MESQUITE, Texas - Devil’s Bowl Speedway hosted its final race Saturday night, October 21, 2023. Actually, that happened early Sunday morning as the track raged against the dying of its lights and extended its life by a few more hours. Devil’s Bowl did not go gently into its good night.
Unprepossessing, one had to want to go Devil’s Bowl. Bouncing along what may well be one of the worst maintained roads in the massive state of Texas, one must keep their speed in check. There are no shoulders for most of the stretch that transverses Interstate 20 and Scyene Road.
Standing outside the media center, looking over mostly empty land, it’s easy to forget progress marches unrelentingly on.
Over the span of two nights and three calendar days, the track that first hosted a World of Outlaws race on March 18, 1978 with Jimmy Boyd beating Doug Wolfgang added more history to a place steeped in it. That 1978 victory would be Boyd’s only win in 25 Outlaws starts. Wolfgang went on to win 140 times in sprint cars’ elite series.
In 2023, two new winners were crowned amidst storylines that reportedly had five-digit fans slowly and sadly leaving the track.
On Night 1, Carson Macedo led flag-to-flag racing for a team that holds the track record at a blistering 13.306 seconds on the half-mile clay track. That record will never be beaten.
Jason Johnson tragically lost his life in a sprint car crash at Beaver Dam (Wisconsin) Raceway 57 days later. The racing world mourned. Wife Bobbi Johnson and son Jaxx never lost their love for the sport and both were among those who watched Macedo become the 29th different winner at Devil’s Bowl.
After the race, Jaxx sprinted down the frontstretch with a banner in one hand to join Macedo in a wing dance to celebrate the win. Bobbi accepted the congratulations of a long line of well-wishers the following day at the JJR Racing souvenir trailer.
MORE: Exactly four years after Jason Johnson’s death, Carson Macedo wins
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
- Dylan Thomas
Night 2 was an entirely different matter.
As if to say, “You can’t tear me down if we’re still racing,” Saturday night featured more than a half-dozen caution periods and two Open Reds, stoppages in which the teams have a chance to work on their cars.
The first Open Red played a pivotal role in the race and the championship. Early in the race Brad Sweet, (who won the first race of a two-night show at Devil’s Bowl in March this spring), made contact with team owner Kasey Kahne’s front wheel on a restart. The two cars were battling for third and turned sideways in front of almost the entire field.
Sweet’s car was destroyed.
After being dragged back to the pits, Sweet’s team effected repairs - well enough, in fact that Sweet rejoined the race and climbed to 13th before the second Open Red, this time collecting another championship contender Macedo, slowed the race once more.
Sweet finished seventh and minimized the points’ damage. He now enters the three-race finale at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a 50-point advantage over Gravel, who was ultimately able to shave only 11 from Sweet’s lead.
Macedo didn’t fare as well and after finishing 14th has a steep hill to climb if he wants keep Sweet from earning his fifth consecutive championship. Macedo is 140 points behind.
In the final laps, as the bent sheet metal was being collected by the teams, it was the racing action that took center stage.
Somehow James McFadden managed to lead the first 29 laps of the 30-lap race. He built massive leads after each caution only to hear Gravel’s car close in on longer runs. The yellow flag saved McFadden time and again.
Until it didn’t.
The final run to the checkers was long enough, barely, to allow the field to catch the field. As Gravel and McFadden, who earned his first Devil’s Bowl win this spring, closed in on a two-wide battle at the back of the pack, Gravel checked his gut and decided he would attack the top groove no matter the consequences.
Riley Goodno, driving a car with a tribute paint scheme to Boyd’s first Devil’s Bowl win, battled John Carney for 16th. To say Gravel edged McFadden is an understatement. He rode the cushion in Turns 3 and 4 and used the momentum to claim the victory by 15/1000ths of a second and become Devil’s Bowls 30th - and final - winner.
“What a way to send off Devil’s Bowl. How about that?” Gravel from victory lane. “I’m sick of running second. I saw a stat that I ran six seconds in the last 10 races, so that was way too many. I was sending it no matter what. I know Carson and Brad were having trouble, but at the end of the day, I’ve just got to try to win races no matter what they do.”
Donny Schatz made his 46th Devil’s Bowl start and finished third on a track that boasts three of his 313 Outlaws wins.
. @dirtvision WINNER: I can think of no better way to say goodbye to @DevilBowl Speedway than with a Photo Finish!!! @DavidGravel Edges @JamesMcFadden25 exiting the Final Turn To WIN the Finale at Devil's Bowl! pic.twitter.com/3lEXmBlmj8
— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) October 22, 2023
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
More Dirt Track Racing
Final race at Devil’s Bowl gets substantial purse increase
Jade Avedisian makes history as first female national midget champ
Rico Abreu wins Lincoln Park but Kyle Larson takes the title
ASCoC champion Zeb Wise gets first WoO Sprints victory
Rico Abreu’s late season charge continues with Bridgeport win
Second win of the High Limit season for Rico Abreu at Huset’s
Kyle Larson dominates 62nd Knoxville Nationals
Justin Peck outruns Kyle Larson in High Limit race at Kokomo
Rico Abreu snaps Kyle Larson’s three-race High Limit win streak
Donny Schatz wins 2023 Kings Royal
