DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript
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This Kyle Larson-David Gravel bad blood isn't going away any time soon | Daily 7-24-2025
This sudden bad blood between Kyle Larson and David Gravel is adding just a little bit of unexpected spice to the biggest part of the sprint car season, and this story isn't going to go away. We'll talk about it, plus Danny Dietrich mad, the PDC is here, and a lot more. Let's go!
It's Thursday, July 24th, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily presented by Kubota Genuine Parts.
Today's Daily show is being supported by our friends at American Table & The P.O. Box, two unique dining experiences not far from Knoxville Raceway. This Saturday night, July 26th, kicks off a very busy two week stretch at Knoxville, with a weekly show that will draw a lot of teams. That will be followed by the 360 Nationals that start next Thursday. We'll then get the Capitani Classic, and Knoxville Nationals the following week. When you're in the area for the races, check out American Table & The P.O. Box. They proudly support the racing community, and their historic location in Oskaloosa, Iowa offers two dining options under one roof. Inside the beautifully restored Post Office that was built in 1902, you'll find an elevated experience upstairs with American Table, and downstairs you've got The PO Box serving up crave-worthy comfort food, cold drinks, and a cozy vibe. Whether you're refueling after the races or grabbing a bite before heading to the track, they've got a spot for you! Find them at 206 North Market Street in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and visit them online at americantablerestaurant.com.
After last night's World of Outlaws sprint car show at BAPS Motor Speedway, David Gravel got interviewed by Sprint Car Unlimited's Jeremy Elliott, and Gravel used it as an opportunity to continue the conversation about the run-in last week at Eldora with Kyle Larson. You can see his comments for yourself over on Jeremy's YouTube channel. This situation seems like it's been building for a while, with the previous Cody Jacobs comments towards Brad Sweet and High Limit. We then had Gravel DQ'd at Eldora for the nose wing infraction. Then Gravel and Larson going at it on Friday at the Knight Before, trading sliders, and the two coming together on the cool down lap. Larson ended up spun off the front of Gravel's car, and the two parked next to each other having words. The conversation then continued in the World of Outlaws command center trailer, and barbs were traded on social media. Barring a surprise Larson appearance somewhere, we won't likely see these two on track together again until the Knoxville Nationals, but this bad blood between them is something that will definitely be an undercurrent of that event. Larson has won three of the last four Nationals titles, and Gravel is looking for his first since 2019. Gravel finished second two years in a row for 2022 and 2023, one of those behind Larson. But he had issues last year and was left battling all week to get back into the mix. Through the grapevine over the years, I've heard that a big reason why Tod Quiring hired David Gravel is he wanted to win a Knoxville Nationals, and every year that doesn't happen, there is likely just a bit more added pressure to deliver. Both Larson and Gravel seem to elicit strong reactions from some fans, with both at times taking heat, and I think it's interesting that we've gotten to this point with these two drivers. Gravel admitted they were friends, and talked about going to each other's weddings. And I don't know that I would have guessed that our biggest rivalry and bad blood situation between two drivers in 2025 was going to come from this pair. If it was going to happen between a couple of drivers though, this might be our best case scenario as sprint car fans. Nobody has won more 410 sprint car races over the last two years than David Gravel. And nobody has a better win percentage than Kyle Larson. For modern sprint car racing, this is about as big a "clash of the titans" vibe as we can get. And heading into the biggest event of the season, no less. The Gravel detractors like to point towards Larson always beating him in races, head to head, and looking into some stats, they do favor Larson. But maybe by not as much as you'd think. Looking at just World of Outlaws events going back to 2017, I show them racing together in features 109 times. Larson has finished ahead of Gravel 66 times, and Gravel has finished ahead of Larson 43 times. The numbers are more skewed for 2025, with Larson beating Gravel 10 of 12 times in Outlaw shows this year. In High Limit competition, the two drivers have faced off five total times going back to 2023, with Gravel having the edge there at three to two. For some comparison, Larson is 77 to 35 against Brad Sweet in that same span with the Outlaws, and Larson is 64 to 48 against Donny Schatz. I don't think either side needs any more motivation to go out and win, but I'm here for this storyline. And there are so many subplots with just this one rivalry. It's High Limit versus Outlaws. Some Sweet vs. Gravel sprinkled in. Racing for wins and cash versus a championship and full time contender. So many ways to go. But, Gravel and Larson at odds. Jacobs and Silva jawing at each other. And we'll be here ready with a tub full of popcorn.
