Johnny Scott outdueled Jonathan Davenport for the win
Johnny Scott survived a rough track and an intense battle with Jonathan Davenport to claim a win in the Don & Billie Gibson Tribute race that serves as a preliminary to Saturday’s Show-Me 100 main event. It was the first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory for the driver of the No. 1st car in a race that featured six lead changes.
The Longhorn Chassis driver from Las Cruces, NM scored a $6,000 payday for his efforts in a race held at the Wheatland, Missouri facility and shown live by MavTV Plus.
A total of 63 cars were signed in for competition.
Qualifying Results:
Group A Results- 1. Chad Simpson(15.068), 2. Ashton Winger, 3. Brandon Sheppard, 4. Mike Marlar, 5. Johnny Scott, 6. Jason Papich, 7. Jimmy Owens, 8. Tony Jackson Jr.
Group B Results- 1. Jonathan Davenport(15.260), 2. Earl Pearson Jr., 3. Jeremy Shaw, 4. Kolby Vandenbergh, 5. Garrett Alberson, 6. Billy Moyer Jr., 7. Daniel Hilsabeck, 8. Bobby Pierce
Heat 1 Results: 1. Mike Marlar, 2. Jimmy Owens, 3. Hudson O’Neal
Heat 2 Results: 1. Johnny Scott, 2. Ashton Winger, 3. Scott Bloomquist
Heat 3 Results: 1. Jason Papich, 2. Brandon Sheppard, 3. Tim McCreadie
Heat 4 Results: 1. Jonathan Davenport, 2. Kolby Vandenbergh, 3. Ricky Thornton Jr.
Heat 5 Results: 1. Earl Pearson Jr., 2. Bobby Pierce, 3. Chase Junghans
Heat 6 Results: 1. Billy Moyer Jr., 2. Payton Looney, 3. Chris Ferguson
B-main 1 Finish: 1. Kyle Bronson, 2. Chad Simpson
B-main 2 Finish: 1. Brian Shirley, 2. Shannon Babb
B-Main 3 Finish: 1. Jeremy Shaw, 2. Garrett Alberson
Feature Re-cap: When the green flag waved over the 40-lap feature it was Davenport who went to the early lead with Marlar, Scott, Pearson and Papich trailing until Ferguson slowed to bring out a yellow flag just after the completion of the first circuit.
On the restart, Scott bolted to second then quickly moved up to challenge Davenport for the lead. Scott took the top spot on lap 4 but Davenport regained the position on lap 7 just before a caution brought out when Junghans tagged the outside wall.
Thornton came to third on the lap 7 restart behind Davenport and Scott. Marlar and Winger rounded out the top-5.
Scott went back to the lead on lap 13 but Davenport again regained the position on lap 16 as those drivers continued to put on a show. Lap 17 saw Scott go back to the front of the pack with Davenport second then Marlar, Thornton and Winger trailing.
Third-running Marlar crashed on lap 21 and required brief assistance from medical personnel walking away under his own power.
Davenport moved by Scott on the outside for the race lead on lap 23 with Thornton, Owens, Winger, Vandenbergh and O’Neal fight for position behind the lead duo. Scott went back to the lead with 8 laps to go as Owens began to close ground on he and Davenport. Meanwhile a fierce battle continued further back between Thornton, Winger and O’Neal.
But in the end it was Johnny Scott who would sail under the checkered flag to score his first career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory.
“There toward the end I needed to move my line up in three and four because it got so rough on the bottom I couldn’t get through there no more,” Scott told MavTV in victory lane. “I seen J.D., he was getting through the top of three and four pretty good so I went up there and started reeling him in and was making that diamond move in one and two and got by him. Then I just tried to hit my marks from there.”
Feature Results: 1. Johnny Scott, 2. Jonathan Davenport, 3. Jimmy Owens, 4. Hudson O’Neal, 5. Ricky Thornton Jr., 6. Ashton Winger, 7. Kyle Bronson, 8. Garrett Alberson, 9. Kolby Vandenbergh, 10. Chris Ferguson, 11. Brandon Sheppard, 12. Jason Papich, 13. Chad Simpson, 14. Bobby Pierce, 15. Scott Bloomquist, 16. Earl Pearson Jr., 17. Tim McCreadie, 18. Billy Moyer Jr., 19. Jeremy Shaw, 20. Payton Looney, 21. Mike Marlar, 22. Brian Shirley, 23. Chase Junghans, 24. Shannon Babb
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