ROSSBURG, Ohio — Jonathan Davenport has done more than enough to prove that he’s the modern master of Eldora Speedway.
He won last year’s Eldora Million. He owns five globed trophies, cementing his World 100 prowess. He won the 2020 Intercontinental Classic, the $50,000-to-win event that replaced the World 100 during the Covid-19 pandemic. And he won the 2015 Dream. So why would the Blairsville, Ga., driver think he still had any boxes left to check off at the Big E entering the 29th annual Dream?
Look back no further than June 6, 2015. Not to any near misses. Not to any should-have-beens. No, Davenport actually won his first biggie at the famed Tony Stewart-owned half-mile that day. But he inherited it, a gift so-to-speak, from Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., who crossed the finish line first, only to weigh 25 pounds light at the scales afterwards. The Hall of Famer’s disqualification handed Davenport his first career triumph in an Eldora crown jewel.
Just because the record book says he won, however, to Davenport, the victory didn’t happen quite like he wanted. It’s not like he wasn’t fast. He won a pair of preliminary features that weekend. But nonetheless, he still trailed Bloomquist across the stripe in the one the mattered most.
Saturday, Davenport finally managed to make it to the finish first.
Taking the lead from Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., with an inside moved through turns three and four on lap 30, Davenport led the final 71 laps to win Dream XXIX, a triump worth $129,000 for the 39-year-old superstar. Once in the lead, Davenport was never threatened, though runner-up Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., did narrow the gap to 3/10ths of a second with less than five laps remaining.
Madden, who started ninth, had to settle for second for third straight time, while third-starting Pierce finished third after leading four laps. Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., climbed six positions to finish fourth and polesitter Mason Zeigler of Chalk Hill, Pa., led laps 1-25 before slipping to fifth.
“(It) just feels good to finally go and celebrate this victory instead of just the money,” said Davenport. “Last year I had four races circled that I still needed to win. I knocked two of them off last year and we just knocked one of them off here. So, if we come back here for the Dirt Track World Championship and win again, hell, me and (team owner) Lance (Landers) might sell all this (stuff) and buy us a boat.”
The victory gives Davenport his ninth career big-money payday at the historic track and brings his earnings to $1,539,022 just in those nine Eldora races. While he may still be smiling on the way to the bank Monday, he’s likely one of the few who left Eldora too giddy as Davenport’s dominance over the final half of the 100-lap affair was made much easier as the track developed a distinct preferred groove.
“It was just like racing at Cherokee (Speedway in South Carolina), me and Madden (finishing) one and two in the rubber, what do you know?” said Davenport in victory lane. “I’m sure that wasn’t the best race y’all ever seen here, but it was definitely hectic from where I was. I couldn’t go full speed because I couldn’t get caught up behind those lapped cars.
“It was rubbered just enough down the straightaways, if you got too close I’d get an aero push and then I was afraid I’d miss the rubber getting in the corner. So I was trying to go fast enough down the straightaway and then back my corner up to let the lapped cars get a little bit ahead. I’m about out of breath. I think I held my breath last two laps there. Man (it) just feels good.”
Davenport, who started sixth, said he probably got to the lead just in time. As ho-hum as the race was over the final 70 laps, it was anything but in the first 30. While Zeigler jumped out to set the pace early, Pierce, Thornton, Davenport and eventually Madden put on a dandy show battling for second.
“I thought it may take rubber, but we haven’t been on these tires all weekend yet,” Davenport said. “So I thought it may take a little longer to get there. I just was patient at the first and just tried not to burn my edges off (the tires) and just tried to take advantage of other people’s mistakes and when somebody would slip, I’d try to go ahead and go. I guess I got to the lead right at the right point, I guess.
“But I mean, Madden followed us up through there and I don’t know exactly when he got to second. So I was just biding my time. I was really just hoping it wouldn’t rubber really. I kind of knew in the back of my mind it may rubber late. They said there may be a little problem with some (water) drainage (on the track) getting in to turn three or something. That’s the reason he had to keep (the track so) hard because the first night it was really rough and hard on equipment. I don’t know.”
Madden wasn’t distraught over his runner-up finish and another $25,000 payday, but he was plenty disappointed that he didn’t get a real opportunity to race Davenport for the lead after running him down.
“Another second place for us,” said Madden. “(The track) just one-laned there and rubbered up right around the bottom. Just couldn’t do anything. Couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything. Before the rubber come I felt like we had the car to get it done tonight. I had an awesome race car and hats off to my guys. We’ve struggled this week, but we stayed together and kept working at it and finally found a balance right there today in the heat race.”
