Jonathan Davenport pocketed a $129,000 payday with a win in Saturday night’s Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway. Photo: Tyler Carr
Nobody knows his way around Eldora Speedway better Jonathan Davenport.
The Blairsville, Georgia speedster proved it again Saturday night by holding off Chris Madden and Bobby Pierce to bank $129,000 and his second Dirt Late Model Dream victory at the Rossburg, Ohio raceway.
After sweeping past Pierce to lead lap 30, Davenport had to survive only a lap 62 restart that helped Madden move past Pierce into second and a chance to put an end to his series of frustrating Eldora finishes.
Madden could close to Davenport’s back bumper, but he could do nothing but keep the pressure on all the way to the checkered flag as Davenport scored the win.
“It was definitely hectic where I was,” said Davenport. “I couldn’t go full speed because I couldn’t get caught up behind those lapped cars, it was rubbered just enough. I held my breath for the last two laps.”
Madden had to settle for second, – his third runner-up finish and his sixth top-five overall in the Dirt Late Model Dream.
“I just sit there and say, second again … I tried,” said Madden. “I stepped out down there a few times to see if I could find anything and there wasn’t anything to get it done. All you can do is get back in line and try to stay right on his bumper and pressure him a little bit.”
Davenport knew if he simply hit his marks, there would be little his rival could do, but at the same time understood Madden wouldn’t let up.
“He’s been so good here, so close so many times,” Davenport said. “I can remember one of the first times I came here to race and he ran over a header or a muffler coming off of turn 4, I just remember that and that was before I could even make the race here. So I know he’s had a lot of frustration, and the way the racetrack was once he got to second it was kind of locked down. Unless I made a big mistake he wasn’t going to pass me.”
Pierce finished in third, with Ricky Thornton, Jr. in fourth, and Mason Zeigler in fifth.
Tyler Erb, Hudson O’Neal, Devin Moran, Zebulon, Georgia’s Shane Clanton, and Stormy Scott rounded out the top 10.
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals begins Wednesday at Illinois’ Peoria Speedway. For more information, visit DIRTCarSummerNationals.com.
Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, OH
Dirt Late Model Dream – June 10, 2023
1. 49-Jonathan Davenport
2. 44-Chris Madden
3. 32-Bobby Pierce
4. 20RT-Ricky Thornton, Jr.
5. 25Z-Mason Zeigler
6. 1T-Tyler Erb
7. 1-Hudson O’Neal
8. 99-Devin Moran
9. 25-Shane Clanton
10. 2S-Stormy Scott
11. 157-Mike Marlar
12. 93-Carson Ferguson
13. 9-Nick Hoffman
14. 17M-Dale McDowell
15. 12-Ashton Winger
16. B5-Brandon Sheppard
17. 18D-Daulton Wilson
18. 96V-Tanner English
19. 11R-Josh Rice
20. 19R-Ryan Gustin
21. 39-Tim McCreadie
22. 8-Kyle Strickler
23. 28-Dennis Erb, Jr.
24. 20-Jimmy Owens
25. 40B-Kyle Bronson
26. 28S-Dustin Sorensen
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