(Photo by Trent Gower Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – WILMOT, Wis. (July 10, 2023) – David Gravel captured a sixth-place result last Saturday during the Federated Auto Parts Larry Hillerud Memorial Badger 40.
It marked the 36th top 10 of the season for the Big Game Motorsports driver, who began the night at Wilmot Raceway by timing in second quickest to open the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series event.
“I felt like we qualified good and from there we struggled with the balance of the car,” he said. “We worked on it all night, but I think we were just a step behind all night after qualifying. That place got a lot of rain the night before and that morning. The track had a lot of grip and we were too much on the tight side.”
Gravel placed second in a heat race before ending seventh in the dash, giving him the seventh starting position in the main event.
“(Bill) Balog got up high and fell back and Jacob (Allen) fell back, but Sheldon (Haudenschild) moved forward,” he said. “We gained a couple spots and fell back a couple. We were close to fifth at the end and we ended up running sixth. We’ll take a sixth with us not being happy with the race car and move on.”
This week features five straight nights of racing in Ohio, beginning on Tuesday with the Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic at Attica Raceway Park in Attica. Gravel is a two-time World of Outlaws winner at the track.
The next four nights will be spent at Eldora Speedway near Rossburg starting with the Eldora Million, which runs Wednesday and Thursday with a $1,000,000 top prize for the feature winner. The Kings Royal follows on Friday and Saturday with $175,000 up for grabs for Saturday’s winner.
“We’re in the heart of the season with the big money weeks,” said Gravel, who scored the record $250,000 top prize for winning the BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals presented by MENARDS at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D., on June 24.
“It’s cool to make history in sprint car racing and to have that opportunity to race for that kind of money is pretty crazy. I’m looking for a chance to win the million. That’s my goal is to put ourselves in position to have a shot at winning.
“We’re running consistently good and we’re in a good place. We’re going to tracks we’re excited for. We’ll continue to do what we do and we should be in good shape.”
Gravel has earned four career World of Outlaws wins at Eldora Speedway, including two last year.
QUICK RESULTS –
July 8 – Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wis. – Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 2 (1); Dash 7 (5); Feature: 6 (7).
SEASON STATS –
40 races, 8 wins, 29 top fives, 36 top 10s, 38 top 15s, 38 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Tuesday at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio, for the Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic and Wednesday through Saturday at Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio, for the Eldora Million and the 40th annual Kings Royal 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 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.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.