By Mike Mallett
Simply dominant.
That’s the only way to describe David Gravel’s Sunday night performance in the Empire State Challenge at Weedsport Speedway with the NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Cars. Gravel claimed the checkered flag by more than six seconds, marking his fifth win in the last six series events at the New York oval.
Gravel rolled off from the pole after winning the dash — his series-leading 11th main-event win of the 2025 season — extending his points lead over Buddy Kofoid to 182.
“I don’t know,” said Gravel when asked about his continued success at Weedsport. “We came here with URC in my first-year racing, and I feel like I’ve always been good here. Donnie (Schatz) used to win, and I feel like I always ran second or third.
“Then, I think just the change in the guard happened, and I just got a little bit better, and he maybe got a little bit worse. It’s just been a really, really good track for us.”
The Watertown, Conn., driver’s day didn’t start nearly as well as it ended. Gravel pulled the worst possible pill for qualifying and faced a slick Weedsport surface that could have easily thrown off even the best drivers. Instead, he delivered, setting fast time in Flight B of qualifying.
“I was definitely worried at firs — until the 1A (Ashton Torgerson) went out,” said Gravel. “When he went second quick, or whatever it was, pretty close to when I was about to go out, I knew I had a shot again to put down a good time — and I was able to do that.”
After dominating his heat race, Gravel got the luck he needed in the dash draw, pulling the pole. He went on to lead every lap of the dash and then every lap of the 30-lap feature.
“Obviously, when you draw the one, you know we’re expected to win,” Gravel said. “And you’ve got to capitalize when you start up front, because it’s not guaranteed. So, I’m happy to lead laps and get the job done.”
Kofoid Bangs the Walls to Second: In only his second visit to Weedsport Speedway, Buddy Kofoid delivered a strong runner-up finish behind Gravel. The current second-place driver in the series points used the top groove — right up against the wall — to power forward late in the race.
Although Kofoid started third, he lost a few spots early before settling into a rhythm on the slick surface. As the race wore on and others began to fade or search, he found speed by re-committing to the high line.
“I think the top was good early, or at least the guys I was racing with were on the top,” said Kofoid. “I fell back to fifth. Then they started to move down in traffic, and then I moved back up.
“I feel like the top got better again, or at least cleaner, and I could make more speed again and take advantage of them being in traffic. I was able to just keep my momentum up on the top and use that to my advantage.”
While flirting with the edge, the Penngrove, Calif. native made contact with the outside wall on multiple occasions — more than he would’ve liked.
“I had a couple [hits] too many times — more than what I would have cared to,” he admitted.
Despite the impressive result, Kofoid wasn’t overly confident coming into the event. His only other start at Weedsport came last season, when he finished sixth.
“This is a place that I feel like, as a driver, I could be better, and our car could be better,” said Kofoid. “But, you know, last year was our first race. We were sixth. We weren’t terrible. I feel like we were far better today. So just baby steps.”
Cole Macedo Looks Good in First Weedsport Visit: Cole Macedo made the most of his first career start at Weedsport Speedway, showing early race pace before fading late to finish fifth in Sunday’s Empire State Challenge.
After starting on the outside of the front row, Macedo held pace with leader David Gravel for the first half of the 30-lap feature before slipping back into a defensive posture.
“Super thankful for these guys for giving me a good car,” said Macedo. “You don’t just show up to a track you’ve never been to and contend for the lead. Really, I feel a little bit bummed out just because I kind of let them down. I knocked the ladder out of it, probably lap 10, and just kind of went into survival mode.
“In hindsight, I wish I wouldn’t have. I wish I would just kept it up and kept going up there, but I kind of went into protect mode just to get to the end of the race and lost a few more spots than I needed to.”
The Lemoore, Calif., native admitted that adapting to new tracks hasn’t been a strength for him in 2025. But on Sunday, he didn’t struggle. His No. 2c showed strong speed early, and though he gave up ground late, he brought the car home intact — an intentional decision, given his circumstances.
“Without a ladder it’s kind of scary,” he said. “It’s dirty when you’re in lapped traffic, and you enter in on guys’ right rears. If I’d have caught the fence one time wrong, it’s just riding around the arms right now. So, if I’d have caught the fence wrong one time, I would have probably junked the thing and not finished.”
Port is Back: Weedsport Speedway played host to the only New York appearance of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars in 2025, drawing a field of 40 entries and packing the stands with a capacity crowd.
During intermission, fans were treated to big news: Weedsport will host two World of Outlaws events in 2026, a major expansion for the popular central New York facility.
Dietrich’s Debut Falls Short: Pennsylvania Posse regular Billy Dietrich made his first-ever trip to Weedsport, but it was a tough outing for the veteran racer. He qualified 17th in his flight and was unable to advance into the A-Main after finishing eighth in the Last Chance Showdown.
Torgerson’s Tough Break: Ashton Torgerson, the rising star from Glendale, Ariz., impressed early in the night by qualifying well, making the dash, and starting fifth in the feature.
However, contact with the turn two wall under the lap two caution forced him to the work area with damage to the right rear shock and Jacob’s ladder. After repairs, Torgerson returned to the track and salvaged a 20th-place finish.
Sobotka Strong in First WoO Start: Zach Sobotka, the current points leader with the CRSA Sprint Cars (305 series), made his World of Outlaws debut in style, finishing eighth in the feature with a 360 engine under the hood. The local standout proved he could hang with the nation’s best on a slick and technical surface.
Turner Makes it Worth the Tow: Ryan Turner had one of the more impressive stories of the night. After competing in Great Lakes Super Sprints events in Michigan on Friday and Saturday, the Dunnville, Ontario native and his team arrived home at 4:00 a.m., only to unload the 360 car, load up the 410, and hit the road for Weedsport. Turner started fourth in the A-Main and came home with a strong seventh-place finish … a reward for both the effort and the speed.