Inside Line Promotions – WEEDSPORT, N.Y. (Aug. 2, 2021) – David Gravel produced a successful weekend in New York, where he scored his seventh World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory of the season.
The Big Game Motorsports driver was efficient all weekend, placing fifth on Friday during The Big ‘R’ Shootout at Ransomville Speedway in Ransomville prior to winning the Empire State Challenge on Saturday at Weedsport Speedway.
“It was a good weekend and was great to get back to Victory Lane,” he said.
The action began on Friday with Gravel qualifying second quickest and winning a heat race to make the dash at Ransomville Speedway. A sixth-place finish in the dash lined Gravel up on the outside of the third row in the main event.
“Ransomville was solid overall,” he said. “We were able to qualify well and start on the front row of the heat. The weak point in the night was the dash, starting fourth and falling back to sixth. We just kind of missed it there. We had a decent car in the main and we ended up running fifth. Overall, it was a solid night and something to build off.”
Gravel’s fifth-place performance was his 26th top five of the season.
The weekend concluded on Saturday at Weedsport Speedway, where Gravel timed in ninth quickest in qualifying. However, he advanced from third to second place in a heat race to make the dash.
“We missed it a little in qualifying,” he said. “It was a tricky track. We were able to race our way into the dash. I was able to move forward and get to the front row, which was huge.”
Gravel maneuvered from fourth to second in the dash to start the A Main on the outside of the front row.
“We fell in line there with Donny (Schatz) and let him come to me,” he said. “Then Sheldon (Haudenschild) got by us both. I got by Donny and then Sheldon got tangled up with a lapped car. Sheldon was the fastest car. We just ran our own race and it worked out.
“The track was very slick, not much grip out there. There was some grip high in turns one and two. That started to go away and my car started hanging really bad. I ended up finding the bottom in turns one and two and that felt pretty good. I was able to use that to my advantage to get by Donny and use that on the restart of the green-white-checkered finish to get the win.”
The team will compete in a trio of events this weekend beginning on Friday and Saturday at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo., during the Ironman 55 with the World of Outlaws.
“Pevely is an elbows-up track and very fast paced,” he said. “We go there a couple of times a year. It’s always fun and typically a good race. Running 55 laps is a long time. You have to be good at the beginning and at the end. It’s a tricky race and a tough one to win.”
The weekend concludes on Sunday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, during the 10th annual Fatheadz Eyewear Capitani Classic presented by Great Southern Bank.
“It’s much needed to get more laps at Knoxville,” Gravel said. “I felt we were just okay when we were there earlier in the season, but that’s been a long time. We’re hoping to unload with a lot of speed in qualifying and then see where we’re at racing-wise. Hopefully we can finish the night off with a good direction and have a handle on the car.”
QUICK RESULTS –
July 30 – Ransomville Speedway in Ransomville, N.Y. – Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 6 (4); Feature: 5 (6).
July 31 – Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y. – Qualifying: 9; Heat race: 2 (3); Dash: 2 (4); Feature: 1 (2).
SEASON STATS –
54 races, 8 wins, 27 top fives, 43 top 10s, 51 top 15s, 53 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday and Saturday at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo., for the Ironman 55 with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and Sunday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, for the 10 th annual Fatheadz Eyewear Capitani Classic presented by Great Southern Bank
MEDIA LINKS –
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BigGameMotorspt
HUSET’S SPEEDWAY –
Huset’s Speedway is a dirt oval located in Brandon, S.D. The track opened in 1954 and has undergone a large renovation within the last few years, making it a premier destination for both marquee racing events and weekly programs. For more information, visit http://www.HusetsSpeedway.com.
JACKSON MOTORPLEX –
Jackson Motorplex is a 4/10-mile dirt track located in Jackson, Minn. It hosts special events from May through September, including races with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, Midwest Power Series, Tri-State Late Models and more. For more information, visit http://www.JacksonMotorplex.com .
TICKET LINK –
To purchase online tickets for events at either Huset’s Speedway or at Jackson Motorplex, visit http://mpv.tickets.com/schedule/?agency=JKMV_PL_MPV&orgid=55369#/?view=list&includePackages=true .
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com . For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
*PHOTO BY PAUL ARCH*
