David Gravel swept first two World of Outlaws Sprint Car races in doubleheader Supercross 2023: Results and points after Tampa

David Gravel took the World of Outlaws Opening Day win with a pair of wins in the Friday afternoon and evening doubleheaders at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida, and came close to six wins from No. 10 on the all-time win list.

Originally scheduled one day early on Thursday, the Outlaws sprints took on the checkered flag only to see the rain pour in as they went to stretch.

“I really wanted to race last night after how well our car did in the Dash, but now I obviously can’t complain.” This is stated in the Gravel post.. “You never know when you’re racing at the start of the day, so I was a little worried about how it would end up. It’s tough with the equipment so wide open, but Brian Morrison has built a great engine for us.”

Starting fourth in the first part of the day, Gravel advanced quickly to pass Anthony Macri on lap 11. The last 15 laps have been a breeze for Gravel – now he is good, not the one that was flooded with rain. He finished ahead of Michael “Buddy” Kofoyd and led in points in the 2023 Outlaws campaign.

Any concerns Gravel might have had about the two-race engine were quickly put aside. Seven hours later, after waiting out another long puff of rain, Gravel was back on Pobedy Lane.

Gravel beat Kofoid in both races, but in race 2 he had to take a new line to avoid bumps caused by excessive wear.

MORE: Brad Sweet thinks about legacy

“That was strange,” Gravel spoke about his pass for the lead. “I felt like something suddenly changed because the bottom was right for that long green flag run, but the top that used to feel like crap was amazing when relaunched. I don’t know if it was because of the temperature of the tires or maybe the moisture from the fog, but it worked great. I think this rough stuff was enough to topple the car and it bit Buddy as he went down.”

Judging by the numbers, Gravel’s victory was memorable. His 78th win brings him closer to equaling Brad Sweet at 11th on the all-time list. With five more during the season, they will overtake Stevie Smith in 10th place.

Gravel became the second driver to win three consecutive races at Volusia (tied with Steve Kinser in 2010-11), the sixth driver to win a pair of races in the same day, and the seventh to start the season with two consecutive victories. .

A second-place finish in both races may have given Kofoid a great shot at the title in his first season of regular racing with the Outlaws, but it was still a bitter pill to swallow.

“Obviously this rider stings a little more as he actually led the race, but overall it’s a really great result,” said Kofoid. “I have to constantly remind myself that I am new to this place, our team is still relatively young, and yet we are fighting for wins in the World of Outlaws. I hope tomorrow we will have another chance to win those Gators (Volusia trophy).”

Danny Dietrich took the podium in race 1 and Logan Shewhart finished third in race 2.

Last year’s Outlaws Sprint Car champion Brad Sweet finished 19th in race 1 and sixth in race 2. He is now ninth in the standings, 48 ​​points behind first, but there are over 80 races to go in 2023. a lot of time to do it. And he has the opportunity to play some of this Saturday night as the series remains in Volusia for the third night of the three-race stand.

Cooper Webb trailed Chase Sexton throughout the Tampa Supercross race and as Eli Tomac also struggled on Saturday night, the results show a reduction in points as Webb won his first race in 2023 and Sexton finished second.

Webb made a holeshot, but Sexton quickly completed the pass and took the lead on the first lap after another dominant run. Sexton can be forgiven for thinking he could get away from the pack. He could not; Webb stayed close enough to him during the 25 lap race to build up the pressure.

On lap 21, the pressure finally blew off. Driving through the screams on the deteriorating line, Sexton lost traction, began to wobble and couldn’t hold on. He hit the ground with four to go. A couple of riders had enough lead for him to take second place.

RESULTS: Click here to view the full 450 top results; Click here to see top 250 results

Aaron Plessinger had one of his best rides of the season last week. He challenged Tomac on the opening laps in Houston until a red flag and a misaligned start allowed Jason Anderson to pass him. Dropped out of the fight for the win, Plessinger admitted he was losing motivation and dropped to fourth place. He was still bitterly disappointed that he didn’t make the podium. He corrected that mistake in Tampa to get his first Supercross podium since Oakland in the second round last year.

Ken Roczen struggled to finish eighth in Texas last week. He rebounded in Tampa, finishing fourth and earning fourth in the top five in five races in 2023. If Tomac, Sexton and Webb are distracted by their battle, Roczen, who is currently fifth in points, could strike.

Click here to get 450 Heat 1 | Heat 2 | Qualifying Tournament “Last Chance”

As for Tomac, he fought for the second time this season. It was a low point in what could be the start of a rollercoaster ride. After a bad crash two weeks ago at one of the Anaheim 2 Triple Crown races, he won his third 2023 race in Houston.

This momentum did not last long. Tomac looked awkward enough on his bike that he didn’t want to raise the issue in the heat of the moment when he was challenged by Plessinger. In the Tampa Main, he had a poor start in seventh, moving up two spots by lap five, but once he was in fifth, his momentum stalled. He stopped and, taking fifth place, Tomac’s lead on points was reduced to two points over Sexton and four over Webb..

Click here to see top 450 results | Ryder glasses | Glasses manufacturer | Lap table

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For most of the 250 East Main, Hunter Lawrence must have figured he would have to settle for whatever the race had to offer him.

Lawrence had a modest start, placing him in sixth place at the end of the first lap. It took him a long time to get through the field. But at the same time, he slowly reeled in race leader Nate Thrasher until he saw the leader on the same straight in the final laps.

That’s all it took. Over the past half dozen laps, the gap has steadily narrowed, leading to one of the most dramatic results of the 250 season. Congested traffic has played a heavy role. Lawrence did slightly better than Thrasher and on the last lap they touched a little in each of the last two corners. Lawrence came out on top with his second win in two 250 East races.

Thrasher was disappointed after losing the race but couldn’t get too upset because he had taken his first career race win earlier in the night.

Click here to get 250 heat 1 | Heat 2 | Qualifying Tournament “Last Chance”

During the week, Max Anstey kept hearing questions about whether he could back up his podium in Houston with another podium in Tampa. This prompted the 29-year-old Brit to dig deeper and answer in the affirmative. At the end Anstey was 16 seconds behind the leader, but now he owns two podiums in two races in the 250cc class. Those strong runs put him in second place in eight points behind Lawrence.

Another rider with questions around is Danger Boy Hayden Deegan. He finished fourth in his 250m debut in Houston. He was just as surprised by the result as everyone else. Before the Tampa race, he told NBC Sports that he had no expectations. There was no pressure to keep him in the top five in Houston. With a burden on his shoulders, he finished fourth for the second week in a row.

Click here to see top 250 results | 250 Eastern Riders Points | Combined glasses | Lap table

Jeremy Martin rounds out the top five in the 250 East for the second time this season. Since his injury in 2022, he has placed in the top five four times in a row.

Tom Vialle improved his Houston Supercross results by one position to finish sixth in Tampa. It didn’t take long for the European newcomer to get used to the narrow confines of the stadium series.

Results of 2023

Race 4: Eli Tomac and Hunter Lawrence win
Race 3: Chase Sexton, Levi Kitchen wins
Race 2: Tomac and Jett Lawrence win
Round 1: Tomac, Lawrence win

2023 supermotocross ranking

Week 4: Eli Tomac regains the lead
Week 3: Ken Roczen takes first place
Week 2: Roczen moves up; Chase Sexton falls
Week 1: Tomac reaches 450; Jett Lawrence 250s