Gravel was credited with a 16th-place result.
The weekend concluded on a positive note on Sunday when Gravel was eighth quickest in qualifying. A fourth-place result in a heat race was followed by a seventh-place showing in the main event.
“Pill draw was real important,” he said. “I thought qualifying eighth for when we went out was a good effort. We just missed it in the heat race and we ran fourth. We pretty much maintained in the feature. The rubber came in and a couple of guys blew some tires and we ran seventh because we didn’t blow a tire.”
The big events continue for the team as the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup is Tuesday at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., and the Champion Racing Oil Summer Nationals runs Friday and Saturday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
QUICK RESULTS –
July 13 – Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio – Qualifying: 7; Heat race: 3 (4); Feature: 10 (10).
July 14 – Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio – Qualifying: 4; Heat race: 2 (2); Dash: 5 (8); Feature: 3 (5).
July 17 – Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio – Qualifying: 22; Heat race: 1 (1); Feature: 24 (3).
July 17 – Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio – Qualifying: 10; Heat race: 2 (3); Feature: 16 (10).
July 18 – Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio – Qualifying: 8; Heat race: 4 (3); Feature: 7 (11).
SEASON STATS –
49 races, 7 wins, 24 top fives, 38 top 10s, 46 top 15s, 48 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Tuesday at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., for the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup and Friday and Saturday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., for the Champion Racing Oil Summer Nationals 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 Jul 20, 2021
- Article Date: 7/20/2021 by Inside Line Promotions