BUFFALO TWP — David Gravel did not follow the masses. He made his own way, right into victory lane.

Gravel found his groove, literally, in the middle of the track and rode it through the checkered flag to capture the 28th annual Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup Sprint car race at Lernerville Speedway Tuesday night.

“Ninety percent of the guys were relying on the top tonight, all through qualifying and heat races,” said Gravel, a resident of Connecticut and 2016 Silver Cup winner. “We knew it would be running thin up there and fortunately, we didn't have to worry about that.”

Finishing a distant second was Kyle Larson, of NASCAR's Monster Energy Cup Series. He came in three-and-a-half seconds behind Gravel.

“All in all, it was a good night,” said Larson. “I just wish I could've finished one place better.”

Larson won the Silver Cup last year, but on much different track conditions.

“It was way slicker tonight,” he said. “(Turns) 3 and 4 were a lot slicker and it was tough to gain traction.”

Gravel took the lead from James McFadden, who placed third, on the 15th lap and set the pace for the duration of the race.

“The car felt really good in (turns) 1 and 2,” he said. “I was able to pick up a lot of exit speed and that put me in good position for 3 and 4.”

Larson was lurking in second place since the 20th lap, but losttime to Gravel over the final 15 laps. Both drivers encountered heavy lap traffic.

“I thought I had a shot the first time I hit that heavy traffic,” said Larson. “But he (Gravel) was able to get through it much quicker.”

Larson competes in NASCAR for owner Chip Ganassi, a Pittsburgh native who was in attendance Tuesday.

“It would have been nice to have won with him here,” said Larson.

World of Outlaws

Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup

(40 laps)

Top 5

1-David Gravel, 2-Kyle Larson, 3-James McFadden, 4-Brad Sweet, 5-Donny Schatz

Heat Winners

1st Heat: Brad Sweet; 2nd: Shane Stewart; 3rd: Kyle Larson; 4th: Donny Schatz

C-Main: Jacob Allen; B-Main: Sheldon Haudenschild; Dash: Shane Stewart