By Mike Mallett
WEEDSPORT, NY: Sometimes it just takes a little help to get a win.
David Gravel got just enough when misfortune struck race leader Sheldon Haudenschild late in the 30-Lap World of Outlaw NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Sprint feature at Weedsport Speedway Saturday night.
Gravel was second and holding his own in the running order when Haudenschild made contact with the lapped car of James McFadden heading into Turn 1. The Big Game Motorsports driver inherited the lead and eventually the win for his seventh of 2021.
“He was running a torrid pace,” said Gravel of Haudenschild. “I thought I was pretty good, but I just didn’t run as fast a pace as him.
“I thought we were a little bit better in one and two late in the race. He was more aggressive in turns three and four and carrying more speed than me. I was going to happily run second there but got the win.”
Donny Schatz went off from the pole position with Gravel planted next to him for the start of the feature on the ultra-slick surface. Schatz got the drop on the field with Gravel getting in line behind him over the opening circuits.
Schatz and Gravel both moved around the speedway looking for the fast lane. The 10-time World of Outlaws champion worked the bottom and middle of the track while Gravel found his way to the top of the banking in the turns as he looked to make up time.
The complexion of the race changed when Schatz entered traffic with 13 laps in the record books. Schatz moved to the top with the slower cars all migrating to the bottom. The Tony Stewart Racing No. 15 was nearly as good in the high lane, allowing Gravel and third starting Haudenschild to close the gap.
As Gravel moved off the top lane, Haudenschild pounded the cushion, making a run around him on lap 19 to take over second before focusing his attention on the leader. Schatz found clear track allowing him to move back off the top and opening the lane for Haudenschild.
Haudenschild bounced his right rear off the outside wall on the cushion before going down the banking to make a run to the inside of Schatz for the lead. He completed the pass to take the top spot as the race reached lap 21.
It was Haudenschild’s race to lose as he continued to blast the cushion. As he pulled away, Schatz made every effort to keep Gravel behind him.
A strong run down the backstretch allowed Gravel to slide up in front of Schatz in turns three and four with less than 10 laps to go. Little did Gravel know that this was going to end up being the pass for the victory.
“I thought I found the bottom, the real bottom, in one and two and was carrying good corner speed and was able to get up in front of him and make it happen,” said the Watertown, Conn., driver. “It feels good to win on a real slick track and a win this time of year. It’s good to get some momentum going.”
Haudenschild encountered very heavy traffic as he caught cars racing two and three-wide in front of him with only a handful of laps remaining. As he went to make a move on James McFadden with two laps to go, Haudenschild clipped his left rear with his right front going into turn one, causing him to spin up the track into the outside wall.
Gravel inherited the lead needing only to survive a restart and two more circuits for the win. On the green he went right to the bottom of turns one and two with Schatz following in his tracks.
“I was running the bottom of one and two the last eight laps or so,” said Gravel. “I was feeling really stagnant, free, and spinning on the top of one and two and wasting my time. I felt like really bad up there late. I knew I had to move down and try something different. I think it was a good move, and it worked out.”
It was Gravel taking the checkers first, while Brad Sweet managed a second-place effort after starting the race from the fourth position. Sweet went to the top of the track on the last restart, allowing him to get a massive run on Schatz down the backstretch.
Sweet dove low on Schatz in turns three and four before sliding up in front of him off of turn four the grab second at the white flag.
“I think Donny thought that David was going to go to the top so he really committed, they both kind of committed to that bottom, and he slid up across the track, and I was able to get a good run down the backstretch,” said Sweet.
“I hit the bottom really well in three and four and kind of came out. I thought I was clear, but I think we rubbed wheels on the frontstretch. That was coming to the white. I was able to get ahead of him.”
Sweet’s second came one night after he started on the pole and went backwards at Ransomville Speedway in the main-event where he finished fourth. Sweet felt like he got a little bit of luck at the end of the feature to finish second.
“I think tonight was an over achievement night,” said Sweet. “Last night we underachieved starting on the pole and running fourth. Tonight, I think we were going to run third or fourth there and we ended up second. We’ll take it and move on to the next one.”
Schatz, after leading two-thirds of the race, was forced to be satisfied with a third-place finish on the night. Carson Macedo started the race from the outside of the third row and advanced up to fourth, with Logan Schuchart coming from ninth to complete the top five.
410 Sprint Car Feature Finish, 30 Laps: 1. David Gravel; 2. Brad Sweet; 3. Donny Schatz; 4. Carson Macedo; 5. Logan Schuchart; 6. Danny Varin; 7. Kraig Kinser; 8. Paulie Colagiovanni; 9. Jacob Allen; 10. Wayne Johnson; 11. Brock Zearfoss; 12. James McFadden; 13. Sheldon Haudenschild; 14. Aaron Reutzel; 15. Larry Wight; 16. Matt Farnham; 17. Joe Kata; 18. Greg Wilson; 19. Scott Kreutter; 20. Jason Sides; 21. Carl Bowser; 22. Joe Trenca; 23. Jared Zimbardi; 24. Jonathan Preston.