CONCORD, N.C. (October 8, 2019) — David Gravel had a personal goal of collecting his 50th career victory with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series this season. Gravel met that goal by winning Friday’s main event at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Can-Am World Finals.
The race for the World of Outlaws point title will come down to the final main event of the season after Donny Schatz collected a second-place finish while point leader Brad Sweet finished fifth. Sweet will enter Saturday’s program with a two-point lead.
While the box score will show Gravel led all 25-laps In route to his 11th victory of the season Gravel overcame a couple of moments he felt could have cost him the victory.
“I think got a couple of lucky breaks,” Gravel said in victory lane. “I made a mistaken getting into lapped traffic and (Aaron) Reutzel passed me. Luckily, he went high, Dave Blaney went high and the bottom opened up and I was able to get the lead back. On the last lap I tried to go outside a lapped car and slid way up. I heard somebody, but (my crew) said it was a lapped car. I could have given it up there if someone was right on me. Luckily a couple of things went my way and we were able to secure the victory.”
Gravel started on the front row and led the opening laps with Reutzel driving to second. Gravel ran into problems entering lapped traffic, giving the lead to Reutzel momentarily. Reutzel’s time at the front was short lived as Reutzel was held up trying to lap Blaney and allowed Gravel to retain the lead.
After a caution for Gio Scelzi slowing in turn two with a fire under the hood of his car Gravel maintained the lead as Schatz drove up to the second spot. Schatz was able to close in on Gravel late in the race, but Gravel was able to put a couple of lapped cars between himself and Schatz to give him enough cushion to overcome the mistake on the final lap to hold on for the win.
Schatz’s second place finish combined with Sweet finishing fifth gives Sweet a two-point advantage going into the final night of racing. With a four-point difference between first and second and two points per position behind that the 2019 World of Outlaws championship could come down if Sweet or Schatz can finish ahead of each other in the main event.
Schatz was very businesslike after his second-place run.
“It got close, but it wasn’t good enough. That’s how it goes somedays,” said Schatz about almost catching Gravel at the end. “The racetrack was better than I expected it to be. We watched the late model race. They were locked down and I thought it might have been a little bit abrasive and really hard on tires. I think everyone ran the hard tire, so we really didn’t know what to expect. We just had to play it safe. My guys did a great job.”
After the main event Gravel was happy to reach the 50-win milestone before the season closed.
“We had a couple of goals and I really wanted to get to number 50 this year. It was one of the accomplishments I wanted to do, and I couldn’t have done it without this JJR team. We have one more race to go. Hopefully we can sweep the weekend, but this is a good start.”
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
Can-Am World Finals
the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, N.C.
Friday November 8, 2019
Heat Race #1:
1. 1S – Logan Schuchart
2. 2 – Carson Macedo
3. 3Z – Brock Zearfoss
4. 2C – Wayne Johnson
5. 83R – Lynton Jeffrey
6. 39 – Spencer Bayston
7. 99 – Skylar Gee
8. 19P – Paige Polyak
9. 71M – Paul May
Heat Race #2:
1. 41 – David Gravel
2. 71 – Giovanni Scelzi
3. 39M – Anthony Macri
4. 1 – Sammy Swindell
5. 19 – Brent Marks
6. 7 – Jason Sides
7. 98H – Dave Blaney
8. 44 – Trey Starks
9. J4 – John Garvin
Heat Race #3:
1. 18 – Ian Madsen
2. 11K – Kraig Kinser
3. 1A – Jacob Allen
4. 5 – Shane Stewart
5. 7S – Tim Shaffer
6. 91 – Tony Fiore
7. 83 – Daryn Pittman
8. 29 – Steve Butler
9. 48 – Danny Dietrich
Heat Race #4:
1. 15 – Donny Schatz
2. 21 – Brian Brown
3. 2M – Kerry Madsen
4. 51 – Freddie Rahmer
5. K4 – Chad Kemenah
6. 49D – Shawn Dancer
7. W20 – Greg Wilson
8. 40 – George Hobaugh
9. 91W – Davey Walsh Jr.
Heat Race #5:
1. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild
2. 49 – Brad Sweet
3. 17B – Bill Balog
4. 21X – Parker Price-Miller
5. 5B – Justin Barger
6. 11B – Carl Bowser
7. 49H – Bradley Howard
8. 2S – Nathan Skaggs
9. 11 – Zeb Wise
Heat Race #6:
1. 87 – Aaron Reutzel
2. 13 – Paul McMahan
3. 3C – Cale Conley
4. 41S – Dominic Scelzi
5. 15H – Sam Hafertepe
6. 9X – Paul Nienhiser
7. 4 – Terry McCarl
8. 27G – Jay Galloway
C-Main:
1. 48 – Danny Dietrich
2. 83R – Lynton Jeffrey
3. W20 – Greg Wilson
4. 1 – Sammy Swindell
5. 11B – Carl Bowser
6. 4 – Terry McCarl
7. 44 – Trey Starks
8. 49H – Bradley Howard
9. 99 – Skylar Gee
10. 91 – Tony Fiore
11. J4 – John Garvin
12. 71M – Paul May
13. 40 – George Hobaugh
14. 27G – Jay Galloway
15. 91W – Davey Walsh Jr.
16. 5B – Justin Barger
17. 5 – Shane Stewart
18. 2S – Nathan Skaggs
19. 29 – Steve Butler
Dash #1:
1. 41 – David Gravel
2. 18 – Ian Madsen
3. 1S – Logan Schuchart
4. 71 – Giovanni Scelzi
5. 2 – Carson Macedo
6. 11K – Kraig Kinser
Dash #2:
1. 13 – Paul McMahan
2. 21 – Brian Brown
3. 15 – Donny Schatz
4. 87 – Aaron Reutzel
5. 49 – Brad Sweet
6. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild
Last Chance Showdown:
1. 19P – Paige Polyak
2. 39 – Spencer Bayston
3. 83 – Daryn Pittman
4. 98H – Dave Blaney
5. 19 – Brent Marks
6. 7S – Tim Shaffer
7. 83R – Lynton Jeffrey
8. 48 – Danny Dietrich
9. 15H – Sam Hafertepe
10. K4 – Chad Kemenah
11. 9X – Paul Nienhiser
12. 21X – Parker Price-Miller
13. 2C – Wayne Johnson
14. 51 – Freddie Rahmer
15. 11 – Zeb Wise
16. 7 – Jason Sides
17. 41S – Dominic Scelzi
18. 49D – Shawn Dancer
A-Main:
1. 41 – David Gravel
2. 15 – Donny Schatz
3. 1S – Logan Schuchart
4. 87 – Aaron Reutzel
5. 49 – Brad Sweet
6. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild
7. 21 – Brian Brown
8. 2M – Kerry Madsen
9. 13 – Paul McMahan
10. 2 – Carson Macedo
11. 3Z – Brock Zearfoss
12. 1A – Jacob Allen
13. 18 – Ian Madsen
14. 7S – Tim Shaffer
15. 11K – Kraig Kinser
16. 83 – Daryn Pittman
17. 39 – Spencer Bayston
18. 5 – Shane Stewart
19. 19 – Brent Marks
20. 17B – Bill Balog
21. 3C – Cale Conley
22. 71 – Giovanni Scelzi
23. 39M – Anthony Macri
24. 98H – Dave Blaney
25. 19P – Paige Polyak