David Gravel Emerges Victorious For Second Career Capitani Classic Win At Knoxville

Story By: BILL WRIGHT / KNOXVILLE RACEWAY – KNOXVILLE, IA – For the second time in his career, David Gravel topped the Fatheadz Eyewear Capitani Classic Presented by Great Southern Bank.

The Watertown, Connecticut native earned $8,000 aboard the Big Game Motorsports #2 in the last test before next week’s Knoxville Nationals. Gravel last won the Capitani Classic in 2019 and followed that up with a win at the “Granddaddy of them all” the following week.

Before a lap could be completed in the 25-lap main event, Hunter Schuerenberg slowed with ignition issues. Once green, Cory Eliason led the field ahead of Donny Schatz, Gravel, Justin Henderson and Sheldon Haudenschild.

Schatz reeled in the leader and briefly challenged Eliason for the lead on lap eight, but soon Gravel was in pursuit of the runner-up spot, and took that from Schatz as traffic entered the picture on lap 12.

As the lapped car of Kasey Kahne emerged, Eliason chose the cushion, while Gravel chose the low side. The split of Kahne resulted in Gravel taking the lead to complete lap 13.

Behind the leaders, Schatz and Henderson were in pursuit, with Haudenschild taking the fourth spot with just five laps to go. The race changed greatly back in the pack when Carson Macedo did a 360 spin while running eighth with four laps to go.

Gravel led Eliason, Schatz, Haudenschild and Henderson back to green. Kerry Madsen was a big mover, gaining fifth on the restart, and taking fourth from Haudenschild on the white flag lap.

Gravel was never headed in the bottom groove, and earned his ninth career win here. Eliason, Schatz, Madsen and Haudenschild trailed. Brian Brown, Davey Heskin, Henderson, James McFadden and Macedo rounded out the top ten.

Eliason and Schatz set quick time in their respective groups, and Heskin, Roger Crockett, Brad Sweet, Brown, McFadden and Gio Scelzi won heat races. Spencer Bayston and Parker Price-Miller won B mains.

Eliason was paid $2,000 for topping the T-Mobile Pole Shuffle, a series of seven two-car two-lap match races.

“We felt good here,” said Gravel in Victory Lane. “I feel like I’m pretty good around the bottom, and that was the best groove tonight. I kind of screwed up in that Pole Shuffle, but I knew if I started up front, I was going to have a chance. It felt good passing Donny, and Cory was really fast. Once I was able to get by (lapped car) Paul McMahan there, and kind of get some clear track. I just thought the bottom was the dominant place, and I felt if I went high, I was leaving the door open for someone else.”

The 60th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals Presented by Casey’s commences Wednesday, August 11 and continues through Saturday, August 14.

10th Annual Fatheadz Eyewear Capitani Classic Presented by Great Southern Bank Results

Time Trials Group #1 (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 26, Cory Eliason, Visalia, CA (5), 15.368; 2. 11M, Spencer Bayston, Lebanon, IN (2), 15.405; 3. 17, Sheldon Haudenschild, Wooster, OH (8), 15.440; 4. 71, Shane Stewart, Bixby, OK (29), 15.442; 5. 7, Justin Henderson, Tea, SD (9), 15.541; 6. 14, Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Aust. (14), 15.583; 7. 56N, Davey Heskin, St. Michael, MN (11), 15.603; 8. 11, Roger Crockett, Broken Arrow, OK (26), 15.611; 9. 49S, Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, CA (23), 15.617; 10. 17W, Shane Golobic, Fremont, CA (30), 15.708; 11. 7BC, Tyler Courtney, Indianapolis, IN (19), 15.770; 12. 22, Riley Goodno, Knoxville, IA (15), 15.771; 13. 42, Sye Lynch, Apollo, PA (28), 15.790; 14. 9T, Kasey Kahne, Enumclaw, WA (32), 15.820; 15. 2KS, Chad Kemenah, Alvada, OH (7), 15.841; 16. 39, Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK (24), 15.904; 17. 5, Presley Truedson, Kennedy, MN (4), 15.926; 18. 3Z, Brock Zearfoss, Jonestown, PA (13), 15.938; 19. 55, McKenna Haase, Des Moines, IA (18), 15.945; 20. 17A, Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA (25), 15.947; 21. 40, Clint Garner, Sioux Falls, SD (16), 15.981; 22. 48, Danny Dietrich, Gettysburg, PA (31), 16.024; 23. 101, Cale Thomas, Fairland, IN (22), 16.034; 24. 20G, Noah Gass, Mounds, OK (27), 16.035; 25. 11N, Harli White, Lindsay, OK (1), 16.079; 26. 11TK, Tim Kaeding, San Jose, CA (20), 16.142; 27. 11T, TJ Stutts, Liverpool, PA (10), 16.161; 28. 7TAZ, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (12), 16.236; 29. 91, Kyle Reinhardt, Neptune City, NJ (17), 16.321; 30. 15, Bobby Mincer, Burlington, IA (6), 16.410; 31. 14K, Tori Knutson, Monticello, MN (33), 16.524; 32. 24, Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA (3), NT; 33. 27, Carson McCarl, Altoona, IA (21), NT