At BAPS last night, Gravel led the first six laps from the pole, but the surging Anthony Macri was too much. Gravel tried to keep him honest through traffic, but it was all Macri to the end. Two Outlaw wins in a row now for Macri, including the Kings Royal, and he and Joe Mooney rolling heading into this weekend at Williams Grove. Bill Balog also on the night's podium. Posse and Posse-adjacent drivers taking up four spots in the top ten. We did have some drama last night after Danny Dietrich went for a big ride on the frontstretch. After the crash, he had some choice words for the restart situation in an interview with DIRTVision's Connor Wade. He then got into a confrontation with Shark Racing crew guys, as he was upset with Logan Schuchart. There has been a smattering of comments lately about how restarts are going in some of these sprint car shows, with the focus more towards the middle and back of the field. We've seen guys penalized for jumping starts and restarts, but it's almost always at the front. We rarely see cars get dinged for jumping when they start further back, and apparently that's where things are getting crazy. Dietrich was upset about that, and then he got set off by the crash. It's maybe an area where track and series officials can put a heavier focus. Outlaw teams are off today, and racing at the Grove starts Friday.
The Prairie Dirt Classic week is off and running, and last night it was Bobby Pierce striking first at Fairbury. He battled out front with Ryan Unzicker and Ricky Thornton Jr., before pulling away late to earn FloRacing Night in America win number three on the season. RTJ and Jonathan Davenport on the podium as well. Pierce also extending his grip on the Flo series championship with four races still to go. It was definitely usual suspects by the end, but we did see Unzicker run well, and Jason Feger and Shannon Babb in the top ten. I was a bit surprised Brandon Sheppard didn't run better than 11th. Fairbury is quiet today, with things starting back up on Friday for PDC prelim action. Saturday night is $50,000 to win, and I'm sure the elbows will be out.
Other late model action coming up this weekend includes three more Southern Nationals races, there is also the Southern Thunder series in Alabama, weekly racing at a bunch of tracks, and $10,000 to win at East Alabama.
Besides the Outlaws at Williams Grove and Weedsport, your open wheel options for the next few days are plentiful. That includes the start of Indiana Sprint Week for the USAC National Sprint Cars. On the line is the rocking chair and $25,000 to the champion. Logan Seavey is the defending sprint week champion. Tonight, the sprint cars hit the tight confines of the Dirt Track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The invitational event gets things going, but does not pay sprint week points. The championship starts Friday at Lincoln Park. The rest of the slate includes Kokomo, Lawrenceburg, Circle City, Terre Haute, Bloomington, and Haubstadt. As a quick reset, Kyle Cummins has been melting faces this year in the sprint car, and he leads the season long title chase by 87 points over Justin Grant. Grant and Cummins each with six victories. There is also IRA, AFCS, FAST, NOSA, NARC, and POWRi action coming up. And I think Knoxville could draw a big field on Saturday. This will be the final chance to tune up before the 360 and 410 Nationals. Brent Marks was the only High Limit driver to race with the Outlaws last night, and I'd bet some of those teams will go to Knoxville Saturday instead of sticking around PA.
To keep up with your streaming options all weekend, stop by dirtrackr.com/watchtonight.
We are going to call it good right there for the week.
Hope you guys have a great Thursday out there, we'll see you back here on Sunday!