WEEDSPORT WONDER: David Gravel, Big Game Motorsports Top Fourth Weedsport Race in Five Tries

Gravel bests Macedo to become the winningest driver in Series history at the New York oval

WEEDSPORT, NY (July 28, 2024) - The pairing of David Gravel and Big Game Motorsports has been perhaps the fastest in Sprint Car Racing in 2024. Take them to one of their best tracks as a pairing, and it’s almost not even fair for the competition.

Such was the case Sunday night when the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars journeyed to New York. Weedsport Speedway awaited to host The Greatest Show on Dirt’s only “Empire State” appearance of 2024. Entering the night Gravel and Tod Quiring’s team had contested four races together at Weedsport. Their results? Three visits to Victory Lane and a runner-up. 

Add on to that résumé the fact that Gravel rolled into Weedsport on a streak of six straight top two finishes that included a Kings Royal triumph and the 100th victory of Gravel’s career, and Gravel and the Big Game crew entered the Weedsport pit area as odds on favorites. And they delivered. 

Gravel started third in the 30-lap main event, took second early, and stalked Carson Macedo until the right time arose. And when the window opened, Gravel drove right by Macedo, and that was all she wrote. The point leader built up a sizeable lead and took the checkered flag with just under a four-second advantage.

“I know about every time we’ve been here in the 2 car we’ve won,” Gravel said. “Cody (Jacobs), Stephen (Hamm-Reilly), and Zach (Patterson) are continuing to do their jobs and give me great race cars. It’s been a lot of fun to drive. It’s been a dream season. We’ve still got a long ways to go, but, man, this is fun.”

The 13th win of the year for Gravel already makes 2024 the second winningest season in his tenure. His most is 18 in 2017 with CJB Motorsports. A fourth Weedsport victory gives him sole possession of the most at the New York oval, breaking a tie with Steve Kinser and Donny Schatz. One night after securing his 100th World of Outlaws triumph, Gravel pushed the total to 101 and closed within four of Joey Saldana for seventh on the all-time list. It was also Big Game Motorsports’ 107th Series win as a team, positioning Quiring’s crew just one behind Roth Motorsports.

The Empire State Challenge main event was led to green by Carson Macedo with Michael Kofoid alongside. Macedo pulled ahead to lead the first circuit, and Gravel quickly rolled by Kofoid to take over second right before a red flag flew for Davie Franek tumbling in Turn 3.

Macedo managed to maintain the lead on the ensuing restart. The Jason Johnson Racing pilot used the slider line in Turns 1 and 2 and stuck the bottom on the opposite end of the unique oval. Behind him Gravel ran a similar line in the first set of corners but ripped the top in Turns 3 and 4.

A yellow flag with 19 laps remaining set up another restart for Macedo with Gravel alongside him. The Lemoore, CA native again pulled ahead when the green lights brought the action back to life, but Gravel didn’t let him get far.

On the 13th circuit Gravel built a huge run on the cushion in Turns 3 and 4 and down the front straightaway. The momentum allowed him to duck under Macedo and complete the pass in Turns 1 and 2. Macedo had no counter as Gravel drifted in front of him, caught the grip, and pulled ahead.

Gravel drove away in the second half of the race while a battle brewed for the runner-up spot behind him. Macedo, Sheldon Haudenschild, and Stewart Friesen all jockeyed for podium positioning. 

Up ahead Gravel had the Huset’s Speedway No. 2 on a Sunday drive as he rolled comfortably to victory to make it a baker’s dozen in the win column this year.

“I felt like with him (Macedo) being down in (Turns) 3 and 4 I was getting really good runs down the front stretch,” Gravel said. “This place continues to change, and as the fuel load comes off you really got to get aggressive on your wing. In lapped traffic, I was getting out of the racetrack a little bit, so when we got that clean track there with that caution, I felt like it was my time to pounce and try to get in front of him and control the race after that. It all worked out.”

Haudenschild came out on top of the war for second. The runner-up result aboard the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink No. 17 equaled his best Weedsport finish.

“Just being able to see kind of where he was running,” Haudenschild said of getting by Macedo late. “He was trying different things to catch David obviously. I was probably entering (Turn) 1 higher than anybody and trying to get down the track. The 41 was ripping the top, and the 2 was kind of through the middle, so I think they were all pretty even. It’s just a tricky track. What do you do? These races are hard to win, and the 2 is on it right now. Happy to get out of here with a podium rolling into Pevely and give our guys a little bit of confidence.”

After leading the first 13 laps, Macedo brought the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 home third. He and the JJR crew were stout all night but just needed a little more speed to have a better shot at holding on for the victory.

