By DDR Motorsports PR 

Watertown, Conn.—May 14, 2012 — Horsepower is essential when competing at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park and Orange County Fair Speedway in New York. The pair of 5/8-mile venues are the largest tracks that winged sprint cars compete on. That combination bodes well for David Gravel, who has been fastest in time trials in each of his last three starts, including a pair of races with the World of Outlaws at the fame Eldora Speedway in Ohio, on May 4–5, as he has his sights set on the two sprawling facilities in the Empire State.
 
Gravel will take to the track at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, N.Y., on Wednesday, May 16, with the World of Outlaws followed by a stop at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., on Saturday, May 19.
 
“It’s a big boost heading to those tracks knowing how good our Kistler engines are and that we are fast right out of the box each night in time trials,” said Gravel. “We have the power, so then it’s up to me to roll a good lap and make sure the car is there. After having some bad luck last weekend, I can’t wait to climb back in my J&J and compete against the Outlaws.” Read more »

By DDR Motorsports PR 

Watertown, Conn.—May 10, 2012 — Momentum and confidence go hand-in-hand in racing. David Gravel has plenty of both, following two nights of competition last weekend at the famed Eldora Speedway in Ohio with the World of Outlaws, which saw the 20-year-old set fast time in both races. He was in the lead in the main event of the opener, before contact ended his night, and he wrapped the weekend up with a solid fourth-place performance. Gravel looks to carry the momentum from those races into this weekend, as he returns to action with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions.
 
The native of Watertown, Conn., takes to the track on Saturday, May 12 at the semi-banked 3/8-mile Mercer Raceway Park, as the All Stars make their first of two visits to the track in Western Pennsylvania, which is one of three separate trips to the west side of the Keystone State in 2012.
 
“The last two times we raced at Mercer, we had a good showing,” said Gravel. “I’ve raced there a couple of times and finished in the top-three in both. We are definitely excited to go back and keep the ball rolling. We were fast last weekend at Eldora and showed that we are contenders and look to carry that into this weekend.” Read more »

By DDR Motorsports PR 

Watertown, Conn.—May 7, 2012 —To say that David Gravel knows how to put together a fast lap at Eldora Speedway is an understatement. In two nights, in two different cars, with two different engines, Gravel set fast time at the famed half-mile. Gravel’s first trip to Eldora may have been unforgettable, but after setting fast time, leading the main event, and scoring his first top-five finish at the track, this visit was a weekend to remember.
 
Friday night presented many twists and turns for all competitors. Gravel’s night began on a high note as he set quick time, securing himself a Top-10 starting spot in Friday’s A-Main. In the dash, the Connecticut driver raced his way into the Top-Three. He  lined up third for the main event, and first felt heat from eventual race winner Chad Kemenah.
 
Over the early laps of the main event, Gravel battled both Kemenah and Dale Blaney for position.  At the first red-flag on Lap-16, Gravel restarted in the fourth position. Over the next few laps the action was fast-paced and the caution flag few several more times.  As competitors in front of Gravel ran into their own troubles such as flat tires, the native of Watertown, Conn., found himself at the front of the pack. Read more »

By DDR Motorsports PR 

Watertown, Conn.—April 29, 2012— Connecticut may be David Gravel’s home state, but this weekend he could have passed for a Pennsylvanian. In two starts with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions in the Keystone State, Gravel brought home a third-place finish at Port Royal Speedway in the Bob Weikert Memorial on Saturday, April 28 and a 12th-place finish at the famed Williams Grove, which had close to 50 cars in attendance on Friday, April 27
 
On Friday night, at the track that is simply known as “The Grove,” Gravel qualified in the 16th position. In preliminary action he won the fourth heat race from the third starting position, out battling Pennsylvania legends Fred Rahmer and Don Kreitz Jr., along with three-time and defending All Stars Champion Tim Shaffer, before facing the night’s feature event.
 
At the beginning of the feature, Gravel lined up in the 10th position. During the 30-lap battle on the legendary half-mile, the 20-year old held strong.  He raced into the top-10 and was running in the ninth position when the final caution came out.  On the restart the No. 89G did not get an optimal jump and lost a few positions, but Gravel was able to hold on to finish in the 12th position. Read more »

By DDR Motorsports PR 

Watertown, Conn.—April 25, 2012 — The East Coast may be home for David Gravel, but he hasn’t seen too much of it in the last few weeks, as he has been racing in the Midwest. Following a pair of events in Missouri and Indiana last weekend, he and his DDR Motorsports team are headed back east this week for the second time this season, as a trio of races with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions await in Pennsylvania.
 
Gravel will first take to the track on Friday, April 27 at the famed Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., followed by a visit to Port Royal Speedway for the Bob Weikert Memorial on Saturday, April 28. The weekend concludes on Sunday, April 29 at Clinton County Speedway in Mackeyville, Pa.
 
