David Gravel Claims $300,000 — The Largest Payday in World of Outlaws History at Huset's Speedway

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is North America's premier dirt oval competition. Wing-mounted 410 cubic inch sprint cars produce more than 800 horsepower and race around banked dirt ovals at speeds approaching 200 km/h. Huset's Speedway is a 3/8-mile oval in Brandon, South Dakota — a traditional venue known for its steep banking.

The High Bank Nationals entered its fifth year in 2026, and for the first time raised the top prize to $300,000. More than 65 cars entered qualifying over the opening days, and 24 survived the heat races to contest Friday night's main event.

Gravel started from the pole and established an immediate rhythm through the corners. Two caution periods in the middle stages gave the field chances to close in, but Gravel pulled clear on each restart. 'The car was absolutely perfect,' he said in Victory Lane. 'I could feel the track under me and accelerate from anywhere.' He crossed the line 0.935 seconds ahead of runner-up Brad Sweet.

For Gravel, this was his fifth career six-figure payday in the World of Outlaws. Only Donny Schatz (13 times) and Kyle Larson (five) have achieved that distinction before him — Gravel now joins them as the third member of that exclusive group. In motorsport, the ability to perform when the stakes are highest is its own proof of greatness. Tonight's $300,000 was dirt oval racing at its most luminous.

Gravel's career statistics deserve a closer look. A five-time winner in six-figure WoO events is not simply a record of fortune — it is a measure of the ability to perform at the highest level when the stakes matter most. Donny Schatz's 13 wins in such events represents a decade and a half of dynastic dominance. The fact that Gravel has become the only active driver to approach that mark is supported entirely by competitive data, not narrative.