CONCORD, N.C. — David Gravel would possibly’ve secured his second straight World of Outlaws NOS Vitality Drink Dash Automotive Collection title on Thursday, however that doesn’t imply he’s cruising to the end line.
Complacency isn’t what results in two championships in a row with The Best Present on Dust. Winners wish to win. And winners are precisely what Gravel and the Huge Recreation Motorsports workforce are.
A runner-up on Thursday’s World of Outlaws World Finals opener heightened the starvation for a visit to victory lane. It was Rico Abreu who held Gravel off, and he acquired his probability at redemption only one evening later.
On Friday evening, Abreu took the lead from Brent Marks on a late restart as Gravel surged from fourth to second. Then Gravel chipped away at Abreu’s benefit because the laps waned. The Rico Abreu Racing No. 24 acquired barely held up coming to the white flag, and Gravel capitalized. He shot to the within of Abreu and slid forward. Abreu tried a slider to regain the highest spot in Turns 1 and a pair of however didn’t have sufficient. Gravel pulled away and took the checkered flag at The Dust Monitor at Charlotte.
“Simply being again a pair rows and attending to tempo some guys and see what works and what doesn’t,” Gravel defined of what helped lead him to victory. “I felt like the underside of (Turns) 1 and a pair of wasn’t excellent however in (Turns) 3 and 4 I felt fairly good. I wasn’t having good exit pace however was actually gaining to the middle. I simply stored working it.
“I modified my entry a variety of instances there in (Turns) 3 and 4 on the finish. The extra I acquired within the brown, the higher and extra I gained on him (Abreu). He undoubtedly began hanging for certain. He was struggling there in (Turns) 1 and a pair of. I acquired quicker than him within the cushion, and he was undoubtedly hanging on. It’s good to get a win.”
The victory gave Gravel 17 in 2025 with the World of Outlaws, shifting him one away from equaling his private finest mark for one season. It’s the one hundred and twentieth of his profession, and he’s two from tying Danny Lasoski for sixth all-time. Eight of these have come at The Dust Monitor at Charlotte.
Abreu got here residence with the runner-up spot, narrowly lacking out on two triumphs in a row. The St. Helena, Calif., native made one slip in site visitors that he thought could have been the distinction. A win and a second will nonetheless line him up on the pole of a warmth race for Saturday’s season finale.
“I’ve acquired to look at to see the place the two automobile was making floor,” Abreu mentioned. “I felt like on decrease air strain I used to be actually good firing off. Then we caught site visitors, and I used to be attempting to look at and choose the place the site visitors was going. The 17 simply sort of moved proper up in entrance of me, and I needed to make a last-minute resolution. You simply kill your momentum if you make large, altering actions like that. I believe wanting again on it I used to be actually aggressive to start with of the race on my tires. I used a variety of the left rear tire and will really feel it grinding.”
Donny Schatz drove from tenth to 3rd for a much-needed encouraging end aboard the Sides Motorsports No. 15.
“We discovered one thing to get the motor operating in that warmth race there,” Schatz mentioned. “I don’t know if we acquired one thing within the gasoline, however it sort of plugged the nozzles. We made up that floor within the warmth race, which is big. Once you get inside the highest 10, you may go race. We’ve run good round right here up to now. I may sort of float the center there after the restarts for a pair laps then you definitely needed to rise up and go. I simply couldn’t end the nook fairly proper. I watched David, and he was sort of within the line I needed to be, so I needed to be off his proper rear somewhat bit. It acquired my automobile somewhat upset, however we’ll take it.”
Chase Randall and Spencer Bayston accomplished the highest 5.
The end:
Function (25 Laps): 1. 2-David Gravel[6]; 2. 24-Rico Abreu[2]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz[10]; 4. 9R-Chase Randall[4]; 5. 17JR-Spencer Bayston[3]; 6. 27-Emerson Axsom[9]; 7. 83-Michael Kofoid[16]; 8. 41-Carson Macedo[25]; 9. 10-Ryan Timms[7]; 10. 42-Sye Lynch[5]; 11. 26-Justin Peck[21]; 12. 1A-Ashton Torgerson[14]; 13. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[23]; 14. 15S-Kerry Madsen[27]; 15. 18-Cory Eliason[19]; 16. 49X-Cale Thomas[22]; 17. 71-Parker Value Miller[13]; 18. 2MD-Darin Naida[18]; 19. 99-Skylar Gee[20]; 20. 7S-Chris Windom[29]; 21. 19-Brent Marks[1]; 22. 6-Zach Hampton[17]; 23. 2C-Cole Macedo[12]; 24. 28M-Conner Morrell[30]; 25. 17B-Invoice Balog[28]; 26. 14-Corey Day[24]; 27. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[11]; 28. 23-Garet Williamson[8]; 29. 1S-Logan Schuchart[26]; 30. 24D-Danny Sams III[15]
