SWEEPING UP AT THE WORLD FINALS: GRAVEL AND THE JJR #41 CREW WIN NIGHT TWO OF THE CAN-AM WORLD FINALS TO SWEEP THE WEEKEND AND END THE 2019 SEASON ON A HIGH NOTE IN VICTORY LANE AT CHARLOTTE!

CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA (November 9, 2019) – After putting his 50 career World of Outlaws win in the books on Friday night, David Gravel and the JJR #41 crew were back at The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the final night of racing action in the Can-Am World Finals. There were again 53 sprint cars that took time trials for the Saturday event card and the grandstands were completely sold out at the track. Philip Dietz open the hauler doors and rolled the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Waco Metal #41 to the bottom of the door as they prepared their Maxim Racing hotrod for the night of high speed action.

With time trials for both nights of racing, Friday and Saturday, completed on Thursday night as part of the Can-Am World Finals format, Gravel already posted the second quickest lap in Flight B with a lap of 12.835 seconds aboard the Durst Inc./Jet Fitness #41 Maxim. Logan Schuchart once again set quick time in Gravel’s flight with a quick lap of 12.785 seconds. His efforts though earned him a front row starting spot in the upcoming heat races.

David Gravel would start on the pole in the fifth Drydene heat race with Brian Brown to his outside with row two comprised of Ian Madsen and Paul McMahan as Wayne Johnson, Sammy Swindell, Paul Nienhiser and Carl Bowser completing the starting grid. When the front row starters crossed the chalk stripe laid down across turn four, Gravel nosed into the lead but it was a tight three car battle between the Connecticut driver of the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/All Pro Auto Reconditioning #41, Brian Brown in the Casey’s General Store #21 and Paul McMahan in the Buch #13 as they charged down the front straightaway and into turn one. Brown powered his #21 around the top side in the first set of turns to take the lead down the back straightaway with Gravel digging his Hoosier Racing Tires into the surface trying to make up some ground. Just after the hallway point of the race, the caution flag was waving in the air for Wayne Johnson to regroup the field in the single file restart order. Brown set the paced and pounded on the accelerator as Gravel did the same and tried to make the bottom side work. He could not make it stick and Brown took command of the lead and was showing the way with the white flag waving high in the air. Brown took the win over Gravel and McMahan as those three drivers locked into the final World of Outlaws feature event of the season.

With the large field of cars, and six Drydene heat races the top two finishers in each heat advanced into one of the two DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash events. The top two finishers in the first 3 heat races were in Dash #1, as the top two finishers in the last three heat races were in Dash #2. David Gravel qualified for the second one in the Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution/Team Jack Foundation #41 Maxim. At the draw for the starting spot, he drew the number ‘1’ which positioned him on the pole for the second night in a row. Logan Schuchart would be on his outside at the start and Gravel would drive off the bottom of turn four onto the top side entering turn one. Schuchart was pounding the low lane as Gravel powered off turn two with the lead. He would continue his forward momentum throughout the 6-lap race and lead start-to-finish to take the dash win over Schuchart as Daryn Pittman came home third with Donny Schatz, Giovanni Scelzi and Brian Brown rounding out the finishing order.

With a sense of confidence and pride as he reflected on a very successful season in the JJR #41, Gravel zipped up his orange Durst, Inc. emblazoned Simpson Race Products drivers suit and climbed into the cockpit of his Maxim Racing machine. He would start from the outside of the front row with polesitter Jacob Allen setting the pace under yellow from the pole for the 30 lap feature. Brad Sweet, who is embroiled in the closest point battle in World of Outlaws history, and Logan Schuchart shared row three, with Carson Macedo and Daryn Pittman both positioned in row three. Paige Polyak and Donny Schatz were in row four, as Spencer Bayston and Giovanni Scelzi rounded out the top ten in the starting grid. When the initial green flag waved, Gravel and Allen raced towards turn one as Allen, Sweet and Gravel were battling for the top spot. It was all for nothing though as Carson Macedo spun in turn four with a flat left front before a lap was completed to bring out the yellow. On the restart it was Allen again over Gravel, but the racing action was quickly stopped again as Spencer Bayston flipped wildly down the backstretch bringing out the red and fortunately he was uninjured. They tried starting this race again Allen was leading with Gravel and Sweet battling for the top spot. But the red flag was again thrown, this time for Paul McMahan, Ian Madsen, Kerry Madsen and Freddie Rahmer with McMahan upside down between turns three and four. The fourth time trying to start the feature was the charm. This time Allen again controlled the lead over Gravel and Sweet. Allen was fast as Gravel began to close the gap between himself and the leader. Gravel was on the very bottom of the speedway and was coming after Allen. Gravel caught him and took the lead in the Weikert’s Livestock/J.R.C. Transportation #41 Maxim gaining the edge on lap 6 with his Kistler Engines power under the hood. Gravel was showing the way in the top spot, but Sweet and Schatz were stalking him each lap as they raced each other for position and the series championship. Gravel was fast out front at the halfway point as he had built a two second lead over Sweet. Gravel was wheeling and/ dealing at the front of the pack with 10 laps to go when the yellow lights lit up for Danny Dietrich as he slowed to a stop in the middle of the back straightaway with a broken rear axle right in front of Brad Sweet. Gravel’s 2.144 second lead over Sweet was erased, but it would be a single file restart when he brought them back to the green flag for the last third of the race. The Watertown, Connecticut native was focused and determined. When the caution lights went out he drove forward maintaining the lead over Sweet and Schatz. With five laps to go it was all David Gravel as he owned the top spot and was the class of the field again on night two. When the checkered flags waved over the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/K&N Filters #41, Gravel collected the win to sweep the weekend at the Can-Am World Finals! He celebrating on top of the wing again with Jaxx Johnson as Jaxx pointed the number one finger towards heaven to keep Jason Johnson’s dream alive! David Gravel and the JJR #41 team finish this season with 12 official World of Outlaws wins plus 2 additional victories which include the Capitani Classic and the preliminary night victory at the Knoxville Nationals. 14 total wins is a result of a great team effort. A great night. A great weekend at the Can-Am World Finals. And, a great season- TOGETHER!

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; RaceDiecast.com; Schoenfeld Headers; Shell Shock Paint; Simpson Race Products; T-FAB Custom Metal Fabrication; Vortex Racing Products; Weld Wheels; Wilwood Racing; and Winters Performance Products.

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

To stay up-to-date with David Gravel and his success and journey on and off the track, as well as to purchase his gear and merchandise, go to www.DavidGravel89.com.