WEEDSPORT, NY (July 28, 2024) - The pairing of David Gravel and Big Game Motorsports has been perhaps the fastest in Sprint Car Racing in 2024. Take them to one of their best tracks as a pairing, and it’s almost not even fair for the competition.
Such was the case Sunday night when the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars journeyed to New York. Weedsport Speedway awaited to host The Greatest Show on Dirt’s only “Empire State” appearance of 2024. Entering the night Gravel and Tod Quiring’s team had contested four races together at Weedsport. Their results? Three visits to Victory Lane and a runner-up.
Add on to that résumé the fact that Gravel rolled into Weedsport on a streak of six straight top two finishes that included a Kings Royal triumph and the 100th victory of Gravel’s career, and Gravel and the Big Game crew entered the Weedsport pit area as odds on favorites. And they delivered.
Gravel started third in the 30-lap main event, took second early, and stalked Carson Macedo until the right time arose. And when the window opened, Gravel drove right by Macedo, and that was all she wrote. The point leader built up a sizeable lead and took the checkered flag with just under a four-second advantage.
“I know about every time we’ve been here in the 2 car we’ve won,” Gravel said. “Cody (Jacobs), Stephen (Hamm-Reilly), and Zach (Patterson) are continuing to do their jobs and give me great race cars. It’s been a lot of fun to drive. It’s been a dream season. We’ve still got a long ways to go, but, man, this is fun.”
The 13th win of the year for Gravel already makes 2024 the second winningest season in his tenure. His most is 18 in 2017 with CJB Motorsports. A fourth Weedsport victory gives him sole possession of the most at the New York oval, breaking a tie with Steve Kinser and Donny Schatz. One night after securing his 100th World of Outlaws triumph, Gravel pushed the total to 101 and closed within four of Joey Saldana for seventh on the all-time list. It was also Big Game Motorsports’ 107th Series win as a team, positioning Quiring’s crew just one behind Roth Motorsports.
The Empire State Challenge main event was led to green by Carson Macedo with Michael Kofoid alongside. Macedo pulled ahead to lead the first circuit, and Gravel quickly rolled by Kofoid to take over second right before a red flag flew for Davie Franek tumbling in Turn 3.
Macedo managed to maintain the lead on the ensuing restart. The Jason Johnson Racing pilot used the slider line in Turns 1 and 2 and stuck the bottom on the opposite end of the unique oval. Behind him Gravel ran a similar line in the first set of corners but ripped the top in Turns 3 and 4.
A yellow flag with 19 laps remaining set up another restart for Macedo with Gravel alongside him. The Lemoore, CA native again pulled ahead when the green lights brought the action back to life, but Gravel didn’t let him get far.
On the 13th circuit Gravel built a huge run on the cushion in Turns 3 and 4 and down the front straightaway. The momentum allowed him to duck under Macedo and complete the pass in Turns 1 and 2. Macedo had no counter as Gravel drifted in front of him, caught the grip, and pulled ahead.
Gravel drove away in the second half of the race while a battle brewed for the runner-up spot behind him. Macedo, Sheldon Haudenschild, and Stewart Friesen all jockeyed for podium positioning.
Up ahead Gravel had the Huset’s Speedway No. 2 on a Sunday drive as he rolled comfortably to victory to make it a baker’s dozen in the win column this year.
“I felt like with him (Macedo) being down in (Turns) 3 and 4 I was getting really good runs down the front stretch,” Gravel said. “This place continues to change, and as the fuel load comes off you really got to get aggressive on your wing. In lapped traffic, I was getting out of the racetrack a little bit, so when we got that clean track there with that caution, I felt like it was my time to pounce and try to get in front of him and control the race after that. It all worked out.”
Haudenschild came out on top of the war for second. The runner-up result aboard the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink No. 17 equaled his best Weedsport finish.
“Just being able to see kind of where he was running,” Haudenschild said of getting by Macedo late. “He was trying different things to catch David obviously. I was probably entering (Turn) 1 higher than anybody and trying to get down the track. The 41 was ripping the top, and the 2 was kind of through the middle, so I think they were all pretty even. It’s just a tricky track. What do you do? These races are hard to win, and the 2 is on it right now. Happy to get out of here with a podium rolling into Pevely and give our guys a little bit of confidence.”
After leading the first 13 laps, Macedo brought the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 home third. He and the JJR crew were stout all night but just needed a little more speed to have a better shot at holding on for the victory.
“It seemed like after the restart there I felt like I was hitting pretty good laps,” Macedo said. “I went back down to the bottom, and I could hear him and see him enter off my right rear on the top. And when I hit the bottom, I felt like it was pretty good, and he still was able to get a run on me and cross me over and beat me down into Turn 1. Then I paced behind him. Then the caution came out and I thought, ‘Okay, I know what he’s going to do.’ And he actually peeled off and went down to the bottom where I was running in (Turns) 3 and 4, and I tried to run the top and he was still faster than me down there. I really don’t know what I could’ve done different, but nevertheless we ended up third.”
Stewart Friesen and Donny Schatz completed the top five.
And 19th to 10th run earned Larry Wight the KSE Racing Hard Charger.
Sheldon Haudenschild claimed his fourth Simpson Quick Time of the year and the 33rd of his career in Sea Foam Qualifying.
NOS Energy Drink Heats One and Three belonged to Sheldon Haudenschild and David Gravel. Milton Hershey School Heat Two went to Carson Macedo.
Carson Macedo topped the Toyota Racing Dash.
Larry Wight won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.
The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Davie Franek.
UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars head to Pevely, MO’s Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 for the grueling Ironman 55 on August 2-3. The winner of the 55-lap finale takes home the iconic dumbbell trophy and $25,000. For tickets, CLICK HERE.
If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.
FEATURE RESULTS:
NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps): 1. 2-David Gravel[3]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[4]; 3. 41-Carson Macedo[1]; 4. 0-Stewart Friesen[9]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz[8]; 6. 83-Michael Kofoid[2]; 7. 28-Jordan Poirier[10]; 8. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[5]; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart[6]; 10. 10B-Larry Wight[19]; 11. 70-Kraig Kinser[15]; 12. 17B-Bill Balog[7]; 13. 79-Jordan Thomas[12]; 14. W20-Greg Wilson[21]; 15. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[11]; 16. 10-Billy VanInwegen Jr[24]; 17. 22P-Jonathan Preston[16]; 18. 7S-Landon Crawley[18]; 19. 7NY-Matt Farnham[13]; 20. 6-Kelby Watt[20]; 21. 41X-Dalton Rombough[14]; 22. 36-Logan Crisafulli[23]; 23. 28F-Davie Franek[17]; 24. O1-Danny Varin[22]
Photo - Trent Gower
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