David Gravel Dominates Huset’s High Bank Nationals for Record Payday

Tyler Courtney came up just one spot shy of cashing in on the $100,000 High Bank Bounty for a $400,000 payday. The Clauson Marshall/NOS Energy Drink No. 7BC settled for a still stout $50,000 runner-up to punctuate the week on a high note after a slow start.

“From Wednesday to now, we made a lot of changes to the car and just worked our tails off to be in the position we were tonight,” Courtney said. “I feel like were pretty good until late. I felt like I got a pretty good restart there but just didn’t get across to make him (Gravel) lift. I was pretty confident he was going to try to drive around me, so I tried to get up there as fast as I could. I just didn’t quite get there.”

Donny Schatz put the CJB Motorsports No. 15 on the final step of the podium to pocket $25,000, leaving him two spots short of a 14th career six-figure payday. It was an up and down race for the 10-time Series champion that closed out on a high note.

“We got there and got passed Sheldon and kind of waited for the track to change a little bit,” Schatz said. “David set a pretty torrid pace, but I had a hell of a time getting through lapped traffic early and kind of had to wait for the track to change. I figured I’d give it a shot on that restart going around the top. I got up there and got all wormy and thought I had a low tire, maybe a right-rear and thought maybe I cut it. I made it work that corner, but the next time I came around I went to the bottom I knew something was wrong. I kind of got saved by that yellow. I don’t know, I guess I must’ve pounded the air out of it or let it get too low. That’s just the way it goes. We had a shot at trying to win one of the biggest paydays ever and ran third.”

Giovanni Scelzi and Buddy Kofoid rounded out the top five.