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| John Stivason/Stivason Photos |
Sarver, PA (September 24, 2017) It took one set of turns for David Gravel to take control of the World of Outlaw Craftsman Sprint Car field on Saturday night at Lernerville Speedway, and 35 plus laps of skillful race management to take home the victory in the Commonwealth Clash. Gravel's timely, solid restarts and use of lapped traffic proved to be two key elements to his 14th victory of the Outlaw season as he managed to hold off stiff challenges from Brad Sweet and Sheldon Haudenschild to preserve the win.
"I didn't know what to do," Gravel said. "Pretty much I was just protecting, I didn't want to leave the bottom open for anybody to slide me. It didn't feel that great off the corners, I didn't keep my speed up. I figured there's only one way they can do it, to go around me and I thought I was using up a good amount of the track."
Brad Sweet brought the field to the green flag and held the lead for one and a half turns before Gravel wrested the top spot away with Daryn Pittman and Sheldon Haudenschild in pursuit behind them early on. Action on the track was slowed for the first time with three laps down as Jason Sides and George Hobaugh got together in turn one which sent Sides bicycling end over end in a violent crash. Sides checked out okay, and when action resumed, Sweet appeared to take the lead on the restart, but his bid for the lead was mitigated as AJ Flick brought out the yellow flag before Sweet was able to cross the start/finish line.
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| Stivason Photos |
When the green flag waved again, Gravel put the field behind him with authority and started gaining separation from his pursuers while Sheldon Haudenschild began applying pressure on Pittman for the third spot. With seven laps down, Gravel found himself in heavy lapped traffic as Pittman slid off the top of turn four. He was able to resume, however Haudenshild inherited third. On the subsequent restart, Donny Schatz had made his way to the fourth spot and immediately began hunting Haudenschild for third while taking looks underneath the Wooster, OH driver. Sweet then slipped off the backstretch at the lap 10 mark allowing Haudenschild to move to second.
The race then became halted twice with 14 laps down, first for Brent Marks who went over the cushion in turn four, and then by Joe Lockhart who found himself upside down in turn one. Gravel got off to another solid restart with Haudenschild ready to take advantage of any mistake he could turn into an opportunity. However, he would suffer one of his own as he half spun in turn two with 18 laps down. Haudenschild managed to gather the car back straight, but took himself out of serious contention. Gravel's battle with lapped traffic then began to ramp up another notch with 11 laps to go. The Watertown, Ct driver found himself on the high side of the speedway while Sweet began inching closer with every lap. Gravel then began starting to dispatch one piece of lapped traffic after another, with seemingly perfect timing, leaving Carl Bowser, George Hobaugh and Clyde Knipp for Sweet to deal with, almost always just as Sweet was ready to make a pass for the lead.
With the laps winding down, Sweet would come up with one golden chance to take the lead as he sized up a slide job heading into turn four that came up just short. Gravel took the white flag and looked to be on his way to the win, when hard charger Danny Holtgraver spun in turn four, setting up the first of two green, white, checkered periods. The second, caused by Clyde Knipp who spun on the front stretch. But Gravel was unfazed and executed two perfect single file restarts en route to victory lane. Schatz rounded out the podium and almost made one final attempt to take second place away from Brad Sweet stick on the final lap.
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| Stivason Photos |
"A decent points night is a win," Schatz said. "But that's the way some night's are. We tried to get it through there and just couldn't and you have to take the best finish you can and that was third tonight. I appreciate all the fans being out here tonight, it was pretty cool to see a huge crowd this late in the year here, glad to have them here with us."
Gravel took home his second win at Lernerville Speedway in as many years.
"I saw Brad poke his nose at me late in the race in lapped traffic and then I had to step it up a little bit," Gravel said in victory lane. " I didn't want to see the yellow, I got past a couple of lapped cars there and I thought I was going to be okay but it all worked out." When asked about next week's National Open at Williams Grove he added. "We're definitely excited to go over there and make more of our PA Posse fans happy!"
Sweet's performance earned him a second place finish, which he was somewhat less than content with. "I didn't get a great start, didn't beat him and didn't do my job to beat him and control the race. We beat him on that one restart and it got called back. We had a lot of chances there in lapped traffic and just couldn't get the job done. I honestly thought we had the car to win the race and unfortunately the driver just didn't get it done."
World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Feature; 35 Laps- $10,000 to win
1. (5) David Gravel, Watertown, CT- 12.801
2. (49) Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, CA
3. (15) Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND
4. (2) Shane Stewart, Bixby, OK
5. (49) Tim Shafer, Aliquippa
6. (11k) Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, IN
7. (41) Jason Johnson, Eunice, LA
8. (9) Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK
9. (1s) Logan Schuchart, Hanover
10. (16) Chris Andrews, Sandusky, OH
11. (D4) Danny Holtgraver, Pittsburgh
12. (93) Sheldon Haudenschild, Wooster, OH
13. (w20) Greg Wilson, Benton Ridge, OH
14. (19) Brent Marks, Meyerstown
15. (98) Carl Bowser, Sarver
16. (17). Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH
17. (42) Sye Lynch, Apollo-12.993
18. (13) Clyde Knipp, California, MO
19. (7k) Dan Shetler, Johnstown
20. (4) Parker Price-Miller, Kokomo, IN
21. (40) George Hobaugh Jr
22. (58) Joe Lockhart, Oil City, 14,263
23. (76) Davey Jones, Warrendale
24. (2) AJ Flick, Apollo
25. (7s) Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN
Heat Winners: Shane Stewart, Kraig Kinser, Brad Sweet
Dash Winner: Brad Sweet
B-Main Winner: Jason Sides
Quick Time: Shane Stewart- 12.764
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