Packed House Cheers on Haudenschild after Three Collisions
WILLIS, TX — April 14, 2017 — “It is official. David Gravel has cleared the scales in the CJB Motorsports No. 5, headed to Victory Lane!” cried Johnny Gibson over the P.A. at Gator Motorplex Thursday night. This was win number four of the season in the No. 5 machine, and a twentieth career win for Gravel.
He worked hard for this one, starting in ten and working the high side. While Jason Sides started on the pole, with NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne in second, it was Paul McMahan in the lead when Gravel finally took it in lap 30 — and he took it from below.
“I started tenth and was in second before I knew it,” said the inaugural Gator Bash champ. “I knew it was a 40-lap race. I tried to be really patient with Paul [McMahan]. The curve got really really really tricky as the race went on, and I almost bit the wall a couple of times.”
But it wasn’t Gravel who bit the wall at all. That fell on Rookie-of-the-Year-contender Sheldon Haudenschild, who with four laps to go got into his third tangle of the night. Haudenschild was the unofficial fan favorite at Gator Motorplex, drawing loud cheers for his persistence each time he returned to the field after two flips. But the last one set him bouncing off the wall outside of turn four, right into Brad Sweet.
Sweet had been busy battling Donny Schatz for the fourth spot, which is precisely where Schatz remained after the checkered flag flew.
The inaugural Gator Bash saw a packed house in Willis, Texas, where fans cheered on Kahne as he made his return to dirt in the iRacing.com 4K. But after a lucky Dash inversion draw that put him on the pole, Kahne spun out during the Feature, turning sideways in turn four and causing Daryn Pittman and Dustin Gates to flip over each other.
Meanwhile, Sides maintained his lead until lap 14, when McMahan come up from third to take it from him. It wasn’t until 26 laps later that Gravel managed to final clear both of them, leading them into the checkers in just that order.
“Finishing second right now feels like a win – the way all last year went. But second still sucks,” said McMahan from Victory Lane.
The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series will return to action tomorrow, Friday night, at Devil’s Bowl Speedway for the Texas Outlaw Nationals in Mesquite, TX.
RACE NOTES: David Gravel scored his fourth season win at the inaugural Gator Outlaw Bash at Gator Motoroplex, leading the final 11 laps of the 40-lap Feature. Paul McMahan and Jason Sides, the only two other lap leaders in the race, followed Gravel to Victory Lane, leaving points leader and defending champion Donny Schatz just short after a turn four incident took Brad Sweet and Sheldon Haudenschild out of the running.
CONTINGENCY WINNERS: MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Aaron Reutzel; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): David Gravel; Penske Shocks ($50 cash): Paul McMahan; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Jason Johnson; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): Jason Johnson; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Brady Bacon; Comp Cams ($50 cash): SHane Stewart; Morton Buildings ($50 cash): Logan Schuchart; Cometic Gasket ($50 cash): Kraig Kinser; Super Flow ($50 cash): Daryn Pittman; Craftsman Club Fast Five ($100 cash): Jason Sides, Paul McMahan, Sheldon Haudenschild; Craftsman/Sears: Kasey Kahnef; KSE Hard Charger: Logan Schuchart; Comp Cams ($50 product certificate): David Gravel; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Greg Wilson; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Aaron Reutzel.
SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz – 6 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19, LoneStar Speedway on March 3, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 9, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 10, Thunderbowl Raceway on March 18 ); David Gravel – 4 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 17, Placerville Speedway on March 29, Perris Auto Speedway on April 1, Gator Motorplex on April 3); Jason Johnson – 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 17); Brad Sweet – 1 (Stockton Dirt Track on March 25), Logan Schuchart – 1 (Keller Auto Speedway), Brian Brown – 1 (Cocopah Speedway), Rico Abreu – 1 (Arizona Speedway).
