Promoter Vic Hill announced that The Gauntlet at the Gap event will return to Volunteer Speedway located in Bulls Gap, Tennessee in 2027 with over $150,000 in prize money up for grabs.
Hill shared in a post to Facebook, “The gauntlet is back 2027 with over $150,000 in prize money.” An attached image revealed that the event will change from a week-long event to a two-night show that will take place from April 23-24, 2027.
The inaugural Gauntlet at the Gap at Volunteer Speedway took place from April 14-18 with Thursday, April 16th being an off day. The event had a unique hook where anyone who won one of the preliminary features on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday and then went on to win on Saturday could claim a $100,000 bonus.
Each race also saw the purse to-win increase. On Tuesday, it started at $7,500 to-win. It increased to $10,000 to-win on Wednesday. By Friday, it soared to $20,000 and the Saturday main event hit $30,000 to-win.
Jonathan Davenport won the opening night 30-lap feature on Tuesday night claiming the $7,500 to-win check besting Mike Marlar and Chris Madden.
On Wednesday, it was Brandon Overton leading all 40 laps and besting Benji Hicks to claim the $10,000 to-win check.
Chris Madden pocketed the $20,000 to-win check after Jonathan Davenport suffered mid-race trouble. Madden inherited the lead and went on to win the 50-lap Friday night feature after besting Zack Mitchell.
Finally, Davenport returned to victory lane on Saturday and led all 60 laps after fighting off a slide job from Mike Marlar on lap 35. Marlar ended up finishing third with Ricky Thornton Jr. finishing second. Brandon Overton was fourth and Chris Madden finished fifth. With the win, Davenport claimed the $100,000 bonus on top of the $30,000 winner’s prize. Davenport pocketed more than $137,500 in winnings during the event.
Hill has not yet released 2027 nightly purses or whether a similar jackpot will return. Support classes have also not been announced yet. The 2026 version saw Street Stocks on Tuesday and Friday with Sportsman Late Models on Wednesday and Saturday.
The first Gauntlet drew a deep national field and became the richest week in the track’s history; the two-night 2027 edition is the first follow-up.
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