Inside Line Promotions
– CHICO, Calif. (Sept. 14, 2021) – David Gravel earned his first career feature victory at Silver Dollar Speedway last Friday during the Gold Cup Race of Champions opener.
It marked the 12th win of the season for Big Game Motorsports and the ninth during World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series competition.
The night began with Gravel qualifying sixth quickest. A runner-up result in a heat race locked him into the dash. Although Gravel pulled the second-highest number – seven – he moved forward two positions in the dash to garner the fifth starting position in the 35-lap A Main.
“I was happy to be in the dash and be in the hunt,” he said. “Getting that extra shot at the race track is huge to be able to figure out our car. We felt we were pretty good in the dash and we fine-tuned it for the feature. We had a pretty educated guess.”
Gravel used the bottom of the track to his advantage and took the lead on Lap 17. He held onto the top spot throughout traffic and a late restart en route to his 67th career World of Outlaws win.
“I knew there was grip down there,” he said. “I just stayed patient. I felt it’d get better. I was able to get rolling in traffic. Those guys were up the track and I had the bottom to myself. I was in fifth and then in fourth and before you know it was in the lead. It’s cool how it worked out. I was the most patient to run the bottom in turns three and four and it paid off for me.”
The event wrapped up on Saturday. Gravel timed in 11th quickest. A third-place result in a heat race gave him the 11th starting position into the main event. He battled just outside of the top 10 throughout the feature before ending 12th.
“It seemed like the track got faster and faster in qualifying,” he said. “We had to start in the second row in the heat race and weren’t able to get in the dash from there. There were more laps on the track and they did a full rework on the track before the feature. We were guessing on what to do with the car and just missed it a little. I felt we had a shot for a top 10, but after a caution there with 10 or 12 laps to go it wasn’t the same car and really fell off for whatever reason.”
The Tom Tarlton Classic is next for Gravel as Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif., hosts the event this Saturday. Gravel won the most recent World of Outlaws race at the track in March 2019.
“I like Hanford,” he said. “It’s probably my favorite California track. I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully we can qualify good and get a good night in.”
QUICK RESULTS –
Sept. 10 – Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. – Qualifying: 6; Heat race: 2 (2); Dash: 5 (7); Feature: 1 (5).
Sept. 11 – Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. – Qualifying: 11; Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: 12 (11).
SEASON STATS –
70 races, 12 wins, 39 top fives, 57 top 10s, 66 top 15s, 69 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Saturday at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif., for the Tom Tarlton Classic 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 .