SOME MID-WEEK SPEEDING IN ILLINOIS: GRAVEL HUSTLES THE ALL PRO AUTO RECONDITIONING #41 MAXIM TO A SIXTH PLACE FINISH AT JACKSONVILLE SPEEDWAY IN THE LAST MIDDLE OF THE WEEK SHOW FOR THE SEASON!

JACKSONVILLE, ILLINOIS (September 25, 2019) – David Gravel and the JJR #41 team returned to Jacksonville Speedway on Wednesday night after getting rained out back in April. It was a beautiful fall day over the quarter mile oval and the pit area was packed with 35 strong teams lined up in their spots for the last mid-week scheduled show on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series for the 2019 season. Philip, Tyler and Patrick dropped the trailer door and rolled out the All Pro Auto Reconditioning #41 Maxim Racing speedster for the night’s high speed racing action.

The individuals at the pill draw posted the time trial order when the last pill was drawn. The driver of the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/High Performance Lubricants likes big numbers and he got one as he would be the second to last car out for his two laps against the clock. He patiently waited his turn to time trial and when his time came he rolled out and put his Hoosier Racing Tires to work. He took the green flag and laid down a good first lap at 10.381 seconds, but that was only good enough for fourteenth quick at the time. He was not content and raced around Jacksonville Speedway with a vengeance the next time around and improved his second lap time to 10.291 seconds, which moved him up the speed charts to seventh quick on the night. Gravel again did not let a pill draw get in the way of his Kistler Engines/Engler Machine & Tool hot rod performing and ended up with a good qualifying time.

David’s strong time trial lap earned him a spot on the front row of the 10-lap Drydene Heat Race #3 aboard the J.R.C. Transportation/Greber Racing Components (GRC) #41 with Logan Seavey sitting on the pole. Kraig Kinser and Dominic Scelzi were in row two and when the green flag waved the race was on into turn one. Seavey led lap one with Gravel close behind as Scelzi moved into the third spot. Seavey was in control of the lead and had built a one second lead early. Gravel was digging and closed the gap a little in the waning laps, but Seavey took the win by 0.817 seconds over Gravel with Scelzi coming home third as Kinser and Daryn Pittman rounded out the top five to transfer to the feature.

Moving into the 8-lap DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, your 2019 Knoxville Nationals winner was hoping for a better number in the dash redraw than he got in the pill draw. When he stuck his hand into the NOS Energy Drink can there were only two numbers remaining to pull out of the can – the #3 and the #5. Gravel pulled the five pill and would start on the inside of row three by Shane Stewart. Logan Seavey would start on the front row with Sheldon Haudenschild with Buddy Kofoid and Carson Macedo in row two, as Aaron Reutzel and Brad Sweet rounded out the starting grid in row four. When the yellow lights were replaced by the green lights it was Sheldon Haudenschild blasting into the lead with Gravel holding down the fifth spot after lap one in his All Pro Auto Reconditioning/T-FAB Custom Metal Fabrication #41 Maxim. Haudenschild was on a high speed rail at the front as the crossed flags signifying the halfway point of the race were shown to the field. Gravel passed Seavey for the fourth spot in the running order on lap four and stayed there for the balance of the race. When Haudenschild’s #17 crossed the finish line to take the win he was followed by Macedo, Stewart and Gravel with Seavey, Kofoid, Sweet and Reutzel competing the finishing order.

It was show time at Jacksonville Speedway with the 24 cars rolling onto the track for the 40-lap feature event. Philip and the crew made their final adjustments as Gravel climbed into the cockpit of his Maxim Racing machine and buckled his Simpson Race Products safety belts. Haudenschild and Macedo would bring the field to the green with Macedo taking the lead over Haudenschild as Gravel drove into the third position aboard the Weikert’s Livestock/Waco Metal #41. An early yellow flag for Wayne Johnson who slowed on the front straightaway regrouped the field. On the restart, Macedo again controlled the top spot but Stewart race hard and took third away from Gravel. They stayed that way until the next yellow flew with 12 laps in the books as Kraig Kinser came to a stop in turn two with the top five being Macedo, Haudenschild, Stewart, Gravel and Kofoid. Macedo was determined at the front of the pack and led when it went green again and was setting a fast pace, but Haudenschild was coming and took the lead from Macedo with 24 laps to go. Another yellow slowed the action with 18 laps completed when Paul Nienhiser jumped the cushion and hit the wall between turns one and two. Now Haudenschild was your leader with Gravel still running in the fourth position. When they got back to green flag racing, Haudenschild maintained the lead with Macedo and Stewart giving chase as Brad Sweet moved by Gravel into the fourth position. At the halfway point of the race, yellow was again the favorite color as it was now shown for Brent Marks who sat sideways in turn two. Another restart and another yellow for Logan Seavey this time. On the next restart, Haudenschild brought the field to the green as Gravel lost a sot to Aaron Reutzel and a few laps later lost another position to Donny Schatz. Now running in the seventh position, Gravel was working his tail off trying to find speed and the fast line to move the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Jonestown KOA #41 Maxim forward. With 15 laps to go the red flag was now displayed for a big crash in turn four involving Dominic Scelzi who was upside down with Logan Schuchart, Ian Madsen, Justin Peck and Buddy Kofoid also involved at the crash scene. Following the red flag period, Haudenschild led Macedo, but not for long as he hit the cushion in turn three and got sideways scrubbing off some speed allowing Macedo a window to go through and make a pass for the lead. Haudenschild was not going away though as he battled back to Macedo for the lead. Carson Macedo was your race leader with just 6 laps to go when the yellow again was shown, this time for second running Haudenschild who spun out while racing for the lead with Macedo. Gravel was now scored in the eighth position and on the restart he fought his way forward and when Macedo took the win over Sweet, Reutzel and Schatz with Shane Stewart coming home fifth, Gravel had moved up to secure a sixth place finish. Another good run for Gravel in the forty-one!

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.