“It seemed like after the restart there I felt like I was hitting pretty good laps,” Macedo said. “I went back down to the bottom, and I could hear him and see him enter off my right rear on the top. And when I hit the bottom, I felt like it was pretty good, and he still was able to get a run on me and cross me over and beat me down into Turn 1. Then I paced behind him. Then the caution came out and I thought, ‘Okay, I know what he’s going to do.’ And he actually peeled off and went down to the bottom where I was running in (Turns) 3 and 4, and I tried to run the top and he was still faster than me down there. I really don’t know what I could’ve done different, but nevertheless we ended up third.”

Stewart Friesen and Donny Schatz completed the top five.

And 19th to 10th run earned Larry Wight the KSE Racing Hard Charger.

Sheldon Haudenschild claimed his fourth Simpson Quick Time of the year and the 33rd of his career in Sea Foam Qualifying.

NOS Energy Drink Heats One and Three belonged to Sheldon Haudenschild and David Gravel. Milton Hershey School Heat Two went to Carson Macedo.

Carson Macedo topped the Toyota Racing Dash.

Larry Wight won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown. 

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Davie Franek.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars head to Pevely, MO’s Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 for the grueling Ironman 55 on August 2-3. The winner of the 55-lap finale takes home the iconic dumbbell trophy and $25,000. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

FEATURE RESULTS:

100: David Gravel Fends Off Donny Schatz for Summer Nationals Glory, Milestone World of Outlaws Victory

The Watertown, CT native earns his 100th career World of Outlaws checkered flag in thrilling fashion at Williams Grove

MECHANICSBURG, PA (July 27, 2024) - Two straight races David Gravel had been denied a milestone moment by a single spot. But he simply refused to let it happen again on Saturday night at Williams Grove Speedway.

After claiming the Kings Royal crown at Eldora Speedway last Saturday, Gravel sat at 99 career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car wins.

On Wednesday at BAPS Motor Speedway, an ill-timed red flag potentially took away an opportunity at reaching 100. Then two nights later as the C&D Rigging Summer Nationals kicked off at Williams Grove, Gravel made a pass on T.J. Stutts for the lead with only five laps to go but couldn’t quite hold him back as he drove back by. 

And on Saturday a similar story looked to be writing itself. Gravel charged from fourth to the lead, but Donny Schatz drove back around him and looked to shut him out of Victory Lane for the third straight race. A hungry Gravel motored back into the lead on Lap 18, but Schatz didn’t make it easy. A late restart set up a duel between the two drivers leading the World of Outlaws points. Schatz stayed all over Gravel as the final laps clicked away and even showed him a nose multiple times. But Gravel dodged every punch thrown by the 10-time Series champion to prevail and claim his 100th victory with The Greatest Show on Dirt and a $20,000 payday.

“It’s pretty crazy,” Gravel said. “To achieve that milestone. Beat Donny Schatz at Williams Grove. What a place to do it. This 2 car, we haven’t been in Victory Lane here together at Williams Grove. This is a tough track to win at. It felt like I was hanging on there a little bit at the end. I saw Donny poking his nose, but I felt like doing what I was doing it would’ve been hard for him to pass me, and this feels really good.”

Gravel became the eighth driver in Series history to reach 100 victories, joining Steve Kinser (690 wins), Sammy Swindell (394), Donny Schatz (314), Mark Kinser (203), Doug Wolfgang (140), Danny Lasoski (122), and Joey Saldana (105). Gravel’s triumphs have come with seven different race teams – Big Game Motorsports (42), CJB Motorsports (32), Jason Johnson Racing (19), Roth Motorsports (4), DDR Motorsports (1), Bill Rose Racing (1), and Rod Tiner Racing (1).

His 12th World of Outlaws win of 2024 equals the second most he’s had in one season. The Summer Nationals score marked Gravel’s ninth Series win at Williams Grove, equaling him with a pair of legends – Fred Rahmer and Greg Hodnett – on that list.

The 30-lap NOS Energy Drink Feature was brought to green by Donny Schatz and Daryn Pittman. Schatz pulled narrowly ahead of Pittman to lead the opening circuit.

Throughout the first several laps Pittman stayed glued to the tail tank of the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15. Pittman, aboard the iconic Kreitz Racing No. 69K, stalked the Fargo, ND pilot lap after lap. And then on the ninth circuit, Pittman found an opening to take a swing at the top spot. The 2013 World of Outlaws champion fired a slide job in Turns 3 and 4 that cleared, but Schatz dipped under Pittman to reclaim the lead.

Schatz managed to pull slightly ahead of Pittman after fending off the challenge, and Gravel quickly close on the No. 69K. He snatched second from Pittman on Lap 19, and the gap between himself and Schatz began to tighten. 

