THE SPRING SWING FINALE IN CALI: DAVID AND THE JJR #41 TEAM WRAP UP THE SPRING WEST COAST SWING AT PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY WITH A 12TH PLACE FINISH IN THE SOCAL SHOWDOWN
PERRIS, CALIFORNIA (March 30, 2019) – As the California spring swing nears the end, David and the JJR #41 team headed east of Los Angeles to Perris Auto Speedway, affectionately just known as The PAS in Southern California, for the finale of this visit to the West Coast. Perris Auto Speedway is a half mile clay oval that features a raised back straightaway for easy viewing. On this night the show featured the World of Outlaw NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Cars. There were 26 talented teams entered for the World of Outlaws portion of the show and David and the team were ready to go in their High Performance Lubricants, LLC/Team Jack Foundation #41 Maxim.
For the second night in a row the team held the highest numbered from the pill draw, it is all about luck and hopefully will statistically balance throughout the season, which only meant the driver of the JJR #41 would be the last car out to attack the track for time trials. When Donny Schatz completed his two laps, Gravel pushed off in the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/AutoMeter/All Pro Auto Reconditioning #41. He pounded the accelerator and the forty-one was on the move. He completed the first lap in 14.684 seconds and then ran a consistent but slightly slower second lap at 14.694 seconds. His quicker time was 14th quick overall on the speed charts.
There were three 8-lap heat events scheduled for the night. David, aboard the Durst Inc./Waco Metal/Pro Powder Coating (PPC) Maxim, would line up on the inside of row three behind Sheldon Haudenschild, Rico Abreu, Brian Brown and Chad Kemenah. He shared the third row with Mason Daniel as Giovanni Scelzi, Parker Price-Miller and Mark Dobmeier rounded out the starting field for the heat race. California native Rico Abreu jumped into the top spot when the green cloth waved with Haudenschild, Kemenah and Gravel giving chase. Rico left no doubt as he took the win ahead of Kemenah and Haudenschild with Gravel coming home fourth, as Scelzi and Brown secured the final two transfer spots.
After locking into the 30-lap feature, the only thing left for David and the JJR crew was to figure out how to move forward from their 11th starting position. The track was starting to take on rubber, so track position was critical from a race strategy perspective. Aaron Reutzel was on the pole with Rico Abreu to his outside. Reutzel was fast all night and when the green lights illuminated he stepped out to the front and left no doubt as he put on a speed show. David was in a tight battle with four or five other competitors for positions 10 through 14. He was able to work his way up to tenth on the third circuit and held it for a few laps, but as the laps clicked by he lost a few positions in the BR Motorsports/Tiger Towing/FK Rod Ends #41. Reutzel went on to claim his first World of Outlaws win this season, a second of his young career, over Carson Macedo, Rico Abreu and Tim Shaffer with Cory Eliason completing the top five. Gravel drove home with a respectable 12th place finish to close out the spring West Coast after collecting the win the night before at Keller Auto Speedway.
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 and to order gear, go to www.DavidGravel89.com