If not for the availability of Kyle Larson in the aftermath of his suspension in 2020, one of the top World of Outlaws Sprint Car contenders very well could have made it to the NASCAR Cup Series with Hendrick Motorsports by now instead.
Jeff Gordon, who is now the executive vice chairman of Hendrick, attended the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals back in 2019 and struck a friendship with David Gravel, one of the rising stars in 410 Sprint Cars.
“I was with Rico [Abreu] and Jeff came over,” Gravel said of their first encounter on Championship Saturday that year. “We talked and pretty much talked for three hours face to face. We had a good time and it just stemmed from there.”
The resulting friendship resulted in Gravel, who was driving for Jason Johnson Racing back then, having sponsorship support from longtime Gordon partner Axalta paint for the biggest race of the year, the Knoxville Nationals.
Gravel ended up winning that race while threatening a World of Outlaws championship run throughout the summer months. Formula 1 veteran Mark Webber was also in attendance for that victory alongside Gordon.
“I think he believed in me,” Gravel said at the time. “I don’t think it really mattered how we ran. I think he saw something in me and it wouldn’t matter what kind of car we were running. If we were struggling, he would probably want to help us out to try and make us better. You just never know. Racing is a tough sport. It tests you.”
Gordon, who also spent his formative years behind the wheel of a World of Outlaws Sprint Car, spent the remaining months working to jump-start a NASCAR career for Gravel.
It resulted in a multi-race deal in 2020 to compete in both the Truck Series and ARCA Racing Series for GMS Racing.
Then, COVID-19 happened and Gravel only made two Truck Series starts and one ARCA appearance, finishing 10th in his Trucks debut at Michigan. Those races took place behind closed doors for a television audience only and his participation generated little fan fare and Gravel quickly found himself back in World of Outlaws full-time.
It wasn’t for a lack of natural talent says everyone who worked with him.
In a series of social media posts on Wednesday, Gravel details how Larson becoming available ultimately closed his door at chasing NASCAR, at least for now.
Gravel has 88 wins on the Greatest Show on Dirt with four more in the All Stars Circuit of Champions and one in High Limit Racing.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.