OH WHAT A NIGHT IN THE DESERT: A DOMINANT RUN IN THE ARIZONA DESERT SHOOTOUT ABOARD THE MESILLA VALLEY TRANSPORTATION (MVT)/BOYD FAMILY MAXIM YIELDS SECOND WIN OF THE YEAR FOR GRAVEL AND THE JJR BOYS

QUEEN CREEK, ARIZONA (April 6, 2019) – In front of another packed house of devoted sprint car fans at Arizona Speedway, David Gravel and the JJR #41 team had the opportunity to display their talents and speed in the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Boyd Family #41 Maxim. There were 21 teams registered to compete in the Arizona Desert Shootout on a beautiful night in Arizona as the sunset on the western horizon.

Philip Dietz, Tyler Elliott and Patrick Dudzinski prepared the Weikert’s Livestock/Tiger Towing #41 for time trial qualifying. David would be the seventh car out on the track that had plenty of moisture in it to sustain the sun and heat typical in this area of the country. The slight tap on the rear nerf bar was enough to bring the Kistler Racing Engines/All Pro Cylinder Heads power to life and the Watertown, Connecticut native was left to his own to do his thing. The talented driver mashed the loud pedal and was trucking around the high-banked, 1/3 mile oval in Queen Creek. He was moving and grooving and laid down a solid first lap at 12.673 seconds, which shot him near the top of the speed charts. He stayed on the gas and kept his Hoosier Racing Tires and Weld Racing Wheels rotating as he improved the second time around with a lap of 12.601 seconds. That lap held the test of time and when the last qualifier crossed the timing strip he was third quick overall.

Earning the pole position in the third heat race, Gravel and the JJR crew were looking to tune in their high speed machine for eight laps of competition. The goal is always to win, but ultimately the top two finishers advance to the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash. When the green flag waved over the field it was outside front row starter Jacob Allen driving into the top spot with David right behind in the in the Jonestown KOA/Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution #41 Maxim. Allen would go on to take the win over Gravel, Brian Brown and Chad Kemenah with Logan Schuchart rounding out the top five.

For the second night in a row, David and the JJR #41 team would be represented in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash aboard the Mesilla Valley Transportation MVT)/Pro Powder Coating (PPC) #41 entry where he would start fifth. Brad Sweet and Jacob Allen would bring the field to the green, but it was fourth starting Sheldon Haudenschild who drove hard on the outside into the lead. Gravel was also putting on a show as he was in the mix racing for the third position on the track. The racing was fast and furious and these talented drivers were putting on an exciting show for their fans. Haudenschild would go on to collect the dash victory over Sweet and Allen with Gravel coming home fourth as Hunter Schuerenberg and Ian Madsen rounded out the dash finishing order.

As the evening was nearing a close, the fans were still in their seats waiting for the 30-lap Arizona Desert Shootout finale. The 21 starters were ready to go and the track crew did a terrific job getting the surface ready for some racing. Philip made some final adjustments on the car before Gravel climbed into the cockpit in his black Simpson Race Products racing suit as he pushed out and pulled into his fourth starting spot. Polesitter Sheldon Haudenschild brought the field to the green and the high speed chaos and excitement begun. David Gravel was an important part of the show as he was wheeling and dealing in the Boyd Family/Buckwalter Trucking Maxim. Haudenschild was in command at the front of the pack over the first ten laps of the race as they approached some lap traffic before Brad Sweet and our own David Gravel moved into the leadership picture. On the fourteenth circuit Gravel used his KSE Racing Products to drive into the top spot and never looked back. He methodically moved around Arizona Speedway and lapped traffic to secure his 41st career World of Outlaws (WoO) victory and the second of the 2019 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car series campaign. The victory was special for many reasons, but it certainly was a nice birthday gift for his sister Victoria who topped off her celebration with her brother winning the Arizona Desert Shootout. Gravel took the win by 3.871 seconds over Sweet the the top two were followed by Haudenschild and hard-charging Donny Schatz with Ian Madsen rounding out the top five.

After the driver from Connecticut climbed out of the car, he hugged Philip and his crew and celebrated atop his Vortex Racing Products wing with victors confetti falling all around him. After claiming his 41st win aboard the JJR #41 Gravel explained, “I knew the next one was going to be 41, but it didn’t really click. I am glad to win on my sister’s (Victoria) birthday and it’s cool to be my 41st win. All of those things coming together, I guess it was meant to be.” A well-deserved honor for this talented driver, his wonderful family and the JJR #41 team. A great run for the forty-one!

We are proud to represent all of our dedicated and loyal supporters:

Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT); Saich Family; Jonestown KOA; Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution; Weikert’s Livestock; J.R.C. Transportation, Inc.; Durst Inc.; Maxim Racing; The Boyd Family; Pro Powder Coating (PPC); Waco Metal; High Performance Lubricants, LLC; Team Jack Foundation; Mark Burch Motorsports; Tiger Towing; All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads, Inc.; All Pro Auto Reconditioning; AutoMeter; Bell Racing USA; Blackbeard; Brown & Miller Racing Solutions (BMRS); Buckwalter Trucking, LLC; C&R Racing; Chalk Stix Torsion Bars; Cody Monoco Racing; Crow Enterprizes, Engler Machine & Tool, Inc.; Factory Kahne FK Shocks; Fibreworks Composites; FK Rod Ends; Fuel Safe Racing Cells; Greber Racing Components; Hoosier Racing Tire; ISC Racers Tape; Jansen Transportation; K&N Filters; Kaiden Kares; Kistler Racing Engines; KSE Racing Products; LogoDaddy Graphics; Max Papis Innovations (MPI); MSD Performance; Schoenfeld Headers; Shell Shock Paint; Simpson Race Products; T-FAB Custom Metal Fabrication; Vortex Racing Products; Weld Wheels; Wilwood Racing; Winters Performance Products; and, www.racediecast.com.

To stay connected with Jason Johnson Racing (JJR), go to www.jasonjohnsonracing.com

To learn more about David Gravel, and stay up to date with his success and journey, go to www.DavidGravel89.com