KNOXVILLE, IOWA (June 15, 2019) – The JJR #41 team and David Gravel were back in the pit area aboard their Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Maxim Racing #41 at Knoxville Raceway for the second night of the Brownells Big Guns Bash after finishing ninth on Friday evening. There were 38 teams back at the track with the same goal in mind – winning! But everyone would have to wait for a while when dark clouds moved in as Mother Nature wanted to make sure no one forgot about her . . . like the racing community has not seen enough of her already this season. After the action was delayed for a few hours following the rain, the Duncan family worked their magic and had the racing surface at Knoxville Raceway almost perfect and ready for racing.
The field was once gain split into two groups for time trial qualifying with David Gravel being the eighth car out in Flight A in the Weikert’s Livestock/High Performance Lubricants #41 Maxim. The track was narrow and fast. He took the green from flagman Doug Clark and he was on the clock. He motored through turns one and two and blasted down the backstretch into turns three and four. When he tripped the timing light the first time around, he turned a lap of 15.220 seconds. He stayed on the loud pedal and carried his speed forward around the famed half mile with his WELD Racing wheels glistening under the lights. The second lap was better, much better, as he was the first driver to drop into the 14 second bracket with a lap of 14.981 seconds. He was atop the speed charts until Shane Stewart displaced him with a slightly quicker lap of 14.977 seconds. Gravel ended up second quick in Flight A and overall as he and Stewart were the only two drivers with 14 second laps on this night in Knoxville, Iowa.
Earning the pole position in the second heat race, Gravel would share the front row with Logan Schuchart. The two wheelman would lead a talented field to the green flag with Carson Macedo, James McFadden, Josh Schneiderman, Brent Marks, Ian Madsen, Sammy Swindell and Mason Daniel poised behind to give chase. Gravel would drive into the lead aboard his J.R.C. Transportation/FK Rod Ends speed machine. He was in a close battle with Schuchart for the top spot as the two were side-by-side at times in the early stages of the 8-lap heat race. Gravel finally used his Kistler Engines power to generate the speed for him to take sole ownership of the real estate at the front of the field. He would go on to win the heat race over Schuchart as those top two would advance to the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash as Macedo, McFadden and Marks secured transfer spots directly to the feature.
The DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, which sets the starting order for the first four rows of the feature, was next on the evening’s agenda. Gravel would start on the outside of row three to start the race. Sheldon Haudenschild and Lance Dewease were on the front row as they took the green. Dewease drove into the lead and led from flag-to-flag to take the win and earned the pole position for the 25-lap feature. The defending Knoxville Nationals winner, Brad Sweet, came home second followed by Schuchart, Haudenschild, and Lynton Jeffrey as Brian Brown, Shane Stewart and David Gravel rounded out the finishing order.
Track officials and World of Outlaws (WoO) officials were keeping the late night show moving quickly after being delayed on the front end by rain. The horn sounded as all of the teams wrapped up all of their last minute maintenance and setups. When Philip Dietz and the JJR #41 crew were done preparing his speed machine, the Watertown, Connecticut native would start from the outside of row four for the 25-lap event aboard the Team Jack Foundation/Greber Racing Components #41 Maxim. When the green flag waved it was Lance Dewease to the lead as Gravel moved up to sixth after the initial lap. He would get shuffled back early as the racing for positions throughout the field was tight. There were five drivers all racing together for the same position on the track and Gravel was right in the mix. He began his march forward on lap six with Dewease still leading up front. Dewease would surrender the lead on lap 14 to Brad Sweet as Sweet and Logan Schuchart would swap the lead a few times. Meanwhile, Gravel was doing what he does best as he wheeled the forty-one forward. Sweet was leading with 5 laps to go with Gravel sitting in sixth. Gravel passed Dewease to move into the top five with two laps to go. Sweet would collect the checkers over Schuchart and tenth starting Daryn Pittman with Sheldon Haudenschild coming home fourth and Gravel rounding out the top five. Another great run for the forty-one!
Gravel Finishes Fifth On Night Two of the Brownells Big Guns Bash at Knoxville Raceway!
We are proud to represent all of our dedicated and loyal supporters:
Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT); Saich Family; Jonestown KOA; Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution; Weikert’s Livestock; J.R.C. Transportation, Inc.; Durst Inc.; Maxim Racing; The Boyd Family; Pro Powder Coating (PPC); Waco Metal; High Performance Lubricants, LLC; Team Jack Foundation; Mark Burch Motorsports; Tiger Towing; All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads, Inc.; All Pro Auto Reconditioning; AutoMeter; Bell Racing USA; Blackbeard; Brown & Miller Racing Solutions (BMRS); Buckwalter Trucking, LLC; C&R Racing; Chalk Stix Torsion Bars; Cody Monoco Racing; Crow Enterprizes, Engler Machine & Tool, Inc.; Factory Kahne FK Shocks; Fibreworks Composites; FK Rod Ends; Fuel Safe Racing Cells; Greber Racing Components; Hoosier Racing Tire; ISC Racers Tape; Jansen Transportation; K&N Filters; Kaiden Kares; Kistler Racing Engines; KSE Racing Products; LogoDaddy Graphics; Max Papis Innovations (MPI); MSD Performance; RaceDiecast.com; Schoenfeld Headers; Shell Shock Paint; Simpson Race Products; T-FAB Custom Metal Fabrication; Vortex Racing Products; Weld Wheels; Wilwood Racing; and Winters Performance Products.
To stay up-to-date with David Gravel and his success and journey on and off the track, as well as to purchase his gear and merchandise, go to www.DavidGravel89.com.
To stay connected with Jason Johnson Racing (JJR), go to www.jasonjohnsonracing.com.
