CONCORD, N.C. — The 100-win mark is an exclusive club with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, eclipsed by only seven drivers and five car owners in the series’ 46 years of history. But a driver and team owner that connected three years ago have a chance to reach the milestone together this year.
David Gravel heads into the season with 88 victories under his belt. The team he competes for – Tod Quiring’s Big Game Motorsports – is home to 94 wins with The Greatest Show on Dirt. The 2024 championship may be at the forefront of each of their minds, but both are also eying the milestone that lies ahead.
“It would be very cool,” Gravel said. “It’s definitely one big goal that I would like to reach in my career. It would be awesome to get that done. We’ll see if we can. I know Tod will get there before I do. I believe I’m the winningest driver with Big Game Motorsports, so that’s pretty cool. He had a lot of really good drivers drive for him for a decent amount of time as well. It’s always fun when you’re winning races. I think we’re on the cusp of doing something really great.”
“It’s pretty incredible,” Quiring said of nearing 100. “I’ve always had a lot of passion for the World of Outlaws. Obviously, the teams ahead I have a great deal of respect for how they have operated and ran their teams.”
Their dedication to sprint car Racing may be through different avenues, but similar paths have led Gravel and Quiring to this point.
Gravel ascended the ranks, climbing into many quality rides along the route to joining forces with Quiring. The Watertown, CT native has won World of Outlaws races with seven different teams – CJB Motorsports (32 wins), Big Game Motorsports (30), Jason Johnson Racing (19), Roth Motorsports (4), DDR Motorsports (1), Bill Rose Racing (1), and Rod Tiner Racing (1).
Quiring turned his lifelong fandom into involvement via sponsorship which eventually evolved into team ownership. He’s established his team as a top-tier organization with six elite drivers taking a Big Game Motorsports machine to World of Outlaws Victory Lane – David Gravel (30 wins), Craig Dollansky (28), Sammy Swindell (26), Kerry Madsen (6), Terry McCarl (3), and Danny Lasoski (1).
And now their various chapters have brought them to a chance to reach 100 wins in the same season.
“I think that would be really cool,” Quiring said of potentially reaching the mark together this year. “Obviously, David is one of the top few drivers in the world right now. Unless something strange happens, I think we hit our 100 this year. I feel David has a good chance to hit his 100 this year. It’s cool to do it together.”
“It would definitely be cool,” Gravel said. “It’s definitely important for me and him and definitely something to be proud of. I feel like I’ve got a long way to go still, too. I’m really excited to see where this racing career takes me.”
If last season is any indicator, both Gravel and Quiring are on pace to climb to 100 checkered flags in 2024. It took Gravel only 28 races to bag six wins in 2023 – the amount Quiring currently needs. Gravel requires 12 victories to become only the eighth driver to crack triple digits, which is exactly how many he collected last year.
If Quiring is able to get six, he’ll join fellow owners Karl Kinser, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Steve Kinser, and Dennis Roth in the 100 club. And a dozen wins would put Gravel alongside Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Donny Schatz, Mark Kinser, Doug Wolfgang, Danny Lasoski and Joey Saldana.
All signs point to Gravel being as strong if not better than last year. Veteran crew chief Cody Jacobs continues to call the shots on the Huset’s Speedway/Billion Automotive No. 2. Another year of working together could strengthen their dynamic even more.
And while the 100-win milestone will be a moment to soak in, should they each reach it, their focus continues to be fully positioned on a championship. Three consecutive runner-ups in the standings have them hungrier than ever to make the final step to the top no matter how many wins it takes.
“Wins are definitely cool,” Gravel said. “But we want that championship.”