Inside Line Promotions – PORT ROYAL, Pa. (Oct. 10, 2023) – Big Game Motorsports driver David Gravel used a pair of top-five runs last weekend during the Nittany Showdown to gain ground in the chase for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship.
Gravel advanced from seventh to second place on Friday and from ninth to fourth place on Saturday at Port Royal Speedway to pull within 68 points of the lead in the championship standings.
The action began on Friday with Gravel qualifying fourth quickest in his group. He won a heat race to advance into the dash. A seventh-place result in the dash started him on the inside of the fourth row in the main event. Gravel methodically picked his way through the top five and onto the podium before capturing a runner-up result – his fourth in a seven-race stretch with the World of Outlaws.
“Cody (Jacobs) kept working on this thing and gave us a really good race car there in the A Main,” Gravel said in a post-race interview on DIRTVision. “It felt like in the beginning to the middle of the race we were really, really good, and I felt like probably one of the best cars. And I felt like at the end we just kind of ran out of grip, and (Tyler Courtney) was running a really good pace, and I never really got close to him.”
Gravel set quick time to kick off Saturday’s program. A third-place outing in a heat race lined him up ninth on the grid for the main event. Gravel continued to work forward, using a late charge to claw into the top five and a last-lap pass to secure fourth place. It was his series-best 43 rd top five of the season.
A weekend in Kansas is on tap for Big Game Motorsports with races this Friday at 81 Speedway in Park City for the Kansas Outlaw Classic and Saturday at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City for the Micro-Lite Harvest Rumble.
Gravel is seeking his first World of Outlaws win at both ovals. However, he is the track record holder at Lakeside Speedway, where a lap of 13.169 seconds in 2021 was the quickest official qualifying lap of all time.
QUICK RESULTS –
Oct. 6 – Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pa. – Qualifying: 4; Heat race: 1 (2); Dash: 7 (5); Feature: 2 (7).
Oct. 7 – Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pa. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 3 (1); Feature: 4 (9).
SEASON STATS –
74 races, 11 wins, 49 top fives, 62 top 10s, 70 top 15s, 70 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at 81 Speedway in Park City, Kan., for the Kansas Outlaw Classic and Saturday at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., for the Micro-Lite Harvest Rumble with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
MEDIA LINKS –
Twitter:Â 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 oval located in Jackson, Minn. It hosts special events from May through August, including races with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, Midwest Power Series, Midwest Sprint Touring Series 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 .