OCALA, Fla. - Jonathan Davenport regained the lead from Dennis Erb, Jr. on lap 29 and then led the last 12 laps to win Monday night’s Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Florida.
It was Davenport’s 66th career series win.
Ashton Winger made a late-race charge to come home in second followed by Erb, Jr. in third, Tyler Erb in fourth, and Devin Moran in fifth.
Davenport, from Blairsville, Georgia, took the lead at the start of the race as Winger, of Senoia, Georgia, moved into second. Those two ran first and second until Erb, Jr. was able to get by Winger for second with 20 laps complete.
Erb, Jr. then tracked down Davenport, and coming off turn number four for to complete lap 26 he was able to get underneath Davenport to take over the lead. Erb, Jr. would lead two more circuits as Davenport went to the outside of the track off turn number two to regain the top spot on lap 29.
Davenport then had to contend with lap traffic when a caution flew with 37 laps scored. On the restart, Winger found some speed on the outside of Erb, Jr. coming off turn two as he moved back into second. Winger then was making a bid on Davenport for the lead when the caution came out for Ricky Thornton, Jr. with one lap to go.
With the green and white flag waving simultaneously, Davenport held his line and went on to become the fourth different winner in the first five series events of 2023.
“I was thinking I screwed up there off turn four. It was getting slick there off of the corner,” said Davenport. “I left the bottom open. He (Erb, Jr.) raced me clean. I had a pick there with Bronson, so I just drove it hard to try and get back by him (Erb, Jr.) for the lead. On the last restart I knew somebody was going to throw a Hail-Mary around the top there. I didn’t know exactly how good it was.”
“It feels good to be back in victory lane here,” Davenport added. “My guys have been working hard, just circumstantial stuff, I think that’s the reason we haven’t been up here, I really don’t know how I found the right line. I kept just trying to find a little brown there. I was afraid I was going to move around move out of the fast line. I just kept changing my line a little bit every lap just trying to find something a little better and it paid off.”
Tim McCreadie, Chase Junghans, Evans, Georgia’s Brandon Overton, Max Blair, and Earl Pearson, Jr. rounded out the top 10.
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series returns to action on Friday, February 3 at All-Tech Raceway in Lake City, Florida. For more information, visit LucasDirt.com.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Bubba Raceway Park – Ocala, FL
Winter Nationals – January 30, 2023
1. 49-Jonathan Davenport
2. 12-Ashton Winger
3. 28-Dennis Erb, Jr.
4. 1T-Tyler Erb
5. 99-Devin Moran
6. 39-Tim McCreadie
7. 18-Chase Junghans
8. 76-Brandon Overton
9. 111B-Max Blair
10. 46-Earl Pearson, Jr.
11. 3S-Brian Shirley
12. 96V-Tanner English
13. 18D-Daulton Wilson
14. B5-Brandon Sheppard
15. 10-Garrett Smith
16. 58-Garrett Alberson
17. 1H-Hudson O’Neal
18. 66C-Matt Cosner
19. 20RT-Ricky Thornton, Jr.
20. 16-Tyler Bruening
21. 40B-Kyle Bronson
22. 7-Ross Robinson
23. 11-Spencer Hughes
24. 76B-Blair Nothdurft
25. 89-Logan Roberson
26. 81J-Jack Riggs
27. 19M-Wil Herrington
28. 6K-Kyle Larson
