By DDR Motorsports PR
Watertown, Conn.—April 2, 2012 — When heading to race in Central Pennsylvania in the early spring, not only is the Pennsylvania Posse a formidable opponent, but usually Mother Nature is as well. That was certainly the case for David Gravel this past weekend, as he made his first trip of the year to the sprint car hot bed for a pair of races.
The native of Watertown, Conn. turned in a consistent performance on Friday, March 30 at the famed Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. finishing, 12th in his Kistler-powered J&J. Mother Nature interrupted the finale of the weekend on Saturday, March 31 at Port Royal Speedway on the first lap of the main event.
“It felt good to get back in the car,” said Gravel. “I was actually a little nervous going in, but the car felt great and was operating really well. I can’t wait to go back for the All Star races there in a few weeks.”
On Friday at Williams Grove Speedway, Gravel lined up 18th and gained six spots over the course of the 25-lap main event to finish 12th. A solid 33-car field was in attendance for the second event of the season at the half-mile. By way of the draw, he started eighth in his heat racing, and worked his way into a transfer position for the A-Feature.
“We had a pretty good run at Williams Grove,” said Gravel. “We drew a number that put us at the back of the heat and had to finish in the Top-Five to transfer into the feature and were able to do that. I was passing cars toward the end of the feature. I definitely feel confident in the package we have for Williams Grove.”
On Saturday at Port Royal Gravel finished third in the third heat race to earn a spot in the main event. He started eighth in the feature, and quickly gained a couple of positions at the start, when the red flag flew for a multi-car incident. While the track crew was cleaning up the accident, rain began to fall, forcing the drivers to the pit area. Officials wound up having to cancel the remainder of the evening of racing.
“We had a really good start in the feature and unfortunately the yellow came out,” noted Gravel. “Then the rain came and that was the end of the night. We were fast and learned a few things that should help us when we go back to Port Royal at the end of the month.”
Gravel returns to action this weekend on Friday, April 6 and Saturday, April 7 in the HD Supply Spring Nationals with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions at Attica Raceway Park in Ohio. Gravel is currently fifth in the points with the series, on the strength of five Top-10 finishes in the first seven races, including a runner-up performance on the opening night of the season at Screven Speedway in Georgia, where he also set fast time.
“I am definitely excited to go back to Attica,” said Gravel. “There are going to be a lot of cars there this weekend. It’s going to be tough just to make the race. You’ll have to qualify good and run up front in your heat. The rest is all on you then. I feel like our team is better than ever right now, so hopefully we can get a couple of really good finishes.”
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.
Keep up-to-date with David Gravel and DDR Motorsports by visiting www.DavidGravel89.com. Follow David on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/DavidGravel89g. Like David on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Gravel-Racing/143538695709198