David Gravel has kicked off 2023 with three wins
David Gravel of Watertown, Connecticut has clearly demonstrated that he will be a serious threat on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series after beginning the 2023 season with three wins in his first five starts at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park. This Monday night show completed the two-race Low-E Insulation event served as part of Daytona Bike Week.
A total of 23 cars were signed in for competition
Qualifying Results: 1. Donny Schatz(13.522), 2. David Gravel, 3. Carson Macedo, 4. Logan Schuchart, 5. Jacob Allen, 6. Noah Gass, 7. Sheldon Haudenschild, 8. Spencer Bayston, 9. Brad Sweet, 10. Robbie Price
Heat 1 Results: 1. Donny Schatz, 2. Logan Schuchart, 3. Sheldon Haudenschild, 4. Michael Kofoid, 5. Robbie Price
Heat 2 Results: 1. David Gravel, 2. Jacob Allen, 3. Spencer Bayston, 4. Kasey Kahne, 5. Giovanni Scelzi,
Heat 3 Results: 1. Carson Macedo, 2. Brad Sweet, 3. Brian Brown, 4. Noah Gass, 5. Ryan Timms
WoO Dash Results: 1. Jacob Allen, 2. David Gravel, 3. Carson Macedo, 4. Brad Sweet, 5. Donny Schatz, 6. Logan Schuchart
Feature Re-cap: The 30-lap feature took the green flag with Gravel bolting to the lead ahead of Allen, Sweet, Macedo and Schuchart. On the second circuit, Bayston moved around Schuchart to enter the top-5. The top-5 then began to spread out with Gravel building a lead of just over one second by lap 8.
Gravel found himself among slower traffic by lap 10. Further back, Macedo took third away from Sweet on lap 11. Meanwhile, Bayston battled Schuchart and Schatz for positions 5-7.
Macedo took the runner-up position away from Allen just after the halfway mark but a lap 19 caution for the spinning car of Brown. The running at that time was Gravel, Macedo, Allen, Sweet, Schatz, Bayston, Schuchart and Kofoid.
Gravel maintained the race lead on the restart ahead of Macedo and Allen. But only one lap would be recorded as a yellow flag waved when Zeb Wise slowed.
Gravel had begun to pull away from his pursuers until a lap 24 caution for a spin by Justin Peck re-set the field.
While Gravel again pulled away, the racing was intense over the closing laps among Schatz, Bayson, Sweet, Kofoid and Schuchart for positions within the top-10. But in the end, it was Gravel who turned in a dominating performance by leading all 30 laps to claim the vicrtory.
“My crew gave me a great race car tonight,” Gravel said during his victory lane interview with DirtVision.com. “We smashed a header last night in the feature and I think we hurt the motor a little bit. We got through qualifying and had to change it. We’ve been working hard tonight with barely a support division and no B-main. It was hard work tonight but that’s probably the best car I’ve had here at Volusia so far.”
Feature Results: 1. David Gravel, 2. Carson Macedo, 3. Jacob Allen, 4. Donny Schatz, 5. Spencer Bayston, 6. Brad Sweet, 7. Michael ‘Buddy’ Kofoid, 8. Logan Schuchart, 9. Sheldon Haudenschild, 11. Giovsnni Scelzi, 12. Aaron Reutzel, 13. Justin Peck, 14. Brock Zearfoss, 15. Noah Gass, 16. Kasey Kahne, 17. Brian Brown, 18. Ryan Timms, 19. Robbie Price, 20. Ryan Harrison, 21. Zeb Wise, 22. Bill Rose, 23. Sam Hafertepe Jr.
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