Gravel turns back Larson, Schatz to win Brad Doty Classic

ATTICA — David Gravel has had the best World of Outlaws car all year, and that continued Tuesday night. Gravel, from Watertown, Connecticut, grabbed the lead on Lap 26 and went on to win a caution-filled 36th Brad Doty Classic at Attica Raceway Park. It was Gravel's 10th Outlaws win in 35 starts this year. He leads the points race as the circuit heads to Eldora Speedway for a couple big-money events this weekend. "I was biding my time running a lot of different lines trying to figure out the best line I could use to get the lead," Gravel said. There were seven yellow flags in the 40-lap A-Main, including two on the first lap. "There were way too many," Gravel said. "It was hard to get in a rhythm. It was getting slicker and slicker every lap." The race ended close to 10 p.m. as inclement weather threatened to hit the area. On Lap 26, the cars came to a halt in turns 3 and 4 to refuel as many in the crowd yelled, "Go! Go!" Gravel extended his lead on the final restart as two-time defending race champion Kyle Larson slid off the track on the backstretch for a couple seconds, costing him valuable position. "I wish I could have that last restart back," said Larson, who won the Doty in 2020, 2022 and 2023. "I knew all I could do was blitz the top. Gravel was really good. I got my right rear hung off the ledge and fell back to fourth and battled Carson (Macedo) and Corey (Day) to get back to third. "I was hoping for another caution to reset. My car felt pretty good early but got kind of off in the middle. It got better later but messed up that restart." Larson is winless in four World of Outlaws starts this year. Gravel took his first lead on Lap 17 and worked his way through lapped traffic down the stretch to clinch the $15,000 first prize. He is the sixth multi-time winner at the Doty, which debuted in 1989. Gravel also won in 2017. Donny Schatz, who has won a record four Dotys, finished second with a bent front wing. He started inside on Row 6. "I'm surprised we didn't change the nose wing but that's not my call," Schatz said. "It really didn't effect it like everyone thinks. We're not on the gas that hard here and there are parts of the race track where it would help. Ultimately I think I would have liked to have had it there to see what would have happened, but all and all a good effort." Larson settled for third while Carson Macedo, who started on the pole and led early, took fourth and Day was fifth. Fan favorite Sheldon Haudenschild from Wooster, Ohio, got caught up in a wreck on Lap 1 after finishing second a year ago. Haudenschild, who started on the outside of Row 4, took a brief visit to the pits and returned to start in last place. He finished eighth. Logan Schuchart, who ran as high as second, came to a complete stop on the backstretch on Lap 26 after flames were seen under his car. Meanwhile, Fremont's Zeth Sabo's car stalled on the frontstretch. Sabo, the only area driver to make the 24-car A-Main, finished 19th after starting in Row 6. A total of 46 sprint cars showed up for the second Outlaws show of the season at Attica. Doty, a former World of Outlaws star who won 18 races on the top sprint car circuit, has been co-promoter of the race since 2005 — the year the Outlaws began sanctioning the race. He was paralyzed in 1988 after a wreck at Eldora Speedway and the race was started the next year in his honor. Tuesday's event at Attica was the first of three big Outlaws shows in Ohio this week. The series moves to Eldora Speedway for races on Friday and Saturday, which pays $175,000 to win. Sandusky's Chris Andrews won the C-Main after starting on the outside of Row 1. Andrews and Castalia's Larry Kingseed Jr. were comfortably running 1-2 when the yellow flag came out on Lap 9 of the 10-lap race. Andrews kept his position to transfer to the B-Main, but Kingseed dropped to third behind Kelby Watt from Adel, Iowa, ending his night. "Yellows are never good," Andrews said. "They reset the field, the tires cool off. (Winning the C-Main was) nothing to brag about." Andrews finished 11th in the B-Main to end his night one race short of the A-Main. "We did not want to end it in the B-Main," he said. "We weren't good in qualifying and the heat (finished ninth) did not go well. It's a tough group. (The Outlaws) do this for a living." Joel Myers Jr. won the Last Chance Showdown while Fremont's D.J. Foos took sixth. Four California drivers won the four heat races, all from the pole. Giovanni Scelzi won the first heat after winning the Simpson Quick Time Award in qualifying with a lap of 13.221 seconds. Carson Macedo won the second heat, Larson took the third heat and Michael Kofoid won the fourth. Cap Henry from Republic had a fast car in qualifying (ninth, 13.697) but didn't make it through the first heat race, finishing 12th after mechanical issues. Foos took sixth in the second heat. Sandusky drivers Andrews and Luke Griffith finished ninth and 12th, respectively, in the third heat. In the fourth heat, Fremont's Sabo finished third — the best showing among area drivers in the heats. Kingseed Jr. finished ninth in the fourth heat, one slot ahead of Findlay teen Bryce Lucius. ----- NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps; starting position in parentheses) 1. 2-David Gravel[2]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz[11]; 3. 57-Kyle Larson[3]; 4. 41-Carson Macedo[1]; 5. 14-Corey Day[5]; 6. 83-Michael Kofoid[7]; 7. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[4]; 8. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[8]; 9. 25-Daison Pursley[10]; 10. 26-Zeb Wise[15]; 11. 23-Cale Thomas[23]; 12. 5T-Ryan Timms[19]; 13. 28M-Conner Morrell[20]; 14. 11N-Kasey Jedrzejek[18]; 15. 9-Trey Jacobs[22]; 16. 15K-Creed Kemenah[13]; 17. 19H-Joel Myers Jr[21]; 18. 1S-Logan Schuchart[6]; 19. 29-Zeth Sabo[12]; 20. 97-Cole Macedo[24]; 21. 101-Kalib Henry[16]; 22. W20-Greg Wilson[17]; 23. 22-Brandon Spithaler[14]; 24. 99-Skylar Gee[9]