Duo heads to home track of Big Game Treestands and GoMuddy.com for Outlaw tilt
CARLISLE, PA. – June 22, 2016 – The mercury in the thermometer is rising as the days get longer. With June winding down, the temperatures aren’t the only thing on the rise.
The CJB Motorsports duo of David Gravel and Sammy Swindell are hitting on all cylinders as the racing season enters its busy season. The two, from Watertown, Conn. and Germantown, Tenn. respectively, collected three top-5’s and five top-10’s across the weekend spread.
Gravel was riding a streak of eight straight top-5’s as he and his #5 team rolled into Granite City Speedway near Sauk Rapids, Minn. on Wednesday, June 15th. The event was delayed a day by heavy rains but, once the skies cleared, the facility hosted another excellent race.
“We got behind a little bit on the night in time trials,” said Gravel, pilot of the Big Game Treestands, J.R.C. Transportation Inc., C&S Lawn & Landscape #5. “That’s what makes these races so hard. You have to be on point all night long. We did really well in our heat race and drove forward. We went from 11th to 6th and just barely missed the top-5. We through something at it for the feature and the car really seemed to respond to it.”
Gravel moved on to River Cities Speedway near Grand Forks, N.D. two nights later on Friday, June 17th for the first of two stops on the year at the high banked bullring. Mother nature once again played a role in the evening but, this time, it was only a same day delay. Once the track had dried out a bit, the racing action resumed. Gravel found quite a challenge as he pushed off for time trials.
“It was almost like racing two tracks,” commented Gravel, who has an average time trial result of 8.3 in 2016. “Turns one and two had more sun light so they were a bit dry whereas three and four were in the shade a bit heavier. We had a really fun night there and we timed in well. That set us up for the front row of our heat race, which we one. In the feature, we were second or third all race long and kinda went back and forth with the position. On a restart, I got around Logan (Schuchart) and they got us into second for good. It was a great night for us to get another top-5.”
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Click above to listen to Gravel after the event at River Cities Speedway.
The #5 team closed out their weekend with a stop at Brown County Speedway outside of Aberdeen, S. D. on Sunday, June 19th The visit, the first for the series in almost 30 years, was yet another test for Gravel.
“We got behind in time trials again,” said Gravel. “We just had to fight through the night and we actually got our car pretty good for the feature. Most guys were running in the same spot and we were able to move around and really pick some cars off. We started 14th and ran up to sixth. That got us the KSE Hard Charger award for the night. It was a nice rebound for is for sure.”
Gravels teammate, Sammy Swindell, was no slouch on the weekend either. Another rainout at the Jackson Motorplex sent the #1 team south to Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway on Saturday, June 18th. Swindell and the team made some adjustments and the results spoke for themselves.
“We found something during the week and made a decent sized change,” said Swindell, driver of the Big Game Treestands, GoMuddy.com #1. “The car is more free than it’s been all year and we’re now able to tighten it up without losing the front end. That’s big for us. The balance is much better in our car. We timed in around 12th and transferred out of our heat race. We started 11th in the feature and just had a great drive in the feature. By the end of the 20 lap feature, we were within striking distance of fourth and third. We finished fifth but if there had been another five laps, I think we would have ended up even better.”
Swindell wasn’t done adding top-5’s on the weekend. The veteran and his team made a jaunt to Mason City (Iowa) Motor Speedway the following night for a Fathers Day race at the large half-mile oval. The track, which hadn’t hosted a winged sprint car race in nearly three decades, allowed Swindell another opportunity to drive to the front.
“I hadn’t been there since 1975 or so,” said Swindell of the track. “The added some banking and that made it pretty fun. We ran a setup similar to what we had at Knoxville and I think that helped with the long straights. We finished fourth in our heat race but we didn’t get any passing points. Those are important for when it comes to lining up the feature with the National Sprint League. We rolled off seventh in the feature and drove through the field. I took my time and got up there near the front and had a battle with Ian (Madsen.) We had a few late race cautions that kept us from getting into traffic. It’s really hard to pass cars out in the open and that’s why we couldn’t get around Danny (Lasoski) for the win. A second place still is a good finish, though.”
Gravel and the #5 team now make a mid-week stop at I-80 Speedway near Greenwood, Neb. On Wednesday, June 22nd.
“That first track is a lot of fun when its slick,” said Gravel. “Looking forward to making the stop there.”
From there, Gravel and Swindell will join up together to take on the Jackson Motorplex on Friday, June 24th. The race will have some added pressure as the facility is the home track for CJB partner Big Game Treestands and GoMuddy.com.
“Jackson is a big, fast track that I’m looking forward to running,” said Gravel. “Tod Quiring is one of our biggest partners and that is a place that is his. We’re really looking forward to having a great weekend and meeting with a lot of folks from Big Game (Treestands) and GoMuddy.com. Their support is top notch and we want to make sure we run really well for them.”
“I’m hoping for a clear forecast,” Swindell jokingly said after being rained out the past three weekends at the track. “Tod (Quiring) has done an amazing job with that track and I know he’ll have several folks out and we want to do really well for them. I’ve always liked that track.”
The following night, the teams will split as Gravel heads for Beaver Dam (Wis.) Raceway for the Jim Boyd Memorial and Swindell makes another trek to Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway.
“Beaver Dam is about the perfect size track,” said Gravel. “Those 3/8ths mile track really lend themselves to some great racing. It’s going to be a heckuva trip overnight but we will be alright.”
“I think we’re still on a learning curve when it comes to Knoxville,” said Swindell, who is looking for his second top-5 of the year at the famed half-mile. “We need some little breaks to go our way. Once we get those, I think our car has the speed to be very successful. I think we’re going in the right direction.”
CAR #5 2016 STATS:
Events: 43
Quick Times: 1
Wins: 3
Top-5’s: 24
Top-10’s: 33
Heat Race Wins: 13
Dash Wins: 2
Average Time Trial: 8.2
Average A-main finish: 6.5
Total Laps Led: 114
CAR #1 2016 STATS:
Events: 28
Quick Times: 1
Wins: 0
Top-5’s: 6
Top-10’s: 11
Heat Race Wins: 4
Dash Wins: 0
Average Time Trial: 12.1
Average A-main finish: 11.2
Total Laps Led: 0
UP NEXT:
The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series will make a stop at Greenwood, Neb. For the NAPA Auto Parts Outlaw Showdown at I-80 Speedway on Wednesday, June 22nd.
Gravel and Swindell will land at Jackson (Minn.) Motorplex on Friday, June 24th. The following night, Gravel will race at Beaver Dam (Wis.) Raceway for the Jim Boyd Memorial and Swindell will head to Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway.
BOX SCORE:
CAR #5:
| Date | Track | Time Trial | Heat start | Heat finish | Dash start | Dash finish | “A” start | “A” finish | Laps Led |
| 6/15/2016 | Granite City | 17 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 6/17/2016 | River Cities | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 6/19/2016 | Brown County | 6 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 6 | 0 |
CAR #1:
| Date | Track | Time Trial | Heat start | Heat finish | “A” start | “A” finish | Laps Led |
| 6/18/2016 | Knoxville | 12 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| 6/19/2016 | Mason City | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
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.
Click here for David Gravel’s apparel.
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.
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, Blackbeard Ltd., 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, Simpson, Sweet Engineering, TI22, Walker Performance Filters, Weld Racing, Wilwood Brakes, Winters Performance.
