Inside Line Promotions – HANFORD, Calif. (Sept. 21, 2021) – David Gravel rallied from a late-race incident last Saturday to record his 53 rd top 10 during World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series competition this season.
Gravel was in contention for a top five and potentially a podium during the Tom Tarlton Classic at Keller Auto Speedway when contact from another driver sent the Big Game Motorsports No. 2 spinning off the track in turn two.
“I slid up to pass a guy,” he said. “He messed up on the cushion and tried to pass me back and drove over my right rear. It spun me around. I was definitely bummed. I was looking around a fifth-place finish. There were still quite a bit of people on the lead lap so we fell back to 16 th or 17th.”
Gravel had been able to move forward all night, qualifying ninth quickest before advancing from third to second place in a heat race and from sixth to fifth place in the dash.
“I thought we qualified good for when we went out,” he said. “The track kept getting faster and faster. That’s part of the circumstances. To start third in the heat, we knew we had to get the job done early because of the way the track was. We were able to get a good jump and get in the dash. Drawing the No. 6 wasn’t ideal, but we did what we could do. I felt okay in the dash. I felt better in the heat race though so we changed it up a little for the feature.”
Gravel battled for fifth throughout the first two thirds of the main event before the contact resulted in a crash. He restarted behind the lead-lap drivers and rallied for a 10th-place result.
“We had quite a bit of damage,” he said. “The right side board was crinkled up and the nose wing was pushed over. I didn’t know what we’d have. We were able to pass some guys and at least salvage a decent finish. To run 10 th, we’re not happy, but if that’s the worst case scenario we’ll take it and move on.”
Gravel remains second in the World of Outlaws championship standings as the series returns east this weekend for races on Friday at Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio, during the BeFour the Crowns Showdown and Saturday at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., during the Commonwealth Clash.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back to two of my favorite tracks,” he said. “We’re usually pretty good at Eldora and Lernerville is in my top two of tracks. I think most of the time it’s pretty racy and you can run top to bottom.”
QUICK RESULTS –
Sept. 18 – Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif. – Qualifying: 9; Heat race: 2 (3); Dash: 5 (6); Feature: 10 (5).
SEASON STATS –
71 races, 12 wins, 39 top fives, 58 top 10s, 67 top 15s, 70 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio, for the BeFour the Crowns Showdown and Saturday at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., for the Commonwealth Clash with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
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*
