Is he a deserving World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion?
For many, it seemed a foregone conclusion that David Gravel Racing would earn his maiden WoO championship in 2024. This was, after all, the season when five-time champion Brad Sweet left the series to join High Limit Racing.
Gravel, from Watertown, CT had been the championship runner-up in each of the previous three seasons.
In 2021, Gravel came up 80 points short of Brad’s tally.
He closed that gap to 48 points in 2022.
Last year seemed like a realistic chance for Gravel to be crowned champ, entering the 3-night World Finals just 50 points away from Sweet.
This time the difference ended up at 60 points in Sweet’s favor.
Now, take away Sweet and all of a sudden Gravel is champion.
That’s one way to view Gravel’s year and achievement.
But points don’t always tell the entire story.
After winning the Knoxville Nationals in 2019, Gravel split his focus the next year, pursuing a limited NASCAR schedule alongside his Sprint Car racing.
He still placed 6th in WoO points.
He returned to the WoO full-time in 2021 and took the championship battle to the final weekend.
Gravel won his first Outlaw race driving his family-owned #89G back in 2011.
He was the series’ Rookie of the Year back in 2013.�Gravel has won WoO races for 7 different teams – DDR 89G, Bill Rose 6, Rod Tiner 83SA, Roth 83, Jason Johnson 41, CJB 5, Big Game 2.
During the gruelling 2024 schedule, Gravel became just the 8th driver to ever attain 100 career wins with the series.
And when the 2 National series ran together at Eldora in July, Gravel dominated both major events.
Alongside crew chief Cody Jacobs, they’ve chipped away to fulfil the potential of Tod Quiring’s #2 car.
He is 2024’s highest-earning driver – all while proactively balancing building his social media presence and staying at the forefront of sprint car competition.
Then, as if he needed more determination, Gravel’s father, ‘Big Dave’, suffered a heart attack just weeks before season’s end.
There may be no more Brad Sweet, but there’s no doubt that this season was as sweet as they come for David Gravel – the 2024 World of Outlaws champion.
He deserves it.
(Sprint Car Hub) / Photo: World of Outlaws