Youngster will start on the pole of the $150,000-to-win main event
CARLISLE, PA. – August 12, 2017 – Some nights, you just have it.
David Gravel and his CJB Motorsports team put months of work into the annual 5 Hour Energy Knoxville Nationals at the Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway. Their efforts were rewarded as they pulled off a rare “clean sweep” of their qualifying night.
The team went out and set quick time on Toyota qualifying night at the 57th annual edition of the event, held on the half-mile oval at the Marion County Fairgrounds.
“A good pill draw started off our night,” explained Gravel. “In time trials, we just cut a really good lap and that was huge. We have a (Kistler) engine that runs really good and it really worked during time trials.”
With the nights quickest time in their back pocket, Gravel and the team set their sights on their heat race. Gravel rolled off in the 8th position and proceeded to put on his most impressive drive of the evening.
“In the heat races, it’s all about getting as much real estate as you can,” said Gravel, driver of the GoMUDDY.com, J.R.C. Transportation Inc., C&S Lawn & Landscape #5. “We could run up high where no one else could and that left us with a clear track. We were able to just pick them off and found ourselves out front for the win.”
Another 8th place starting spot challenged the CJB team as the nights feature event rolled around. Once again, Gravel and the Barry Jackson prepared CJB machine were the class of the field.
“The feature was a lot of the same for us,” said Gravel, whom scored a perfect 500 points on the night. “These qualifying nights are really important to your overall experience at the Nationals. To do what we did and score the first ‘perfect night’ since 1992 was huge. It’s a big testament to everything Barry (Jackson), Chad (Clemens) and this entire team has put into this.”
With his flawless night cemented in the record books and in the minds of those in attendance, Gravel will lead his CJB team in their quest for their first Nationals title from the pole position on Saturday, August 12th.
“The Knoxville Nationals is the race we all want to win,” explained Gravel, whom has never started from the pole of the prestigious event. “We put so much work into this event every year. I’m really proud of my guys and everyone associated with this team. We feel like we’re in a great position to win this event. It would be a dream come true, for sure. Ultimately, we will go out and give it our best shot. Hopefully, we end up in victory lane.”
BOX SCORE:
| Track | Time Trial | Heat start | Heat finish | Dash start | Dash finish | “A” start | “A” finish | Laps Led |
| Knoxville | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
2017 STATS:
Events: 59
Quick Times: 10
Wins: 14
Top-5’s: 35
Top-10’s: 51
Heat Race Wins: 18
Dash Wins: 7
Average Time Trial: 6.8
Average A-main finish: 5.7
Total Laps Led: 280
*Stats from Williams Grove event on 7/22 not yet added.*
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JOIN THE CRAFTSMAN CLUB:
CJB Motorsports gets the job done in the pits with Craftsman tools. Craftsman, one of the most enduring names in the tool industry, is a proud partner of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. You can experience the benefits of this legendary brand by joining the Craftsman Club here. CJB Motorsports would like to express their gratitude to Craftsman for supplying the team with dependable tools for their use, night in and night out.
ABOUT CJB MOTORSPORTS:
CJB Motorsports is a winged, 410 sprint car team that competes across the country with driver David Gravel. 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.
Partners: Mainstream Holdings, Big Game Treestands, Muddy, J.R.C.Transportation Inc., Bairs Tree Service, Nyce, Crete & Landis Block and Concrete, All Star Performance, Henry Dunn Insurance, C&S Lawn and Landscape, Ecynbro Trucking
Manufacturers: Astro Titanium, Arctic Cat, ATL Fuel Cells, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Butlerbuilt, Cometic Gaskets, Energy Release, Fastener Specialties, FK Rod Ends, Factory Kahne Shocks, High Performance Lubricants, HRP Wings, Kinsler Fuel Injection, Kistler Engines, KSE Racing Products, Lincoln Welders, Moose Blocks, Inc., MSD Ignition, Outerwears, Safety-Klean, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Schroeder Torsion Bars, Simpson, Sweet Engineering, Walker Performance Filters, Weld Racing, Wilwood Brakes, Winters Performance.