World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Gator Motorplex, TX, April 13, 2017
Feature (40 Laps) – 1. 5-David Gravel [10][$10,000]; 2. 4-Paul McMahan [3][$5,500]; 3. 7S-Jason Sides [1][$3,200]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [4][$2,800]; 5. 41-Jason Johnson [8][$2,500]; 6. 17-Joey Saldana [15][$2,300]; 7. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [11][$2,200]; 8. 99-Brady Bacon [14][$2,100]; 9. 2-Shane Stewart [19][$2,050]; 10. 1S-Logan Schuchart [22][$2,000]; 11. 19-Brent Marks [12][$1,500]; 12. 11K-Kraig Kinser [18][$1,200]; 13. 67-Christopher Bell [21][$1,100]; 14. 82-Cap Henry [17][$1,050]; 15. 9-Daryn Pittman [9][$1,000]; 16. 84-Scott Bogucki [7][$900]; 17. W20-Greg Wilson [20][$800]; 18. 49-Brad Sweet [5][$800]; 19. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [6][$800]; 20. 4K-Kasey Kahne [2][$800]; 21. 87-Aaron Reutzel [13][$800]; 22. 17G-Dustin Gates [23][$800]; 23. 33-Danny Lasoski [16][$800]; 24. 2C-Wayne Johnson [24][$800]; Lap Leaders: Jason Sides 1-13, Paul McMahan 14-29, David Gravel 30-40; KSE Hard Charger Award: 1S-Logan Schuchart[+12]
Qualifying – 1. 49-Brad Sweet, 11.479; 2. 15-Donny Schatz, 11.517; 3. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 11.53; 4. 7S-Jason Sides, 11.573; 5. 4-Paul McMahan, 11.618; 6. 4K-Kasey Kahne, 11.631; 7. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 11.651; 8. 41-Jason Johnson, 11.661; 9. 9-Daryn Pittman, 11.663; 10. 84-Scott Bogucki, 11.681; 11. 82-Cap Henry, 11.687; 12. 19-Brent Marks, 11.773; 13. 5-David Gravel, 11.805; 14. 2X-Parker Price-Miller, 11.838; 15. 17-Joey Saldana, 11.854; 16. 33-Danny Lasoski, 11.93; 17. 99-Brady Bacon, 11.947; 18. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 11.991; 19. W20-Greg Wilson, 12.027; 20. 2-Shane Stewart, 12.044; 21. 17G-Dustin Gates, 12.054; 22. 2C-Wayne Johnson, 12.081; 23. 67-Christopher Bell, 12.106; 24. 1A-Jacob Allen, 12.163; 25. 99T-Skylar Gee, 12.385; 26. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 12.385; 27. 88-Scottie McDonald, 12.672; 28. 13-Clyde Knipp, 12.69
Heat #1 (10 Laps) – Top 6 Transfer – 1. 49-Brad Sweet [1]; 2. 7S-Jason Sides [2]; 3. 84-Scott Bogucki [4]; 4. 5-David Gravel [5]; 5. 87-Aaron Reutzel [3]; 6. 33-Danny Lasoski [6]; 7. 2C-Wayne Johnson [8]; 8. W20-Greg Wilson [7]; 9. 99T-Skylar Gee [9]; 10. 13-Clyde Knipp [10]
Heat #2 (10 Laps) – Top 6 Transfer – 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1]; 2. 4-Paul McMahan [2]; 3. 41-Jason Johnson [3]; 4. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [5]; 5. 99-Brady Bacon [6]; 6. 82-Cap Henry [4]; 7. 67-Christopher Bell [8]; 8. 2-Shane Stewart [7]; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart [9]
Heat #3 (10 Laps) – Top 6 Transfer – 1. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [1]; 2. 4K-Kasey Kahne [2]; 3. 9-Daryn Pittman [3]; 4. 19-Brent Marks [4]; 5. 17-Joey Saldana [5]; 6. 11K-Kraig Kinser [6]; 7. 17G-Dustin Gates [7]; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen [8]; 9. 88-Scottie McDonald [9]
Craftsman Club Dash (8 Laps) – 1. 7S-Jason Sides [3]; 2. 4K-Kasey Kahne [1]; 3. 4-Paul McMahan [2]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [5]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [6]; 6. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild [4]
Last Chance Showdown (12 Laps) – Top 6 Transfer – 1. 2-Shane Stewart [2][-]; 2. W20-Greg Wilson [1][-]; 3. 67-Christopher Bell [5][-]; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart [8][-]; 5. 17G-Dustin Gates [3][-]; 6. 2C-Wayne Johnson [4][-]; 7. 13-Clyde Knipp [10][$300]; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen [6][$250]; 9. 99T-Skylar Gee [7][$225]; 10. 88-Scottie McDonald [9][$200]
Unofficial World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Championship Standings
| Pos. | Car | Driver | Total | Diff | Wins | Top 5’s | Top 10’s |
| 1 | 15 | Donny Schatz | 2142 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 13 |
| 2 | 5 | David Gravel | 2078 | -64 | 4 | 10 | 13 |
| 3 | 49 | Brad Sweet | 2028 | -114 | 1 | 9 | 11 |
| 4 | 41 | Jason Johnson | 1930 | -212 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| 9 | Daryn Pittman | 1930 | -212 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
| 6 | 2 | Shane Stewart | 1926 | -216 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 7 | 93 | Sheldon Haudenschild | 1902 | -240 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| 8 | 4 | Paul McMahan | 1872 | -270 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 9 | 1S | Logan Schuchart | 1870 | -272 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 10 | 17 | Joey Saldana | 1850 | -292 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 11 | 18 | Ian Madsen | 1826 | -316 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| 12 | 7S | Jason Sides | 1810 | -332 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| 13 | 19 | Brent Marks | 1802 | -340 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 14 | 11k | Kraig Kinser | 1784 | -358 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | W20 | Greg Wilson | 1744 | -398 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 16 | 21 | Brian Brown | 1644 | -498 | 1 | 7 | 7 |
| 17 | 24R | Rico Abreu | 1546 | -596 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| 18 | 2X | Parker Price-Miller | 1536 | -606 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 19 | 1A | Jacob Allen | 1470 | -672 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | 13 | Clyde Knipp | 1420 | -722 | 0 | 0 | 0 |