Inside Line Promotions – BARBERVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 16, 2022) – Big Game Motorsports earned one of the most unique trophies in sprint car racing last weekend by capturing the big gator.
David Gravel produced results of fourth on Thursday and second on Friday before capturing the finale on Saturday at Volusia Speedway Park. It was his first career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory at the track, securing the DIRTcar Nationals title during the 51 st edition of the marquee event.
“It all went about as perfect as you could hope for,” Gravel said.
The event was cut in half with the practice night and two FloRacing All Star Circuit of Champions races early in the week canceled because of the weather. That left the first three World of Outlaws shows of the season, beginning on Thursday when Gravel qualified eighth quickest. A heat race win was followed by a fourth-place finish in both the dash and the main event.
“With the track conditions, which were certainly not what I excel at, I was just hoping to get a top five and move on to the next night,” he said. “We were able to take what we could get and survive the night with a solid result.”
The team took a step forward on Friday, setting quick time during qualifying. A runner-up result in a heat race locked Gravel into the dash, which he won to garner the pole position for the main event.
Gravel led the first 21 laps of the 30-lap A Main, but a broken right front shock badly hindered the race car throughout the second half of the race. Gravel dropped to third before he rallied in the closing laps, hitting the bottom at both ends of the track and retaking the lead coming to the white flag.
“I had to drive the car really hard,” he said. “It would have been easy to pack it in and run third after the shock broke and we lost two positions, but I kept at it. I found a little rubber coming in around the bottom of turns one and two so I knew that was my shot to get back to the front.
“The car had a little twitch in turn four on the last lap and I had to correct it, which killed all of my momentum. It’s tough to be that close to a World of Outlaws win and run second, but honestly it was a confidence booster.”
Gravel finished second by a little more than four thousandths of a second.
Saturday started on a tough note as the track took rubber during qualifying. That hurt Gravel, who went out in the first half of the competitors. He ended up with the 16th quickest qualifying time. However, a run from fourth to second in a heat race earned a spot into the dash for the third straight night. Gravel was the final competitor to draw and the outside of the front row was remaining.
“We were fortunate to be the last driver to get into the second row in a heat race and that gave us an opportunity,” he said. “We made the most of it to earn a spot into the dash. Once that happens it erases everything earlier in the night. Then all you hope for is a good dash draw, which we got.”
Gravel dominated the dash and continued the trend in the A Main, leading all 30 laps for his 70th career World of Outlaws win.
“You hope for smooth races like that,” he said. “Sometimes you’ll have those nights where you get 10 cautions. It was just an efficient race and we really didn’t have any difficulties other than a close call or two in traffic.”
The team will be dormant this weekend before returning to action Feb. 25 at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Miss., and Feb. 26 at The Rev in Monroe, La., during the next two World of Outlaws races.
QUICK RESULTS –
Feb. 10 – Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. – Qualifying: 8; Heat race: 1 (2); Dash: 4 (4); Feature: 4 (4).
Feb. 11 – Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 2 (1); Dash: 1 (1); Feature: 2 (1).
Feb. 12 – Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. – Qualifying: 16; Heat race: 2 (4); Dash: 1 (2); Feature: 1 (1).
SEASON STATS –
3 races, 1 win, 3 top fives, 3 top 10s, 3 top 15s, 3 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Feb. 25 at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Miss., and Feb. 26 at The Rev in Monroe, La., 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*
