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GRAVEL WINS 2019 KNOXVILLE NATIONALS

David Gravel celebrates his Knoxville Nationals win - Photo: Richard Hathaway

By Bruce Williams

David Gravel celebrates his Knoxville Nationals win - Photo: Richard Hathaway

David Gravel celebrates his Knoxville Nationals win – Photo: Richard Hathaway

David Gravel has grabbed his first win at the Knoxville Nationals and it was a very emotional one.

By GEOFF ROUNDS

In what was a storybook ending, Gravel repeated the efforts of former team owner and 2016 Nationals champion Jason Johnson who died last year due to injuries sustained in a wreck while racing at Beaver Dam Raceway in Wisconsin.

His widow Bobbi decided to keep Jason Johnson Racing going, and Gravel was selected to fill the seat. The choice has paid off in spades, as Gravel and Johnson’s young son Jaxx, celebrated together on the podium.

He showed patience from grid position three and once he took the lead from front runners Aaron Reutzel and Joey Saldana on lap 13 he zoomed away with ease to win by three seconds from Logan Schuchart who raced from 22nd to second and veteran star racer Daryn Pittman in third.

Australia was again well represented at the Nationals with James McFadden proving again his superb talents finishing eighth after starting 19th and a pre-race engine change for the Kasey Kahne machine.

Preliminary Night winner Kerry Madsen came home in 11th - Photo: Richard Hathaway

Preliminary Night winner Kerry Madsen came home in 11th – Photo: Richard Hathaway

Hard Knox Preliminary Night winner Kerry Madsen came home in 11th from 21st and his brother Ian, who was on the pace all week ended the night in 15th.

In front of a full house of 22,000 which included Australian Formula One ace Mark Webber, Gravel, who has also raced in Australia in recent years, took firm control in the very fast #41 Sprintcar after the mid-race fuel stop in a win that built all week.

He won the Capitani Classic, Preliminary night, and now the 59th Nationals.

“I’ve won some races here and all I wanted was the chance. It’s been a dream week. Brad Sweet killed it last year and we kind of repeated what he did. It just feels amazing and I’m numb. It sinks in after the chequers and feels like you’ve got boulders on your shoulders. It’s really surreal, it doesn’t feel real at all,” Gravel said.

Schuchart and Pittman hung within reach for a bit — but they were merely fighting for second.

In rare fashion, it was a rough night for track veteran Donny Schatz. The 10-time winner first needed a B-main runner-up finish to qualify 18th for the feature event. He then found trouble early in the A-main, exiting to the pits on lap six with a throttle linkage and mud issue. He remained on the lead lap at the back of the pack, and ultimately finished ninth.

It marks the first time since 2005 that Schatz didn’t finish at least second at the Knoxville Nationals. Defending champion Brad Sweet finished sixth.
Sweet relished Victory Lane last season, and Gravel followed suit Saturday night. With Jeff Gordon in attendance — the former NASCAR star was instrumental in bringing sponsor Axalta to the winning No. 41 and he tasted victory in the sport that helped him on the road to Motorsport stardom.

Earlier in final qualifying South Australian Scott Bogucki missed moving into the A Main and after a solid Nationals run finished eighth in the last chance B Main.

Rusty Hickman of Bendigo, who was making his Nationals debut, finished 17th in the C Main along with fellow first-timer Marcus Dumesny rolled out of the same race and in 22nd.

Multiple Aussie Sprintcar champion Brooke Tatnell finished fifth in the D Main and said, “it’s been our worse Nationals ever.” Glen Seville was seventh in the E Main and Brodie Tulloch was ninth.

2019 Knoxville Nationals A-Main Results

1st David Gravel
2nd Logan Schuchart
3rd Daryn Pittman
4th Tim Kaeding
5th Aaron Reutzel
6th Brad Sweet
7th Sheldon Haudenschild
8th James McFadden
9th Donny Schatz
10th Gio Scelzi
11th Kerry Madsen
12th Shane Stewart
13th Cory Eliason
14th Joey Saldana
15th Ian Madsen
16th Parker Price-Miller
17th Brent Marks
18th Matt Juhl
19th Trey Starks
20th Paul McMahan
21st Tim Shaffer
22nd Rico Abreu
23rd Lance Dewease
24th Dominic Scelzi

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