Davenport Nips McCreadie At The Line To Win Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Race At Ponderosa
Story By: LUCAS OIL LATE MODEL DIRT SERIES – JUNCTION CITY, KY – Jonathan Davenport passed race leader Tim McCreadie coming to the checkered flag on Friday Night at Ponderosa Speedway to take the win.
The 3-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion edged McCreadie by just .234 seconds. With the victory, Davenport becomes the first back-to-back winner of the season.
The current series point leader, McCreadie, finished in second followed by Mike Marlar, Hudson O’Neal, and 12th place starting Shane Clanton.
McCreadie started on the pole and set a steady pace early with Marlar and Davenport trying to stay close to him. Marlar briefly led a lap just past the halfway mark, but McCreadie was able to retake the lead as lap 28 was scored. A caution with 32 laps scored bunched up the field one more time and set-up a shootout to the finish.
Marlar held the second spot behind McCreadie as Davenport wrestled the spot away from Marlar with nine laps to go. Davenport set sail catching McCreadie in traffic with a just a few laps remaining that set-up the amazing finish.
For the 52nd time in his career, Davenport visited Lucas Oil Victory Lane. He talked about his race winning move, “Timmy [McCreadie] got hung up behind those lapped cars and was just a sitting duck there. I did not have any choice except to try something different. I thought earlier in the race I could snooker them on the bottom. We got really good down there and then Timmy moved to the bottom. The cautions have been killing me here lately. Me and [Mike] Marlar went back-and-forth for second and third. I knew our car was pretty good and Timmy’s was too. The first time I came here I embarrassed myself, but ever since we have had a good set-up for this place.”
McCreadie still looked stunned in his post-race interview as he came up just short of his second series win of the season. “I should have known better than to be so low, the outside is always good at the end of the races here. I just got a little complacent. I didn’t get into turn one good. I didn’t really hear anybody down the backstretch. You could second-guess all day with what happened. We were really fast all night.”
Marlar has raced at Ponderosa Speedway for over 20 years. He was in the hunt the entire distance and came home in third. “I had my car a little too loose. These guys are some of the best racers in the country. You are not going to outdrive them; you have to drive your best and have your car perfect too. I felt like I drove the car good, but I didn’t have what I needed to win tonight.”
The winner’s Lance Landers Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engines. It is sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions, ASC Warranty, Bilstein Shocks, Fatheadz Sunglasses, VP Fuels, Lucas Oil Products, and Midwest Sheet Metal.
Completing the top ten were Zack Dohm, Tyler Erb, Stormy Scott, Jimmy Owens, and Ricky Thornton Jr.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
17th Annual John Bradshaw Memorial
Friday, April 30th, 2021
Ponderosa Speedway – Junction City, KY
Allstar Performance Time Trials
Fast Time Group A: Tim McCreadie / 12.186 seconds (overall)
Fast Time Group B: Jonathan Davenport / 12.249 seconds
Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 2. 71-Hudson O’Neal[3]; 3. 81E-Tanner English[4]; 4. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[5]; 5. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 6. 1T-Tyler Erb[8]; 7. 2S-Stormy Scott[7]; 8. 40B-Kyle Bronson[6]; 9. 9G-Larry Greer[9]
Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[1]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[3]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[5]; 5. 11B-Tommy Bailey[7]; 6. 17D-Zack Dohm[6]; 7. 16-Justin Rattliff[8]; 8. 57M-Cameron Marlar[4]
Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 83-Scott James[4]; 3. 9-Devin Moran[2]; 4. 25-Shane Clanton[5]; 5. 14-Josh Richards[3]; 6. D8-Dustin Linville[7]; 7. 97-Michael Chilton[6]; 8. 13W-David Webb[8]
Lucas Oil Feature Finish (50 Laps):
| Pos | Start | Car # | Competitor | Hometown | Pay |
| 1 | 3 | 49 | Jonathan Davenport | Blairsville, GA | $12,800 |
| 2 | 1 | 39 | Tim McCreadie | Watertown, NY | $6,800 |
| 3 | 2 | 157 | Mike Marlar | Winfield, TN | $4,200 |
| 4 | 4 | 71 | Hudson O’Neal | Martinsville, IN | $3,500 |
| 5 | 12 | 25 | Shane Clanton | Zebulon, GA | $3,200 |
| 6 | 17 | 17D | Zack Dohm | Cross Lanes, WV | $2,300 |
| 7 | 16 | 1T | Tyler Erb | New Waverly, TX | $2,900 |
| 8 | 19 | 2S | Stormy Scott | Las Cruces, NM | $2,100 |
| 9 | 13 | 20 | Jimmy Owens | Newport, TN | $3,050 |
| 10 | 8 | 20RT | Ricky Thornton Jr. | Adel, IA | $2,800 |
| 11 | 15 | 14 | Josh Richards | Shinnston, WV | $2,400 |
| 12 | 10 | 1 | Earl Pearson Jr | Jacksonville, FL | $2,200 |
| 13 | 7 | 81E | Tanner English | Benton, KY | $1,200 |
| 14 | 24 | 13W | David Webb | Nicholasville, KY | $1,100 |
| 15 | 22 | 40B | Kyle Bronson | Brandon, FL | $1,750 |
| 16 | 9 | 9 | Devin Moran | Dresden, OH | $1,700 |
| 17 | 14 | 11B | Tommy Bailey | Corbin, KY | $1,000 |
| 18 | 25 | 9G | Larry Greer | Bowling Green, KY | $1,000 |
| 19 | 5 | 76 | Brandon Overton | Evans, GA | $1,000 |
| 20 | 18 | D8 | Dustin Linville | Lancaster, KY | $1,000 |
| 21 | 11 | 3S | Brian Shirley | Chatham, IL | $1,000 |
| 22 | 23 | 57M | Cameron Marlar | Winfield, TN | $1,000 |
| 23 | 6 | 83 | Scott James | Lawrenceburg, IN | $1,000 |
| 24 | 20 | 16 | Justin Rattliff | Campbellsville, KY | $1,000 |
| 25 | 21 | 97 | Michael Chilton | Salvisa, KY | $1,000 |
Race Statistics
Entrants: 25
Lap Leaders: Tim McCreadie (Laps 1-25; 27-49), Mike Marlar (Lap 26), Jonathan Davenport (Lap 50)
Wrisco Feature Winner: Jonathan Davenport
Arizona Sport Shirts CJC – Presented by DirtOnDirt Feature Winner: n/a
Brandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/a
Margin of Victory: 0.234 seconds
Stop Tech Brakes Cautions: Scott James (Lap 14); Brian Shirley (Lap 27); Dustin Linville (Lap 32)
Series Provisionals: n/a
Fast Time Provisional: n/a
Series Emergency Provisionals: n/a
Track Provisionals: n/a
Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Tim McCreadie, Mike Marlar
Penske Shocks Top 5: Jonathan Davenport, Tim McCreadie, Mike Marlar, Hudson O’Neal, Shane Clanton
Optima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Zack Dohm (Advanced 11 Positions)
Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Tim McCreadie
Hot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Tim McCreadie (48 Laps)
Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Tyler Erb
Eibach Springs Rookie of the Race: Ricky Thornton, Jr.
Dirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Tim McCreadie (Lap 2 – 13.660 seconds)
Fast Shafts Tough Break of the Race: Brandon Overton
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Jason Durham (Jonathan Davenport)
ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Race Engines
Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn Chassis
Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Jonathan Davenport (12.118 seconds)
Time of Race: 21 minutes 21 seconds
