Consistency produces success in any form of motorsports. For the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, consistency can be difficult to master with 70-plus races spanning more than 10 months of the year.
That consistency looked to be in David Gravel’s favor last season, after 60 top-10 finishes in the 69 races run topped the full-time drivers on the tour.
Though aboard the No. 2 for Big Game Motorsports, Gravel fell 48 points short of Kasey Kahne Racing’s Brad Sweet in the battle for the championship.
However, Gravel heads into the new year with a refined focus. The 30-year-old is set to embark on his 10th full-time season with the Greatest Show on Dirt, one he feels is hard to believe.
“I’m 30 now so I’m not a young kid anymore. I was rookie of the year in 2013, so this will be, shoot, it’s going to be my 10th year,” Gravel told SPEED SPORT. “That’s pretty crazy.”
Through his 10 full seasons of Outlaw competition, Gravel has 76 career victories, 12th on the all-time wins list.
However, a title still eludes the Watertown, Conn., driver.
Heading into this season, Gravel’s extensive experience has helped mold his mindset. A mindset that many may consider to be a champion’s approach.
“I feel like I’ve just grown to learn how to run where I’m supposed to that night,” Gravel said. “Not pushing hard and not forcing things when it’s not there. Not crashing when it’s not worth it.
“If I’m a fifth place car, I’m going to run fifth that night. Maybe I could’ve took a big chance to run fourth. But I know I could live another day and go for it the next night. I feel like I’ve just been learning to be consistent.”
Gravel on track at Pennsylvania’s Williams Grove last season. (Brad Hoffman Photo)
Gravel’s steady approach has been apparent over the past several seasons, which includes points finishes of third four times and second the past two seasons.
As he reflected on his growth, the 2017 season came to mind, where winning the second-most races didn’t result in a title.
“I look back at the CJB (Motorsports) days when I won 18 races and still ran third in points,” Gravel said. “It’s great to win those 18 races, but what happened in those all those other nights that didn’t go well?
“I think as you mature you get smarter. You’ve kind of been there, done that and then you just adapt and you learn how to adapt better the more you race.”
Another key to title hunting is chemistry. For Gravel, it’ll be his third season with Big Game Motorsports, where he’s slowly been able to develop a good dynamic with his team.
Last season had its ebbs and flows for Big Game Motorsports early on, however after two victories during the King’s Royal at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, Gravel and crew chief Cody Jacobs began to find that rhythm as a duo.
“We just understand each other better,” Gravel said. “You never want it to be a blame game like, ‘Oh, it’s your fault because the car wasn’t good, or it was your fault because you screwed up on the track.’
“You don’t need to take that to heart at any time. It’s all for the greater good and to run well. I feel like we know where we stand, we know we want to run up front. We grew from that.”
Gravel and Jacobs will look to continue building chemistry when the World of Outlaws lifts the lid on the new season later this week at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park for the annual DIRTcar Nationals.
Gravel hopes to replicate the No. 2 team’s performance from last year, where they scored a feature win and the coveted Big Gator Championship.
“Definitely looking forward to going back,” Gravel said. “We believe in our engine program, I think we have the best running engines in the country. As long as me and Cody communicate well, like we’ve been doing the last part of the year, I think it’ll be a good week for us.”
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Keyword: Gravel On 10th Full Season: ‘As You Mature You Get Smarter’