BARBERVILLE, FLORIDA (February 6, 2020) – The pit area at Volusia Speedway Park welcomed 34 cars back for the second night of competition in the 49th Annual DIRTcar Nationals under All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) sanction. As the eager sprint car fans made their way into the facility, the teams were preparing their high speed equipment for their drivers to attach the track. It was time to go racing again 410 sprint car style at Volusia Speedway Park!
Once again using the ASCoC format where you time against the competition in your heat race, Gravel rolled the Weikert’s Livestock/Team Jack Foundation #41 Maxim onto the track to make his individual laps against the clock. The Kistler Engines power came to life under the hood of the JJR entry and when Gravel dropped his right foot to take the green flag and start the clock the ponies started to run. The quicker of his two circuits around Volusia came in at 13.311 seconds, which was third quick in his group behind Daryn Pittman and Donny Schatz.
He would start of n the outside of row one in Ford Performance Heat #1 in a loaded field of talent. Tim Shaffer sat on the pole with Schatz and Pittman perched in row two. The first two rows were filled by Chad Kemenah, Danny Dietrich, Brock Zearfoss, Kraig Kinser and Terry McCarl. When the green flag dropped it was Gravel to the lead through turns one and two and down the backstretch. But it was fourth place starting Daryn Pittman who was on the move using the outside lane and he took the lead through turns three and four and led lap one. Gravel was pursuing him aboard the J.R.C. Transportation/Mark Burch Motorsports #41 as the racing behind the leaders heated up. Pittman extended his lead and led the remainder of the 8-lap event to take the win over Gravel who came home second with Schatz, Dietrich and McCarl securing the remaining transfer positions to the A-Main.
Missing out on qualifying for the Dash event, Gravel and the JJR crew worked to prepare their mount for the 25-lap feature event. The field was called to the track as it was time to put on a show for the fans. Your 2019 Knoxville Nationals champion, David Gravel, would start again from the eleventh starting position with Kyle Larson to his outside. Polesitter Ian Madsen once again jumped out into the early lead as Aaron Reutzel and night one winner Brad Sweet were racing for position behind him. The track started to take rubber and when Reutzel found it he made his move on Madsen after Madsen’s momentum got scrubbed off after getting caught behind Wayne Johnson. David Gravel was wheeling his forty-one the best he could, but as the track took on rubber the surface became more abrasive. That abrasiveness started to take its toll as the first yellow flew for a slowed car with a flat right rear. It would be the first of many cautions for expired tires, and as the laps dwindled you could see the wear on everyone tires. With two to go, David was running in the tenth position and when race winner Aaron Reutzel took the checkers Gravel crossed the finish line with a patient and well-earned 9th place finish on the second night of the DIRTcar Nationals in the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Schoenfeld Headers #41. While not the finish they were hoping for, the team and driver were patient and grateful just to finish the race as the tires on their entry were bald when the car came to a stop at the back of the trailer. A good run for the forty-one!
A Patient Drive Secures Gravel’s Tires and a Ninth Place Finish in the JJR #41!
Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT); Saich Family; 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 Auto Reconditioning; AutoMeter; Bell Racing USA; Brown & Miller Racing Solutions (BMRS); Buckwalter Trucking, LLC; C&R Racing; Chalk Stix Torsion Bars; 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; 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; Walker Performance Filtration; 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.
