Dirt Late Model racing ace Jonathan Davenport will get his first taste of NASCAR action next month.
The Blairsville, Georgia racer will pilot the No. 13 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series Bristol Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 9.
Known for his success, Davenport secured 24-wins in 2022 in dirt Super Late Models, collecting a record-breaking $1,002,022 at Eldora. He also won the XR Super Series by 297 points to former World of Outlaws CASE Late Model Series champion Shane Clanton.
The 39-year-old has two years of experience on the Bristol dirt layout. He’s recorded two top five and three top-10 finishes during the XR Super Series Bristol Dirt Nationals in late March and early April in 2022. In April, Davenport held off a hard-charging Kyle Larson to record his second win in as many years on the high-banked, half-mile oval, as his first Bristol win with the World of Outlaws.
Davenport plans to add the NASCAR Cup Series to his already stellar resume with his venture to drive for Kaulig Racing.
“This is literally a dream come true for me,” said Davenport. “I’ll get to race against the best race car drivers in the world and will get to do it at one of my favorite tracks (Bristol Motor Speedway). I have a lot to learn but have two great teammates in A.J. (Allmendinger) and Justin (Haley) to learn from. We started working on this last October during the ROVAL weekend in Charlotte and to see it come to fruition is absolutely amazing.”
“Jonathan Davenport is an all time favorite of mine because of how well he has done in his dirt racing career,” said Chris Rice, President of Kaulig Racing. “I’m super excited to have his side of dirt racing intermix with NASCAR and see what he can do in one of our Kaulig Racing Chevrolets. He’s a great guy, a great racer and we’re looking forward to making our relationship with Nutrien Ag Solutions deeper.”
Davenport’s first time on track for his NASCAR dirt debut weekend will be Friday, April 7 during NASCAR Cup Series practice.
WDUN will carry live MRN Radio coverage of the NASCAR race weekend at Phoenix Raceway, beginning with Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series United Rentals 200 at 4 pm on 102.9 FM, AM 550 and streaming live on AccessWDUN. Coverage continues on Sunday with the NASCAR Cup Series United Rentals 500 at 2:30 pm on 102.9 FM, AM 550 and streaming live on AccessWDUN.
