WINDOM, Minn. — Big Game Motorsports driver David Gravel finished second in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship standings for the second straight season.
Gravel led the series with 60 top tens and he finished in the top five with seven wins (third most), 20 podiums (third most), 39 top fives (second most), eight quick times (tied for the second most), 216 feature laps led (third most), 27 heat race wins (the most), 43 dash appearances (second most), five dash wins (third most) and three Hard Charger Awards (tied for the fifth most).
“I would say the year was very solid,” Gravel said. “I wish we could have had a couple more wins. I’d take back a couple of laps on the season at Knoxville and Huset’s. With that and being really close to the championship, I think it shows we’re close to putting it all together. If you take back 20 laps it could have been an unbelievable year.”
Gravel’s World of Outlaws wins came at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., during the DIRTcar Nationals; at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, Calif.; twice at Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio, during the Kings Royal weekend; at Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y.; at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash., during the Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals; and at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb.
“The win at Skagit was good,” Gravel said. “The Eldora week was awesome, but we didn’t win the big nights. I’m happy to win at Eldora, but it wasn’t on the nights it paid six figures. I-80 was cool with the last race ever and my first race as a dad. I’ve always liked that track so it was cool to end off with a win during the final World of Outlaws race there.”
Additional accomplishments throughout the year include the DIRTcar Nationals championship, a runner-up result at the Knoxville Nationals and a third-place showing at the AGCO Jackson Nationals. Gravel also secured his 75th career World of Outlaws win and he became a father for the first time during the special season.
One of the areas he is the most proud of this season is how hard the Big Game Motorsports team worked no matter how difficult the circumstances.
“You always have to keep putting your head down and working,” he said. “At the beginning of the year we got wrecked at Bakersfield and fixed the car. Then the steering gear broke and we went into the wall. The next night we built a car in the parking lot and ended up winning that night. It’s always about putting the bad nights behind you and moving forward.
“I want to thank Cody and the guys for their hard and to thank Tod and his family for the opportunity.”