(February 8, 2024) Barberville, FL – David Gravel made a decisive statement early in the 2024 season, securing his first win at the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. The 31-year-old from Watertown, CT, led all 25 laps of the Feature race, marking his 89th career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory. Gravel’s flawless performance underscores his determination to clinch the championship after finishing as runner-up in points for three consecutive years.
Early Dominance
Starting from pole position, Gravel quickly established his dominance. Despite a strong initial challenge from Giovanni Scelzi, a caution reset the field, allowing Gravel to take control on the second start. He maintained his lead throughout, expertly navigating through lapped traffic and managing restarts with precision.
“I felt like they did a pretty good job with the racetrack,” Gravel said. “I’ve just got to thank Cody (Jacobs), Zach (Patterson), Scott (Vogelsong), and Stephen (Hamm-Reilly) for working really hard. They’ve given me a great race car since we unloaded on Tuesday night. I’ve also got to thank Tod and his family.”
Key Moments
Gravel’s biggest challenge came on the initial start, where Scelzi briefly took the lead. However, a caution for Cory Eliason’s spin nullified the lap. On the restart, Gravel executed a perfect slide job to regain and keep the lead. He built a substantial gap over Rico Abreu, who settled into second early in the race.
As Gravel navigated through lapped traffic, his lead continued to grow, reaching over two seconds at one point. A late caution for Kasey Kahne’s issues set up a seven-lap dash to the finish, but Gravel remained composed, maintaining his lead and securing the victory.
“I figured Rico probably had a good car late in the race,” Gravel explained. “Ricky (Warner) sets his cars up for the end of those races. I was just hoping I got a really good launch. I got a really good launch, and then I kind of opened the door for him where he could slide me going into (Turn) 1. But I felt like I got a good enough launch, and I wanted to get down that backstretch really, really strong. I wouldn’t open up another opportunity for him, so I risked it going into (Turn) 1 and I knew it would pay off after that.”
Podium Finishers
Rico Abreu finished second, marking his 46th career podium with the World of Outlaws. Despite struggling on the previous night, Abreu’s strong performance highlighted his team’s resilience and ability to rebound.
“He (Gravel) really got away from us and hit his marks,” Abreu said. “When you catch traffic the aero really affects these cars especially when they’re packed like that at the back of the field. It creates all of this turbulence that we have to manipulate as race car drivers to get a little clean air on our nose. I’m just happy with how we’ve performed throughout the week here from last night to tonight. That’s a big positive for our team.”
Justin Peck secured third place, showcasing his ability to maneuver effectively on the track. Starting fifth, Peck demonstrated versatility in navigating both the top and bottom lanes.
“The thing was maneuverable,” Peck said. “I could run the top pretty good. I could run the bottom pretty good. When I was trying to throw sliders, I didn’t necessarily have to slide across the slick. I could kind of keep the left-rear (tire) planted and drive up across the track. Hats off to my guys. I didn’t feel like we were really good yesterday at all. The thing seemed to be pretty fast all night. Qualified good, and it raced good in dirty air.”
Upcoming Events
The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars will continue their battle at Volusia Speedway Park’s Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals for the third consecutive night on Friday, Feb. 9. For tickets, visit the World of Outlaws website. If you can’t make it to the track, catch all the action live on DIRTVision.
Feature Results (25 Laps)
- David Gravel [1]
- Rico Abreu [3]
- Justin Peck [5]
- Giovanni Scelzi [2]
- Donny Schatz [16]
- Logan Schuchart [18]
- Brian Brown [4]
- Brent Marks [6]
- Michael Kofoid [9]
- Tyler Courtney [7]
- Sheldon Haudenschild [22]
- Carson Macedo [10]
- Anthony Macri [11]
- Corey Day [8]
- Brad Sweet [14]
- Danny Dietrich [19]
- Zeb Wise [20]
- Ryan Timms [17]
- Brock Zearfoss [12]
- Bill Balog [21]
- Sam Hafertepe Jr. [15]
- Landon Crawley [25]
- Cory Eliason [23]
- Kasey Kahne [24]
- Brenham Crouch [13]
- Bill Rose [26]
