DODGE CITY, KANSAS (September 11, 2020) – The World of Outlaws are coming! The World of Outlaws are coming! David Gravel traveled across the plains of Kansas with the Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) #41 Racing Team to complete in the two-day Boot Hill Showdown at Dodge City Raceway Park (DCRP). The 3/8-mile, semi-banked oval has produced some good racing and welcomed 22 cars to the pit area to take a shot at getting their name in the history books at the track. The overcast skies that were present during the day cleared out and the sun was shining bright overhead. It was time to go racing at Dodge City Raceway Park as the country paused to recognize and remember those lost on 9/11 as part of the Patriot’s Day remembrance!
The talented chauffeur nestled himself into his ButlerBUILT Professional Seat System with a Sharp Advantage custom fitted insert and buckled into his Simpson Race Products safety belts. He would be the fifth competitor on the track in the Pro Powder Coating (PPC)/Wilwood Disc Brake #41 Maxim. Ian Madsen hold the track record here at Dodge City Raceway Park with a fast lap of 11.759 seconds set back on October 20, 2018. When Donny Schatz completed his two laps he sat atop the speed charts. Gravel would push off and as his Kistler Engines power came to life he dropped his right foot and got the forty-one up to speed. He was boot scootin’ around the track and stopped the clock at 12.253 seconds. The cushion was about a third of the way up the track and he kept his Hoosier Racing Tire right rear up against it the second time around. He improved his time to 12.213 seconds, which was the quicker of his two laps and resulted in him being the sixth fastest overall after time trials.
The timing and scoring officials put together the three Drydene heat race lineups based off each driver’s fastest lap. The Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/High Performance Lubricants #41 would sit on the outside of the front row in the third heat race beside polesitter Donny Schatz. It was a stout field of competitors so everyone would have to be up on the wheel when the green flag dropped. Schatz wasted no time taking control of the top spot with Gravel right behind. Brad Sweet and Carson Macedo were fast and were not allowing the leaders to get out of their sight in early racing action. By the midway point of the race, Schatz had put some space between himself and Gravel with Sweet and Macedo still giving chase. Gravel would start to close the gap slightly as the laps ran down, but Schatz took the heat race win over Gravel, Sweet and Macedo with Tucker Klaasmeyer, Mason Daniel and Jeff Stasa rounding out the finishing order.
The drivers selected their started spots for the 6-lap DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash. Ironically, the winners of each of the heat races selected the even numbered starting spots with the runner-ups being left with all of the odd numbers. Tim Kaeding would start from the pole with Jacob Allen to his outside. David Gravel would start third beside Donny Schatz with Daryn Pittman and Logan Schuchart in row three. It would be Tim Kaeding to the lead over Allen at the start as he would lead wire-to-wire to take the win. Allen came home second with Schatz, Schuchart, Pittman and Gravel following after he got shuffled back to last on the opening lap.
Tommy Estes and his team at Dodge City Raceway Park do a tremendous job giving the teams a good track to put on a show. The air horn sounded and filled the calm Kansas air. The teams made their last minute adjustments and rolled out onto the track to wait for a push truck to get them started. Gravel flipped the shield of his Simpson helmet down and was ready to roll from the outside of row three aboard the J.R.C. Transportation/Waco Metal #41 Maxim. After the traditional four-wide salute to the fans, Jacob Allen blasted into the lead when the green flag unfurled over the field. Gravel was running fourth, but the race for position was tight. The second time around he moved back to the fifth position and stayed their throughout the first half of the race. A series of cautions slowed the action in the middle portion of the action as the orange cones kept getting collected on the inside of the track and ended up in the racing surface. Once racing resumed, Allen held onto the top spot with fellow Shark Racing teammate Logan Schuchart now chasing him from the runner-up position. Gravel moved the MVT #41 into fourth and was racing with Schatz for the show position. The laps were running out for the drivers. Jacob Allen was fast and the talented driver would not be denied as he collected his first World of Outlaws victory, taking the win over Schuchart and Schatz with Gravel coming home fourth and Brad Sweet rounding out the top five. Congratulations to Jacob Allen on his first win and to David Gravel on another top five finish. A good run for the forty-one!
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; 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.
