“Once I got to lappers and the guy was running the top, I really didn’t make a good move. “I figured if I could just rip the cushion and make consistent laps, I’d be alright,” said Haudenschild, who ended up third. Haudenschild concurred with Gravel’s assessment of the race, acknowledging he made a mistake. Whatever lane I went, I seemed to be faster.” “He (Haudenschild) didn’t hit his exit, and that just opened the door for me,” Gravel said. While Haudenschild tried to maneuver around a lap car in turns three and four, Gravel pulled the same move on him that he pulled on Sweet, claiming the lead on lap 14 and never relinquishing it. That run not only cleared him of the blue Kasey Kahne Racing car, it put him in striking distance of Haudenschild’s car. By lap 13, Gravel mastered the bottom of the tacky track through turns three and four, clearing Sweet down the front stretch and maintaining the position with a run on the high side of turns one and two. The two battled side by side for about four laps, swapping lanes every corner. While Sweet reeled in Haudenschild, Gravel had Sweet locked in his visor. That looked to be his fortune once again, until Gravel continued to make ground on him. Sweet used lap traffic to his advantage the night prior, besting Ian Madsen in the game of maneuverability through slower cars. His blistering pace put him in lap traffic a third of the way through the caution-free Feature, allowing Sweet and Gravel to get close enough to taste the lead. Haudenschild then continued where he left off in the Dash, cruising to the lead in the Feature and pulling away from the field.
He took the early lead in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, but Haudenschild showed his muscle in the closing laps, powering by Sweet on the high side for the win. Sweet was a tenth of a second off setting a new track record in Qualifying, and then went on to win his Drydene Heat race. He made his way by third-place Jacob Allen in a lap, but then had to contend with 2017 Rookie of the Year Sheldon Haudenschild and Friday night’s Feature winner Brad Sweet, the two fastest cars of the night. Starting fourth in the 30-lap Arizona Desert Shootout Feature, Gravel had his work cut out for him. Win 41 was no easier than win 40, though. All of those things coming together, I guess it was meant to be." I’m glad to win on my sister’s birthday and it’s cool to be my 41st win. "I knew the next one was going to be 41, but it didn’t really all click.
"I’ve kind of forgot about it, because if you try too hard to win a race, you know, it’s not going to come," Gravel said. 41 car, the number chosen by the late Jason Johnson to run.
Not only did he win on his sister Victoria’s birthday, he claimed his 41st career World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series win in the No. His second win, Saturday night at Arizona Speedway, was no different. David Gravel’s first win of the season last month with his new Jason Johnson Racing team was sentimental for several reasons.