Jonathan Davenport & Kyle Busch To Be Teammates In March’s Bristol Dirt Nationals
Story By: RYAN DELPH / DOUBLE L MOTORSPORTS – BATESVILLE, AR – Nutrien Ag Solutions and Double L Motorsports – based in Batesville, Arkansas – are excited to announce their entries for the upcoming ‘Bristol Dirt Nationals’ scheduled for March 19-20 at the dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.
The first entry will be three-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion Jonathan Davenport from Blairsville, Georgia, who will pilot his familiar #49 Longhorn Chassis.
Along with Jonathan as a Nutrien Ag Solutions teammate will be two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch.
Kyle, who has past Super Late Model racing experience including winning the 2012 edition of the ‘Prelude to the Dream’ at Eldora (OH) Speedway, will be running the exact same Longhorn Chassis as Jonathan out of the Double L Motorsports stable, but with his trademark #51 adorning his machine. While Nutrien Ag Solutions will be the primary sponsor for “Rowdy” during the ‘Bristol Dirt Nationals’ weekend, a full list of marketing partners is still being worked on and details will be released as the event nears.
“Nutrien Ag Solutions is very excited to have this caliber of drivers representing us on the famed 1/2-mile dirt oval at Bristol,” exclaimed Steve Martin with Nutrien Ag Solutions. “Jonathan (Davenport) and Double L Motorsports have done a great job of representing us over the past several years and all of us are excited about this inaugural Bristol Dirt Nationals event. To add Kyle (Busch) to our team for that weekend is extra special, as he is obviously one of the best drivers in the world. I know he hasn’t wheeled a Super Late Model in a few years, but he will be in great equipment – just like Jonathan – and I’m looking forward to watching both drivers perform well on March 19-20!”
The ‘Bristol Dirt Nationals’ will usher in the return of dirt racing at the high-banked Bristol Motor Speedway for the first time in twenty years from March 15-20. A huge week of racing at the Bristol, Tennessee facility will see eight different classes competing with champions crowned over the weekend. The ground-pounding Super Late Models will take center stage at Bristol starting on Friday, as a $10,000 top prize will be on the line for the 900+ horsepower cars. The stakes are significantly raised for Saturday’s grand finale, as both Jonathan and Kyle will vie for the whopping $50,000 payday in the inaugural ‘Bristol Dirt Nationals’ that will culminate with a 60-lap headliner.
“This is an event that we have been eyeing since it was announced during the off-season,” commented Jonathan Davenport, who already has three wins during his young 2021 season including a January 17 triumph at Arizona Speedway in Queen Creek, Arizona that was worth a total of $38,000. “The first dirt races at Bristol back twenty years ago were huge for our sport and since then, we have come a long way in the amount of exposure that our type of racing gets. I believe that this year’s Bristol Dirt Nationals and having Kyle (Busch) compete in it along with a bunch of talented dirt drivers, will put even more eyeballs on our sport. He is a heck of a wheelman in anything he drives, so I am definitely looking forward to teaming up with Kyle and see what we can both do on the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway!”
“Most of my experience in super late models have come on pavement, but I’ve really enjoyed dirt Super Late Model races when I’ve had the chance to run them,” said Kyle Busch. “The Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway was a race I looked forward to every year and bringing home the win there in 2012 was something I’ll always remember. I want to thank Nutrien Ag Solutions and Double L Motorsports for the opportunity to get some seat time at Bristol in one of their Dirt Late Models. Jonathan Davenport’s resume speaks for itself with all the success he’s had in the Dirt Late Model cars, so I’m looking forward to learning all I can from him. While the cars are completely different than the NASCAR Cup Series cars we will run at Bristol, just getting some experience on dirt with a great team and a knowledgeable teammate will be invaluable for the following weekend.”