By DDR Motorsports PR
Watertown, Conn.—May 14, 2012 — Horsepower is essential when competing at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park and Orange County Fair Speedway in New York. The pair of 5/8-mile venues are the largest tracks that winged sprint cars compete on. That combination bodes well for David Gravel, who has been fastest in time trials in each of his last three starts, including a pair of races with the World of Outlaws at the fame Eldora Speedway in Ohio, on May 4–5, as he has his sights set on the two sprawling facilities in the Empire State.
Gravel will take to the track at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, N.Y., on Wednesday, May 16, with the World of Outlaws followed by a stop at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., on Saturday, May 19.
“It’s a big boost heading to those tracks knowing how good our Kistler engines are and that we are fast right out of the box each night in time trials,” said Gravel. “We have the power, so then it’s up to me to roll a good lap and make sure the car is there. After having some bad luck last weekend, I can’t wait to climb back in my J&J and compete against the Outlaws.”
Gravel raced with the World of Outlaws last fall at Rolling Wheels during Super DIRT Week. He finished 15th in that event, after opening the night as the 17th-fastest driver in time trials, followed by a sixth-place showing in the second eight-lap heat race. He lined up 17th in the main event and gained a couple of spots over the course of the 25-lap contest.
“Rolling Wheel is such a fast track,” noted Gravel. “Last time I was there, it got pretty slick and pretty racy. There really wasn’t a cushion and people were running everywhere. In winged sprint car racing, track position is always huge, and it’s even more important at a track like Rolling Wheels. The closer you start to the front, the better of a chance you have to turn in a good run.”
The native of Watertown, Conn., raced at Orange County Fair Speedway for the first time in 2008 with the URC (United Racing Company). That was the same year the World of Outlaws last competed at the historic 5/8-mile.
“It’s been a few years since I’ve raced at Orange County, so I really don’t remember all that much about the track,” shared the young driver. “I do remember that it’s typical, big fairgrounds track. I’m just going to treat it the same as every other race and go hammer down.”
Gravel competed with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions last weekend at Mercer Raceway Park in Pennsylvania. He began the night by turning the fastest lap in time trials, before advancing from sixth to fourth in the first heat race to earn a spot in the dash. He came home sixth in the dash, which put him on the outside of the third row for the 30-lap A-Feature. A problem with the magneto as the cars were lining up, kept him from starting the main event.
“Everything was fine the whole night until the feature and that’s when we had the problem,” explained Gravel. “It was disappointing to say the least. We had one mag that was different from the others and that’s the one we had on the car and that’s the one that failed. We have all the same mags now, so hopefully we don’t have that problem again.”
Gravel is currently third in the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions standings on the strength of six Top-10 finishes. He leads the All Stars with three fast time awards this season, including on the opening night of the season at Screven Speedway in Georgia. In eight starts with the World of Outlaws this season he has four Top-10 finishes and has raced his way into the dash six times.
“We always want to make it into the dash when we are racing with the Outlaws,” noted Gravel. “Getting a good lap in time trials is a key to that as well. If we can do both of those and get a solid Top-10 finish each night, we’ll be pretty happy.”
David Gravel and DDR Motorsports would like to thank: J&J Chassis, JRC Transportation, Kistler Engines, Musco Fuels and P&M Transportation for their continued support.
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