Time Trials Group #2 (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 15X, Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND (5), 15.426; 2. 2, David Gravel, Watertown, CT (16), 15.595; 3. 18, Gio Scelzi, Fresno, CA (28), 15.678; 4. 21, Brian Brown, Grain Valley, MO (18), 15.707; 5. 9J, James McFadden, Alice Springs, NT, Aust. (27), 15.822; 6. 5X, Parker Price-Miller, Kokomo, IN (17), 15.835; 7. 5M, Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN (9), 15.866; 8. 55V, Hunter Schuerenberg, Sikeston, MO (8), 15.867; 9. 17X, Josh Baughman, Odessa, TX (30), 15.888; 10. 41, Carson Macedo, Lemoore, CA (15), 15.906; 11. 3, Ayrton Gennetten, Gravois Mills, MO (3), 15.995; 12. 13, Justin Peck, Monrovia, IN (14), 16.031; 13. 09, Matt Juhl, Tea, SD (19), 16.049; 14. 20, AJ Moeller, Rockwell City, IA (21), 16.070; 15. 2C, Wayne Johnson, Tuttle, OK (31), 16.075; 16. 83, Lynton Jeffrey, Sydney, NSW, Aust. (4), 16.079; 17. 19, Brent Marks, Myerstown, PA (2), 16.097; 18. 9, Ryan Giles, Grimes, IA (10), 16.121; 19. 3P, Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (13), 16.165; 20. 15H, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX (6), 16.238; 21. 25, Scott Bogucki, McLaren Vale, SA, Aust. (23), 16.242; 22. N47, Marcus Dumesny, Sydney, NSW, Aust. (20), 16.245; 23. 70, Sammy Swindell, Lakeland, TN (26), 16.288; 24. 18R, Ryan Roberts, Aurora, NE (11), 16.292; 25. 44, Chris Martin, Ankeny, IA (12), 16.315; 26. 7W, Dustin Selvage, Indianola, IA (25), 16.456; 27. 07, Skylar Gee, Leduc, ALB, Can. (1), 16.469; 28. 83T, Tanner Carrick, Lincoln, CA (24), 16.473; 29. 55K, Robbie Kendall, Catonsville, MD (29), 16.686; 30. 7C, John Carney II, El Paso, TX (7), 16.716; 31. 56, Joe Simbro, Pleasantville, IA (22), 16.965; 32. 53, Jessie Attard, Landilo, NSW, Aust. (32), NT.

Heat one (started), 8 Laps, NT: 1. Davey Heskin (2); 2. Shane Golobic (1); 3. Cory Eliason (4) / 4. Daryn Pittman (6); 5. Shane Stewart (3); 6. Tasker Phillips (10); 7. Danny Dietrich (8); 8. McKenna Haase (5); 9. Tori Knutson (9); 10. Harli White (7) DNS – Sye Lynch

Heat two (started), 8 Laps, 2:10.7: 1. Roger Crockett (2); 2. Justin Henderson (3); 3. Tyler Courtney (1) / 4. Austin McCarl (7); 5. Spencer Bayston (4); 6. Cale Thomas (8); 7. Kasey Kahne (5); 8. Tim Kaeding (9); 9. Presley Truedson (6); 10. Kyle Reinhardt (10)

Heat three (started), 8 Laps, 2:10.7: 1. Brad Sweet (2); 2. Kerry Madsen (3); 3. Sheldon Haudenschild (4) / 4. Brock Zearfoss (6); 5. Riley Goodno (1); 6. Clint Garner (7); 7. Chad Kemenah (5); 8. Noah Gass (8); 9. TJ Stutts (9) DNS – Bobby Mincer

