ALGER, Wash. — David Gravel led all 35 laps to win Saturday night’s Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals at Skagit Speedway.
Gravel outlasted World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series point leader Brad Sweet and Spencer Bayston in a torrid run through lapped traffic to cash the $26,000 check in front of a packed house. It was Gravel’s 75th career victory.
Only reading the box score would be a bit misleading as Bayston for the first 28 laps and Sweet for the final seven never let Gravel gain an edge over the competition. After the only restart of the race on lap six, the lead trio never let each other out of sight and saved the best for last when they nearly went side-by-side for the lead at the white flag lap.
Ultimately, Gravel survived the challenges of both competitors and held on to win by .242 seconds at the stripe. It’s his third win at Washington’s Skagit Speedway and his sixth World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win of the season aboard the Big Game Motorsports, Huset’s Speedway, Billion Automotive No. 2.
“I saw his right front at the white flag so I knew he was close,” Gravel said. “He got halfway underneath me, but I was always really comfortable on the bottom of turns one and two, so I felt fine. You try to be somewhat conservative so you can step it up if you need to like that. The track changed quite a bit and the car changed with it, so shoutout to my guys Cody [Jacobs], Trey [Bowman], and Zach [Patterson]. It feels great to get another big win.”
Falling short at the checkered flag with his ninth runner-up result of 2022 was championship leader Brad Sweet in the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts No. 49
“It was close,” Sweet said with a smirk. “I got under him off turn four, but I just needed to be a bit more forward on him. I saw the white and I knew he would try to get down on me. It was good, hard racing, though. I got by Spencer and knew I could pace David, but it was about waiting for the right opportunity. He did a great job of moving around a lot and I struggled to time that. It hurts a bit, I definitely think we had a car capable of winning, but happy to leave here with three top fives.”
After hounding Gravel all throughout the opening half of the race, Spencer Bayston slipped back to finish third and complete an impressive turnaround on the weekend.
“That’s a win in our books right now,” Bayston said. “I’m so proud of Barry [Jackson], Scott [Vogelsong], and Hayden [Lloyd]. A lot of work has gone into getting me more and more comfortable. There are just certain things that I feel I need as a rookie to carry me and the car, and I think we’re getting back there. It feels awesome to be back on a podium and contending for wins again.”
The finish:
Feature (35 Laps): 1. 2-David Gravel [1][$26,000]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [4][$8,000]; 3. 5-Spencer Bayston [2][$4,000]; 4. 83-James McFadden [3][$3,000]; 5. 7S-Robbie Price [6][$2,500]; 6. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [7][$2,300]; 7. 41-Carson Macedo [9][$2,200]; 8. 15-Donny Schatz [12][$2,100]; 9. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [5][$2,050]; 10. 1A-Jacob Allen [8][$2,000]; 11. 18T-Tanner Holmes [10][$1,600]; 12. 14-Corey Day [15][$1,400]; 13. 1S-Logan Schuchart [21][$1,200]; 14. 17S-JJ Hickle [13][$1,100]; 15. 55-Trey Starks [18][$1,050]; 16. 83JR-Kerry Madsen [17][$1,000]; 17. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [16][$1,000]; 18. 5T-Ryan Timms [23][$1,000]; 19. 21S-Jesse Schlotfeldt [22][$1,000]; 20. 46JR-Joel Myers [19][$1,000]; 21. 96-Greg Hamilton [11][$1,000]; 22. 2L-Logan Forler [14][$1,000]; 23. 18-Jason Solwold [20][$1,000]; 24. 21-Mitchell Faccinto [24][$1,000].