Only two laps later Gravel got a great launch off the bottom of Turn 2 to power by Schatz down the back straightaway and lead the lap. The pass lit a fire under Schatz as he pulled off a tight slider in Turns 3 and 4 on the next circuit to take it back right before a yellow flag. 

Once the restart brought the action back to life, Gravel went back to work building momentum on the cushion around the entire half mile. He remained committed to the top while Schatz rolled the low line. A massive run out of Turn 4 and down the front straightaway allowed Gravel to turn under Schatz and clear him heading into Turn 1.

The yellow flag was again displayed right when Gravel was set to encounter traffic in the closing laps. But instead of the clean air helping him on the restart, it let Schatz make one last run at the win. Schatz kept his machine glued to the bottom as low as he could and even showed Gravel a nose multiple times.

“I thought as long as I exited off of (Turn) 4 good I would be okay. And then I was kind of running the middle on entrance in (Turns) 1 and 2. I thought that was better, but they (his team) said he was running just below me, so maybe I should’ve kept going low there, but it was good enough to get the job done.”

The final laps unfolded, and Schatz let Gravel have everything he had. He searched for speed on the bottom but it wasn’t quite enough. Gravel didn’t flinch despite the pressure and went on to win with a half a second margin of victory over Schatz. 100 wins. History had been made.

Reaching the milestone caused an emotional Gravel to reflect on the journey.

“I bounced around a lot in my career and was able to win in a lot of different cars,” Gravel said. “I wouldn’t be here without all of those people giving me opportunities. As a Sprint Car driver trying to make a living, people have to take chances on you. Going out with Bill Rose and Rod Tiner and having a s****y season. And then CJB hiring me. All of those things just catapulted my career. Roth (Motorsports) gave me my first big national opportunity. It’s been a fun ride. I’m 32 years old. Hopefully we can keep getting a lot more.”

Schatz came home second for his third runner-up in the last six World of Outlaws Features. He and the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing team continue to flex plenty of muscle as they look to hunt down Gravel in the title chase.

“We were decent,” Schatz said. “From the word go we were okay, and the longer I ran the looser I got. I tried moving the wing, and it kind of made me a little bit worse, so I kind of had to go back. I just kind of started searching around the racetrack. I tried the top. I tried the middle. It seemed like that yellow helped. It cooled the tires down and I could go for a few laps. I just couldn’t get in the racetrack the way we needed to. We were there, but I guess we’ll have to settle for second tonight.”

Brent Marks rounded out the podium aboard the Murray-Marks Motorsports No. 19. It was a strong night for the defending National Open champion on home turf.

“We just started the race off a little too tight there and just weren’t able to build momentum,” Marks explained. “But once the fuel load wore off a little bit we started coming on. I just wasn’t able to get the right momentum built up to get by Donny there for second and challenge David for the win. We just weren’t quite good enough for that, but all in all I’m really happy with a good, solid night.”

Daryn Pittman and Justin Peck completed the top five.

A 17th to 10th drive aboard the Gary Kauffman No. 48 earned Danny Dietrich the KSE Racing Hard Charger.

Brent Marks grabbed his third Simpson Quick Time of 2024 and the sixth of his career in Sea Foam Qualifying.

NOS Energy Drink Heats One, Three, and Four belonged to Brent Marks, Carson Macedo, and Daryn Pittman. Milton Hershey School Heat Two went to David Gravel.

Donny Schatz topped the Toyota Racing Dash.

Anthony Macri won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Kelby Watt.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars make their only New York stop of 2024 for the Empire State Challenge at Weedsport Speedway on Sunday, July 28. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps): 1. 2-David Gravel[4]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz[1]; 3. 19-Brent Marks[3]; 4. 69K-Daryn Pittman[2]; 5. 13-Justin Peck[7]; 6. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[8]; 7. 41-Carson Macedo[5]; 8. 12-Lance Dewease[6]; 9. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[9]; 10. 48-Danny Dietrich[17]; 11. 8-Cory Eliason[10]; 12. 83-Michael Kofoid[16]; 13. 2D-Chase Dietz[13]; 14. 27-Troy Wagaman Jr[11]; 15. 39M-Anthony Macri[21]; 16. 8R-Freddie Rahmer[23]; 17. 5-Spencer Bayston[18]; 18. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[25]; 19. 67-Justin Whittall[14]; 20. 11-TJ Stutts[19]; 21. 1S-Logan Schuchart[22]; 22. 1A-Jacob Allen[24]; 23. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[20]; 24. 6-Kelby Watt[12]; 25. 35-Austin Bishop[15]