KNOXVILLE, Iowa — David Gravel felt he may have thrown away his chance of winning the Knoxville Nationals during his heat race on Wednesday night, but he battled back through Friday’s Hard Knox feature and raced from 22nd to finish second in Saturday night’s main event.
Gravel said despite hardships his team continues to fight back and that makes him confident as the team heads into the stretch run, trailing World of Outlaws point leader Brad Sweet by 14 points.
“Getting in dirty air and sliding up the race track and someone getting into my left front, that’s just one of those things. Sometimes I put myself in a bad spot and pay the price for it,” Gravel said flatly on Saturday night. “I definitely regret the entrance into turn three on lap one of my heat race, but it is what it is.
“I think we have a lot to look forward to this year. I am battling for a championship,” the driver of Tod Quiring’s Big Game Motorsports entry said. “We had a big win at Huset’s, we were on the podium at the Kings Royal, we were on the podium at the Knoxville Nationals, so I feel like we are hitting on all cylinders. It seems like we are always battling a bad pill draw and still qualifying good. There is no quit in this team. We keep fighting every time we are on the race track. We are going to keep doing our thing and good things will happen.”
• Kyle Larson, who won the Knoxville Nationals for the second time in three years, acknowledged he’s watched tape of 11-time Nationals winner Donny Schatz to learn to run the half-mile track better.
“You have to study hard and every competitor here has studied this guy (Schatz) a ton,” You see the style of racing change as guys have studied. A lot of guys have gotten better on the bottom and through the middle because of watching him. The competition is elevated each year as guys get better and better. Fortunate to win another big one. I would love to go on a tear like Donny. I feel like I am already too old to accomplish what he has here, but we’re off to a decent start.”
• Brian Brown struggled on his preliminary night, but raced into the main event through the B main, eventually finishing 14th.
“Overall, just a decent week for us. We had really high hopes going in, but sometimes things just don’t work out as planned,” Brown said. “My guys never gave up. They fought right with me until the end, and that’s what I’m most proud of. We worked and worked and worked…that got us to the A on Saturday. Some bad info on my behalf probably kept us from climbing to a top 10 or top five, but overall, we are pleased with the outcome.”
• Drivers Cody Ihlen and Matt Covington were each released from the hospital. The two were transported after separate crashes Saturday at Knoxville Raceway.
Ihlen suffered minor injuries and was released on Sunday afternoon, while Covington test negative to multiple scans and was released to rest and recover.
• Eighteen-year-old Texan Chase Randall was named rookie of the year during the Knoxville Nationals.
Driving Troy Renfro’s No. 2ks sprint car, Randall battled with Donny Schatz for the lead and finished third in his preliminary night feature to earn a spot in Saturday’s main event.
Randall suffered a flat tire early on in the event, but battled back to finish 13th.
• Two-time World of Outlaws champion Jason Meyers, who retired 11 years ago, addressed the driver’s meeting on Saturday afternoon. Meyers confessed to being “a student of the mind” and asked drivers to take time and remember the moment.
In addition to his various business interests, Myers owns the No. 14 sprint car wheeled by California teenager Corey Day.
• “It’s the Knoxville Nationals. You aren’t going to win it every time,” Donny Schatz said after finishing third on Saturday.
• Kyle Larson remembered longtime Cycleland Speedway promoter Lowell Moural, who died last week, after winning the Nationals.
“He was riding with us this week,” Larson said. “Lowell meant so much to my life, not only my career but my life. I always compared Cycleland to a mini Knoxville. I had years and years of experience racing there in the outlaw karts. Lowell and Becky have done so much for me and for everyone in this pit area. I’m sure there are a lot of kids and adults in the stands that grew up racing at Cycleland. Lowell meant so much to us.”
• With the Knoxville Nationals complete, the World of Outlaws heads north to Minnesota’s Jackson Motorplex for the 45th running of the Jackson Nationals this weekend.
The High Limit Racing Series will be in action Tuesday night at Huset’s Speedway in South Dakota, while the All Star Circuit of Champions visit New York and Pennsylvania this weekend.