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(Photo by Paul Arch)

Inside Line Promotions – BARBERVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 9, 2026) – Big Game Motorsports opened the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series points season with back-to-back second-place finishes last weekend at Volusia Speedway Park.

Following a crash on Wednesday during the 55th annual Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals opener and a rain out on Thursday, David Gravel guided the team to runner-up results on both Friday and Saturday. That currently places him tied for the World of Outlaws championship lead.

“I felt like we brought it every day and were fast every time we hit the race track,” he said. “Aside from getting turned into the wall (on Wednesday), it was a very good week for us.”

Gravel set quick time during his qualifying group, won a heat race and finished third in the dash each of the three race nights. That lined him up on the inside of the second row in every main event.

On Wednesday, Gravel was in third place when contact from a driver behind him sent him into the frontstretch wall. The impact approximately one third of the way through the 25-lap feature destroyed the race car and ended Gravel’s night early.

“I was running the bottom and guys were running the top and getting runs on me,” he said. “I was deciding it was time to get off the bottom. I got to the top off turn four and had the track to myself and moved up. All of a sudden I was in the wall and spinning around. I didn’t know what happened until I saw the video. I was coming up the track. Logan (Schuchart) had a run. He misjudged hitting my back bumper. It wasn’t malicious or on purpose.”

The team built a kit car prior to Friday’s event, which served as the first points night of the season for the World of Outlaws. Gravel fell to fourth on the start of the main event before moving into third place on Lap 7. He advanced to second on Lap 12 and reeled in the leader.

“We had a couple of shots at Buddy (Kofoid) there,” he said. “Sometimes the lappers slowed him down and sometimes me down. I had two shots at getting by him and he always returned the move. I just wasn’t able to seal the deal.”

The weekend concluded on Saturday with a similar circumstance as Gravel made a last-lap pass to take the lead briefly before the pass was returned.

“I felt we were pressuring (Anthony Macri) and getting good runs being low off turn two down the backstretch, but it’s so hard to get enough of a run to get alongside him to where he couldn’t go down and protect,” he said. “We had a head of steam coming to the white and he was slowed by the lapper. I slid across (in turn one) thinking we were going to be in good shape. The lapped car slipped up just enough and Anthony did a good job to get underneath him. It was a game of inches. If I were to redo that I could do things a little bit different, but I was in the mindset that lapped car had the bottom lane blocked and that wasn’t the case.”

The team will have the next two weekends off before resuming World of Outlaws competition at Volusia Speedway Park March 1-2 during the Bike Week Jamboree.

“You can always be better, but our qualifying program is lights out right now,” Gravel said. “I’m very, very proud of that. From there, the track is always a little different in the features. There’s things the driver could clean up a little bit and things we could do with the car, but overall I’m very, very happy. Truly we had a chance to win every night if a couple little things go our way so I’m looking forward to coming back to Volusia.”

QUICK RESULTS –

Feb. 4 – Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 3 (3); Feature: 25 (3).

Feb. 6 – Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 3 (4); Feature: 2 (3).

Feb. 7 – Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 3 (5); Feature: 2 (3).

SEASON STATS –

3 races, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 2 top 10s, 2 top 15s, 2 top 20s

UP NEXT –

March 1-2 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., for the Bike Week Jamboree with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series

BIG GAME MOTORSPORTS MEDIA LINKS –

X: https://x.com/BigGameMotorspt

DAVID GRAVEL MEDIA LINKS –

X: https://x.com/DavidGravel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidGravelRacing

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/DavidGravel2

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@DavidGravel

Website: http://www.shopDGR.com

HUSET’S SPEEDWAY –

Huset’s Speedway is home to the BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals, which runs June 17-20 and features two six-figure payouts that week. The dirt oval located in Brandon, S.D., hosts a variety of events from Mother’s Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend. The track opened in 1954 and has undergone a large renovation within the last few years, making it a premier destination for both marquee national events and a strong Sunday Night weekly program. Check out the complete schedule and get more information about Huset’s Speedway at http://www.HusetsSpeedway.com.

JACKSON MOTORPLEX –

Jackson Motorplex is a 4/10-mile dirt oval located in Jackson, Minn. It hosts special events from June through September, including races with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, Midwest Sprint Touring Series and more. For the full 2026 racing schedule and more information, visit http://www.JacksonMotorplex.com.

2026 EVENT TICKET LINK –

To purchase tickets for events at either Huset’s Speedway or at Jackson Motorplex, visit http://mpv.tickets.com/schedule/?agency=JKMV_PL_MPV&orgid=55369#/?view=list&includePackages=true.

OFFICIAL MERCHANDISE –

Check out all of the newest Huset’s Speedway merchandise at http://www.ShopHusets.com.

INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –

Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.

To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.