Gravel wins $300,000 at High Bank Nationals – Two-time defending WoO champion hears boos in Victory Lane

David Gravel won Saturday’s Huset’s High Bank Nationals, pocketing $300,000 for the effort. The payout is the largest in World of Outlaws history, and the second highest in sprint car racing history. 

Gravel started on the pole position and led wire-to-wire in the 40-lap event, and was never really challenged. That’s obviously partly because of Gravel’s quick race car, but also because after four days of racing, the track surface began to take on rubber about midway through the race, making things very difficult to pass as all 24 cars were running the same groove. 

‘Taking on rubber’ is a phenomenon that often happens on dirt racing surfaces throughout the country. It’s especially difficult to avoid after four days of constant sprint car pounding as the surface struggles to contain moisture, slicks off and actual rubber forms to the race track, which creates a single groove. That wasn’t the case on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for the High Banks as multiple cars battled for positions throughout the field.

Not that Gravel was complaining. The single groove on Saturday offered him the ability to check out from the start, cruising to the six-digit payday. 

“Gotta thank Tod Quiring, man,” Gravel said in Victory Lane about the Huset’s Speedway owner. “He puts so much money into this sport.” 

Before Gravel climbed from his car and made his way to Victory Lane, he got congratulatory hugs from his wife and children. His son, Levi, joined him on top of the No. 2 race-winning wing as confetti engulfed the pair. 

After answering a few general questions from infield track announcer Conner Wade in Victory Lane, a shower of boos came down from the packed grandstands.

“I love the people booing because I still got a lot longer to be here, so get used to it,” Gravel said.

That was met with a large affirmative applause, with a few boos still mixed in.

The displeasure with Gravel is likely a combination of his winning ways – he’s now won 126 WoO features including two High Bank Nationals – and his back-and-forth feuding with Kyle Larson, a popular sprint car, NASCAR, and parttime IndyCar driver. 

Larson and Gravel exchanged social media posts following an incident at last year’s Kings Royal race at Eldora Speedway. That public feuding and social media exchanges has obviously stuck with many racing fans who follow Larson.

“When my name gets called, the most noise gets talked about, and I love it,” Gravel also said in Victory Lane on Saturday, as the boos continued. “I love the haters, I love the fans. We have so many DGR fans. Everybody that wore those arm bands this weekend, everybody at the merch trailer, thank you very, very much. I tried to do stuff in the community this week. If you don’t like me, then sorry to you.”

The feature race was stopped with 16 laps remaining when Kasey Jedrzejek and Chris Martin crashed in Turn 1, right in front of Gravel who was closing in on the lapped cars.

Both cars flipped into the turn with Jedrzejek getting the worst of it. Midway through his series of flips, the tail tank end of the car made a hard impact with the outside concrete wall. Jedrzejek remained in the car for eight minutes before rescue crews were able to extract him. He walked from the incident but was later taken to Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls for observation. He was released on Sunday morning and according to a Facebook post from his race team, the WoO Rookie of the Year contender suffered soreness and bruising but is expected to make a full recovery.

With the incident happening right in front of Gravel, it could have derailed his run at $300,000, but the race leader was able to avoid it. Gravel was also nearly involved in a wicked crash last July at Eldora that sidelined Tyler Courtney for the remainder of the season with a broken vertebrae in his back. Courtney returned to racing in February and finished second on Saturday to Gravel.

In Victory Lane, Gravel seemed less concerned about the prize money, and more about the condition of his fellow driver Jedrzejek during his post-race interview.

“I hope Kasey’s OK,” Gravel said. “When shit like that happens…I had a front row seat when Tyler got hurt at Eldora last year. I saw Kasey fly through the sky (on Saturday) and I hit my brakes as soon as possible and definitely tried to stop before the wreck. When you have kids, wins are great, the money is great, but having your health, having your family around you during these good times. I wish my parents were here. I love you guys.”

The boos seemed to subside at that moment.

“All the hate and stuff in the world, man, we just gotta be thankful that we’re here,” he said. “We’re not here for a long time. Glad it was a packed house here tonight. Appreciate you guys supporting this event.”

World of Outlaws and Huset’s officials announced that the High Bank Nationals will return in 2027. The dates are scheduled for June 23-26.

The World of Outlaws return one more time to Brandon this year for the three-day Huset’s Shootout from Sept. 4-6 to close out the season.