Heat four (started), 8 Laps, 2:10.6: 1. Brian Brown (3); 2. Carson Macedo (1); 3. Donny Schatz (4) / 4. Paul McMahan (2); 5. Marcus Dumesny (8); 6. Chris Martin (7); 7. Matt Juhl (5); 8. Lynton Jeffrey (6); 9. Joe Simbro (9); 10. Tanner Carrick (10) DNS – Sawyer Phillips

Heat five (started), 8 Laps, NT: 1. James McFadden (3); 2. David Gravel (4); 3. Hunter Schuerenberg (2) / 4. Brent Marks (6); 5. Sammy Swindell (8); 6. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5); 7. Dustin Selvage (7); 8. Robbie Kendall (9); 9. Ayrton Gennetten (1) DNS – AJ Moeller

Heat six (started), 8 Laps, NT: 1. Gio Scelzi (4); 2. Justin Peck (1); 3. Josh Baughman (2) / 4. John Carney II (10); 5. Parker Price-Miller (3); 6. Wayne Johnson (5); 7. Ryan Giles (6); 8. Ryan Roberts (8); 9. Scott Bogucki (7); 10. Skylar Gee (9)

T-Mobile $2,000 Pole Shuffle

Pole Shuffle #1 (started), 2 Laps, :33.5: 1. Brian Brown (2); 2. Kerry Madsen (1)

Pole Shuffle #2 (started), 2 Laps, :32.6: 1. Gio Scelzi (1); 2. Brian Brown (2)

Pole Shuffle #3 (started), 2 Laps, :33.2: 1. Justin Henderson (1); 2. Gio Scelzi (2)

Pole Shuffle #4 (started), 2 Laps, :33.9: 1. Justin Henderson (2); 2. David Gravel (1)

Pole Shuffle #5 (started), 2 Laps, :33.4: 1. Justin Henderson (2); 2. Sheldon Haudenschild (1)

Pole Shuffle #6 (started), 2 Laps, :32.6: 1. Donny Schatz (1); 2. Justin Henderson (2)

Pole Shuffle Final (started), 2 Laps, :33.6: 1. Cory Eliason (1); 2. Donny Schatz (2)

B main #1 (started), 12 Laps, NT: 1. Spencer Bayston (1); 2. Kasey Kahne (4); 3. Shane Stewart (2) / 4. Daryn Pittman (6); 5. Austin McCarl (8); 6. Chad Kemenah (5); 7. Clint Garner (9); 8. McKenna Haase (7); 9. Riley Goodno (3); 10. Cale Thomas (11); 11. Kyle Reinhardt (17); 12. Tasker Phillips (14); 13. Noah Gass (10); 14. Tori Knutson (16); 15. Tim Kaeding (12); 16. TJ Stutts (15); 17. Harli White (13) DNS – Presley Truedson, Brock Zearfoss, Danny Dietrich, Bobby Mincer, Sye Lynch, Carson McCarl, Terry McCarl

B main #2 (started), 12 Laps, 3:29.7: 1. Parker Price-Miller (1); 2. Paul McMahan (2); 3. Brent Marks (7) / 4. Ayrton Gennetten (3); 5. Scott Bogucki (11); 6. Matt Juhl (4); 7. Marcus Dumesny (10); 8. Ryan Roberts (12); 9. John Carney II (18); 10. Dustin Selvage (14); 11. Ryan Giles (8); 12. Chris Martin (15); 13. Skylar Gee (17); 14. Tanner Carrick (16); 15. Wayne Johnson (5); 16. Sawyer Phillips (9); 17. Lynton Jeffrey (6); 18. Joe Simbro (20); 19. Robbie Kendall (19); 20. Sammy Swindell (13) DNS – Sam Hafertepe Jr., AJ Moeller, Jessie Attard

A main (started), 25 Laps, NT: 1. David Gravel (5); 2. Cory Eliason (1); 3. Donny Schatz (2); 4. Kerry Madsen (8); 5. Sheldon Haudenschild (4); 6. Brian Brown (7); 7. Davey Heskin (9); 8. Justin Henderson (3); 9. James McFadden (10); 10. Carson Macedo (16); 11. Brad Sweet (13); 12. Justin Peck (18); 13. Shane Stewart (23); 14. Spencer Bayston (19); 15. Brent Marks (24); 16. Shane Golobic (15); 17. Tyler Courtney (17); 18. Roger Crockett (11); 19. Parker Price-Miller (20); 20. Kasey Kahne (21); 21. Paul McMahan (22); 22. Josh Baughman (14); 23. Gio Scelzi (6); 24. Hunter Schuerenberg (12). Lap Leaders: Eliason 1-12, Gravel 13-25. Hard-charger: Stewart.