BARBERVILLE, Fla.: Cold temperatures led to a faster surface at Volusia Speedway Park Saturday night, but it didn’t stop Anthony Macri and David Gravel from putting on a show the last couple of laps.
Macri held off the two-time defending World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion for a $20,000 victory. More important, the central Pennsylvania ace was able to take the Big Gator back to the Keystone State thanks to finishes of third, fourth, and first throughout the week.
Gravel settled for a runner-up finish for the second-straight night, and Carson Macedo earned his third podium of the week. Buddy Kofoid stormed from 21st to fourth, and Brian Brown completed the top five.
SprintCarUnlimited.com was there and has you covered. Here are five quick takeaways from a cold, but entertaining, DIRTCar Nationals finale.
Big Gator goes back to PA: Anthony Macri has been a miss more than a hit at Volusia Speedway Park in his career. That’s probably why few had him tabbed as a Big Gator contender coming into the week. Projections don’t matter, as Macri showed speed each night, polishing off a third and fourth-place finish before fighting off David Gravel for the DIRTCar Nationals victory Saturday night. The two traded the top spot on the last circuit, with Macri securing the $20,000 win and the Big Gator prize for his weeklong performance. The Dillsburg, Pa., driver and his team continue to show they are among the elite in the sport.
Impressive run: Embarking on a rookie campaign with the World of Outlaws is a daunting task. It becomes even more difficult when you are only 21 years old and have two and a half years of 410 Sprint Car experience. And yet, Kasey Jedrzejek showed his talent Saturday night by running in the top five for most of the 25-Lap main event despite not having the left side panel on the front wing. Jedrzejek dropped back a little in the closing laps but still came home with a respectable ninth-place run in the Bill Rose entry in what was the most impressive rookie outing of the week. This kid is a quick study and is one to watch.
Another near miss: The speed was there throughout the week, which is no surprise, but David Gravel came up short … again on Saturday night. After Gravel was involved in a crash Wednesday, he came back to finish second to Buddy Kofoid Friday and then to Anthony Macri in the DIRTCar Nationals finale. In both cases, he took the lead late but lost it, which left him scratching his head a bit and wondering what he could have done different. Still, Gravel has plenty of speed — he set quick time in his flight each night — and leaves Volusia tied with Buddy Kofoid in the standings. It should be another good year for the Big Game Motorsports entry.
Kofoid is hard charger: It wasn’t looking good for Buddy Kofoid after qualifying Saturday night. He timed 10th in his flight and failed to make it out of his heat race, which forced him into the Last Chance Showdown. Kofoid won that little gem and then picked his way through the field in the 25-Lap main event, securing a solid fourth-place finish after passing 17 cars to earn Hard Charger honors. The run has Kofoid tied with David Gravel in the point standings leaving Volusia, which could be huge as the season progresses. It’s only a matter of time until Kofoid is the best in the sport.
Solid run: Brian Brown was cleared to compete in this year’s DIRTCar Nationals after healing up from a broken hand that he suffered during last year’s Knoxville Nationals. The only issue he has is a stiffness in his wrist and arm that he admits is more of a nuisance than anything else. It didn’t stop Brown from looking racy Saturday night or battling with Anthony Macri, David Gravel, and Carson Macedo before settling for a hard-fought fifth-place finish. This was a much-needed result after failing to make Friday’s main event and showed that Brown is on his way back full strength.