Gravel competed at Williams Grove earlier this season in a weekly event, recording a 12th-place finish after lining up 18th in the main event, with a very strong 33-car field in attendance. He has raced twice at Williams Grove Speedway last season with the All Stars. In June, the young driver qualified 16th in a field of 35 cars, finishing 18th in the main event, while he came home 24th in the A-Feature at the end of April. Gravel also competed in the National Open with the World of Outlaws at the half-mile in 2011, an event that he set fast time in, during the 2010 edition, with a stout 58-car field in attendance. Read more »

By DDR Motorsports PR 
Watertown, Conn.—April 22, 2012 — One of the most best ways for a young racer to hone their skills and gain confidence on the race track is to compete against the best drivers night in and night out. David Gravel has been doing that all season long, as he has battled the World of Outlaws, the UNOH All Stars Circuit of Champions and also the famed Pennsylvania Posse.
 
The native of Watertown, Conn. competed twice this past weekend with the World of Outlaws, as the series continued an eight-race stretch in the Midwest. Gravel recorded 10th and 11th-place finishes at Missouri State Fair Speedway in Sedalia and Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind. aboard his Kistler-powered J&J.
 
“It’s always an education when you race with the Outlaws,” shared Gravel, who has one career World of Outlaws A-Feature win. “In hot laps, you kind of watch what everyone is doing and take note of that. As the night goes on and the track gets more slick and technical, that’s when you really learn from watching the veteran drivers. They always seem to find a way to pass cars. It definitely helps you become a better driving racing against the veterans who have been out there for years and years.” Read more »

By DDR Motorsports PR 
Watertown, Conn.—April 17, 2012 — These days David Gravel is being a bit of an “Outlaw.” After recording his second top-10 finish of the season with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series in his first race at Paducah International Raceway, the Connecticut native will again compete with the series this weekend. He will make his debut at Missouri State Fair Speedway in Sedalia, on Friday, April 20, as well as his second appearance at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind. on Saturday, April 21.
 
In Gravel’s debut at Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky last weekend, he opened the evening by qualifying in the eighth position. From there the 19-year old started on the front row of his heat race and made a sweeping last lap pass of 20-time series champion Steve Kinser to capture the victory and earn a spot in the dash.
 
“We qualified where we like to be,” commented Gravel. “Paducah has some really cool high banks, so it was too bad that it took rubber later in the night. Honestly in the heat race, I thought (Steve) Kinser was better than us. He was running the outside and I poked my nose below him in the bottom lane. He switched to the bottom lane on that final lap and I switched to the top, which was where I was able to make the pass.” Read more »

By DDR Motorsports PR 

Watertown, Conn.—April 12, 2012 — The last time David Gravel faced a track for the first time in a World of Outlaws event, it was a winning combination. That was last fall at Talladega Short Track in Alabama, when he scored his first career A-Feature win with the series. This week, he’ll make his maiden voyage to Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky, to battle the best sprint car drivers in the world.
 
The weekend opens for Gravel on Friday, April 13 at the high-banked 3/8-mile Paducah International Raceway aboard his Kistler-powered J&J. He’ll follow that up with a trip to Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Missouri on Saturday, April 14.
 
“When you are facing a new track, you have to face it like any other track,” Gravel explained. “You have to put the hammer down during hot laps and get a good feel for it, so you know how to approach it during qualifying. Hopefully we will be able to get a good feel for the track and are able to do well throughout the evening.” Read more »

By DDR Motorsports PR 
 
Watertown, Conn.—April 4, 2012 — After a strong start to the 2012 UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions season in Georgia and Florida, David Gravel has been counting the days until the series got back in action. A busy spring for Gravel and the series begins this weekend with a pair of races at Attica Raceway Park in Ohio.
 
The 21st Annual HD Supply Spring Nationals are set for Friday, April 6 and Saturday, April 7, with a full racing program on-tap each night.
 
“We ran really well at Attica last time we were there,” said Gravel. “It’s always a very racy track. You really look forward to the tracks that you know are fun and that you can race at. Hopefully we can do one spot better than we did last time.” Read more »

By DDR Motorsports PR

Watertown, Conn.—April 2, 2012 — When heading to race in Central Pennsylvania in the early spring, not only is the Pennsylvania Posse a formidable opponent, but usually Mother Nature is as well. That was certainly the case for David Gravel this past weekend, as he made his first trip of the year to the sprint car hot bed for a pair of races.
 
The native of Watertown, Conn. turned in a consistent performance on Friday, March 30 at the famed Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. finishing, 12th in his Kistler-powered J&J. Mother Nature interrupted the finale of the weekend on Saturday, March 31 at Port Royal Speedway on the first lap of the main event.
 
“It felt good to get back in the car,” said Gravel. “I was actually a little nervous going in, but the car felt great and was operating really well. I can’t wait to go back for the All Star races there in a few weeks.” Read more »