By DDR Motorsports PR
Watertown, Conn.—April 22, 2012 — One of the most best ways for a young racer to hone their skills and gain confidence on the race track is to compete against the best drivers night in and night out. David Gravel has been doing that all season long, as he has battled the World of Outlaws, the UNOH All Stars Circuit of Champions and also the famed Pennsylvania Posse.
The native of Watertown, Conn. competed twice this past weekend with the World of Outlaws, as the series continued an eight-race stretch in the Midwest. Gravel recorded 10th and 11th-place finishes at Missouri State Fair Speedway in Sedalia and Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind. aboard his Kistler-powered J&J.
“It’s always an education when you race with the Outlaws,” shared Gravel, who has one career World of Outlaws A-Feature win. “In hot laps, you kind of watch what everyone is doing and take note of that. As the night goes on and the track gets more slick and technical, that’s when you really learn from watching the veteran drivers. They always seem to find a way to pass cars. It definitely helps you become a better driving racing against the veterans who have been out there for years and years.”
Gravel began the weekend by making his first start at the historic Missouri State Fair Speedway on Friday, April 20 in the opening round of the Kasey Kahne Challenge Presented by Sage Fruit. He lined up 17th for the 25-lap main event on the half-mile and charged past Tony Bruce Jr., Terry McCarl, Lucas Wolfe and Paul McMahan on the opening lap. Gravel worked his way up to 10th by lap-16, before jumping the cushion with six laps to go, which moved him back to the 16th spot.
Over the final six laps, Gravel got by Wolfe, McMahan, Steve Kinser and Danny Lasoski to finish in the 10th spot, which was second consecutive Top-10 finish with the World of Outlaws and third of the season. The young driver has finished 12th or better in five of his six starts with the series in 2012.
“We were really good at the end,” noted Gravel. “I was able to gather it back up after I bulldozed the cushion and had another car got into me. If that stuff hadn’t happened, I think we would have been fifth or sixth. For the circumstances, 10th was pretty good.”
Gravel began the night at Sedalia by turning the 18th-fastest lap in time trials, which put him sixth in the third heat race. He would finish fourth in that eight-lap contest to earn a spot in the main event, where he lined up on the inside of the ninth row.
At Tri-State Speedway, the 19-year old timed in 10th, which placed him on the pole of the first heat race. He would win the heat to make the dash, where he would start ninth and finish 10th. Gravel started on the outside of the fifth row for the 40-lap main event, which was slowed by four yellow flags and one red flag. After running 11th for a number of laps, he worked his way into the Top-10 and was as high as ninth, before falling back to 11th on the 23rd lap. He would remain in that position for the duration of the race.
“I timed in the perfect spot, was on the pole of a heat and we were able to capitalize on that,” said Gravel. “When the feature came around, it was pretty chaotic and I was trying to keep my nose clean. The double file restarts killed me. I should have been a little more aggressive and we maybe could have been an eighth or ninth. We were happy though to put the car on the trailer in one piece.”
Gravel is back in action this coming weekend in a trio of events with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions, beginning on Friday, April 27 at the legendary Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., followed by a visit to Port Royal Speedway on Saturday, April 28, and he wraps up the visit to Pennsylvania on Sunday, April 29 with a stop at Clinton County Raceway.
“I’m excited and nervous for next weekend,” explained Gravel. “Pennsylvania can be really tough. Williams Grove and Port Royal are two places where time trials are really important. We’re going to have to time in well and race well. We were pretty good last time we went to Williams Grove and Port Royal.”
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 with all the action:
Follow David Gravel on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DavidGravel89g and receive live updates from the track each and every race night. Results are also posted to the David Gravel Racing site on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Gravel-Racing/143538695709198.
Tune in:
Listen live to each and every World of Outlaws event on DIRTVision.com with “The Voice of the Outlaws” Johnny Gibson on the call. Visit www.DIRTVision.com for live audio ofeach and every World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event.