Don’t ever count David Gravel out.
A crash at Wednesday’s Qualifying Night for the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s forced Gravel to run Friday’s FVP Hard Knox Night. It’s designed to give teams a clean slate with four more tickets to the Championship Feature up for grabs, and Gravel did exactly what he needed to do.
The defending World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion ripped from fourth to the front in his Heat Race, which lined him up fourth for the 25-lap main event, needing to finish at least where he started to advance into Saturday’s finale. He did a little more than that aboard the Big Game Motorsports No. 2.
Gravel charged his way to the top spot by the 13th lap, taking it from early leader Kerry Madsen with a race-winning move. Several yellows and reds forced him to defend on restarts, but Gravel never flinched on his way to victory.
There’s no denying Gravel has been a polarizing figure in the sport as of late, and he welcomed the boos that rained down from the stands in Victory Lane. In fact, he’s prepared those fans to be ready to boo for years to come.
“These guys are going to run out of breath,” Gravel said toward the packed front straightaway. “I’m only 33 years old. I’m going to be here for a long time, so get ready and get your oxygen tanks.
“Obviously, you don’t want to run on Friday night. The Heat Race from Wednesday, we’re moving on from that. We felt good all night long. I messed up in Qualifying, and our pill draw helped us out there to be in a good spot. Obviously, it must’ve been a great racetrack if Buddy Kofoid is coming from the back and Donny Schatz is coming from the back up to the front. I’m sure you guys got a good show.”
Gravel now owns 14 Feature victories at Knoxville Raceway in his career. Friday’s will allow him to start 21st in the Knoxville Nationals Championship Feature. Two years ago, he started 22nd and made it all the way to second, and he’s ready to see where he can get in 50 laps this time around.
“We’ve had a hot rod all year long,” Gravel said. “No matter what night it is, we’re passing cars. Just sometimes we get in wrecks or blow tires and drive straight in the wall. Thank you to my guys – Cody (Jacobs), Zach (Patterson), Pete (Stephens), and Scott (Vogelsong). This is the same race car we flipped on Wednesday. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough.”
Behind Gravel, Michael “Buddy” Kofoid wheeled all the way from 19th to second to join Gravel in the Championship Feature. The Roth Motorsports driver recovered from early struggles and gave fans a show on his way to the front and into his third main event at “The Granddaddy of ‘Em All.”
“I felt really lights out in the B-main,” Kofoid said. “And honestly, it was a blessing in disguise running that B-main. For me, I got more laps on the bottom and just getting our car better, which we’ve needed really badly, laps for our car and laps for myself to be completely honest. In that Feature, I kept getting really good starts and got to the top quick because I feel like whenever they blade the top, you’ve got to be the first one up there before it gets treacherous.”
Third place went to Cole Macedo after he fired off eighth in the TwoC Racing No. 2C. That put the Lemoore, CA native in Saturday’s finale for the first time in his fourth try. He’ll start in the 23rd spot.
“Man, after our prelim night yesterday, I thought there was no way,” Macedo admitted of his chances to make the Championship Feature. “Luckily, like I’ve been saying all year, I’ve got a great group of guys behind me. Wayne (Johnson), Bud, and Kasey, they went to work and made that thing a night and day difference better. Luckily, the track played into what I can do best, and that’s go up and pound the curb as hard as I can.”
The final lock-in belonged to Daryn Pittman as the Owasso, OK native came out on top of a wild battle for fourth with Donny Schatz and Ashton Torgerson in the closing laps. He became the ninth driver to secure a spot in 20 Championship Features at the sport’s most prestigious race. The Lunstra Motorsports No. 3L will start 24th Saturday and has only one direction to go.
“All I’m worried about is the one tomorrow,” Pittman said. “Honestly, the way we’d ran every time I ran this car, I thought for us to come in here and lock this thing into the A-main was going to be a big task. I’ve just got to thank Dave and Jamie Lunstra for giving me this opportunity to come out here and race.”
Donny Schatz completed the top five.
Kofoid’s run from 19th to second earned him the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.
Heat Races belonged to Donny Schatz (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Anthony Macri (Real American Beer Heat Two), Brandon Wimmer (WIX Filters Heat Three), Cole Macedo (Toyota Heat Four), David Gravel (
The SPA Technique Pole Award went to Ashton Torgerson, who also got the Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race.
Buddy Kofoid and Justin Whittall won the two Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdowns.
UP NEXT: History will be made as the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series takes on Championship Saturday at the 64th running of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s on Saturday, Aug. 9. Sprint Car racing immortality and $195,000 are on the line.
If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.
FEATURE RESULTS:
A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 2-David Gravel[4]; 2. 83-Michael Kofoid[19]; 3. 2C-Cole Macedo[8]; 4. 3L-Daryn Pittman[3]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz[15]; 6. 1A-Ashton Torgerson[1]; 7. 13-Daison Pursley[9]; 8. 39M-Anthony Macri[11]; 9. 1K-Kelby Watt[10]; 10. 23D-Chase Dietz[6]; 11. 9R-Chase Randall[12]; 12. 33W-Cap Henry[24]; 13. 83H-Justin Henderson[7]; 14. 99-Skylar Gee[23]; 15. 5W-Lucas Wolfe[5]; 16. 3P-Sawyer Phillips[18]; 17. 24T-Christopher Thram[14]; 18. 1-Sammy Swindell[16]; 19. 55V-Kerry Madsen[2]; 20. 6B-Brandon Wimmer[17]; 21. 2M-JJ Hickle[22]; 22. 4W-Jamie Ball[21]; 23. 27-Carson McCarl[13]; 24. 67-Justin Whittall[20]