CARLISLE, PA. – April 20, 2016 – Though he is still a relative rookie on the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series tour, David Gravel continues to race like a veteran.
The Watertown, Conn. driver once again battled the best of the ‘Greatest Show on Dirt’ as the series rolled towards the conclusion of their spring break tour of California. The series returned to Bakersfield (Calif.) Speedway for the first time in 11 years on Friday, April 15th. Though he had never been to the track before, Gravel proved to have the chops to tackle the speedway.
“It just looked like the outside ended up being faster there at the end,” said Gravel, driver of the Big Game Treestands, J.R.C. Transportation Inc., C&S Lawn & Landscape #5 . “Brad and me were rolling pretty good on the bottom and it just seemed like the bottom gave up and the top was the place to be and that’s where I restarted. It was a great run.”
(Photo by Matt Hill.)
The following night, the series returned to Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway. The wide half-mile oval was the site of the first victory of the season in 2015 for the CJB team. Gravel was eager to defend the teams title.
“We had a good run at Perris as well,” said Gravel. “The wind blew hard throughout the night but we ended up with a very solid car and brought home a solid finish.”
East bound and down was the theme as the team left Perris and moved to Tucson, Ariz. for a Monday night even at USA Raceway. Gravel once again flashed excellent speed.
“We had a good car at Tucson,” said Gravel. “We just didn’t end up with the best finish. We got behind in the dash and had some trouble making up ground. We timed in second quick which was great. We’re still looking for that second win though.”
While Gravel and the #5 team wrapped up the west coast swing, Sammy Swindell and the #1 Big Game Treestands, GoMuddy.com #1 team headed to the famed Knoxville Raceway for the Pella Motors season opener. The visit to the “Sprint Car Capital of the World,” was a crucial trip for the cagey veteran who is looking to add another Knoxville Nationals title to his resume.
“You always want to try some different things,” said Swindell, the 1983 Nationals champion. “We wanted to go at it with something new. We didn’t end up having a tall enough gear in and that cost us a few tenths. We raced hard in our heat race. I had third and was coming in on second. During the feature, we tried a few things and fell back from our starting position but made up our ground. We learned some things, which will be beneficial. We had a decent car and will make it better for when we go back there.”
Both drivers will now venture into the Lone Star State of Texas once again as the Texas Outlaw Nationals are next up on the schedule. The event, held at Devils Bowl Speedway outside of Mesquite, is a two-day tilt on a unique half mile that features a backstretch that is elevated higher than the front stretch.
“We’re really happy to be getting on some half miles,” said Gravel, who notched an 8th place finish in the Saturday event last season. “That’s what they have a lot of back where the team is from in Pennsylvania. It also gives us a chance to showcase the great horsepower that Paul Kistler generates for us. Devils Bowl is a challenge for sure. It’ll also be nice to get back to the Midwest.”
“Devils Bowl is a very unique track,” said Swindell, who has 12 Outlaw victories at the half-mile track. “It’s almost like a big ‘D.’ You’re right near the wall as you turn into turn one and you start to go uphill. You exit low in two and the arc your way down the back straightaway. You kind of guide it into three and then the exit of four is really tight. It’s one of those tracks where the driver can make a difference so those are always fun for us guys. Both ends of the track are a complete 180 from the other.”
CAR #5 BOX SCORE:
| Date | Track | Size | Time Trial | Heat start | Heat finish | Dash start | Dash finish | “A” start |
| 4/15/2016 | Bakersfield | 0.33 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 9 | ||
| 4/16/2016 | Perris | 0.5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 7 | ||
| 4/18/2016 | USA | 0.375 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
CAR #1 BOX SCORE:
| Date | Track | Size | Time Trial | Heat start | Heat finish | Dash start | Dash finish | “A” start | “A” finish |
| 4/16/2016 | Knoxville | 0.5 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 8 |
CAR #5 2016 STATS:
Events: 19
Quick Times: 0
Wins: 1
Top-5’s: 8
Top-10’s: 12
Heat Race Wins: 5
Dash Wins: 1
Average Time Trial: 8.7
Average A-main finish: 8.9
Total Laps Led: 35
CAR #1 2016 STATS:
Events: 14
Quick Times: 0
Wins: 0
Top-5’s: 4
Top-10’s: 6
Heat Race Wins: 3
Dash Wins: 0
Average Time Trial: 13.9
Average A-main finish: 10.6
Total Laps Led: 0
UP NEXT:
David Gravel & Sammy Swindell will try to do their best Texas “two-step” as they head to the Devils Bowl Speedway near Mesquite, Texas for the Texas Outlaw Nationals on Friday, April 22nd & Saturday, April 23rd.
STAY CONNECTED WITH CJB MOTORSPORTS:
For up to the minute race updates and behind the scenes content from CJB Motorsports, please follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Fans can also listen to all of the racing action live at www.DirtVision.com.
DRIVER GEAR:
Check out the latest Sammy Swindell apparel and merchandise by visiting Sammy’s official online store as well as the R&R Racewear superstore, the webs largest collection of dirt track racing apparel and merchandise.
ABOUT CJB MOTORSPORTS:
CJB Motorsports is a winged, 410 sprint car team that competes across the country with drivers David Gravel & Sammy Swindell. Founded in 2005, the Chad and Jenn Clemens owned organization has worked to establish a standard of excellence in short track racing through fielding competitive entries and providing exceptional exposure for marketing partners. The team is based out of Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
CJB Motorsports would like to thank all of our loyal sponsors and product manufacturers for their support and great products. Click on the name of the partner below to be taken to their website for more information.
