Jonathan Davenport’s chance for a win was spoiled by an electrical issue
It isn’t like Jonathan Davenport has been terrible so far during the 2022 version of Georgia-Florida SpeedWeeks. After all, the three-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion has scored four top-10 finishes in the four races he has entered thus far. However, those who follow Dirt Late Model racing very much at all aren’t used to seeing this driver and his Lance Landers-owned team simply run for top-10s. Turning things around a bit, Thursday night’s feature race at All-Tech Raceway provided the Blairsville, Georgia driver with his first podium finish of the year.
But in the closing laps, it looked as if there might be a chance for even more.
With three laps remaining in the $10,000-to-win feature on the first night of the General Tire Winter Nationals on the half-mile track located near Lake City, Florida, a caution was displayed to the field setting up a final restart and dash to the checkered flag. Davenport was third at the time and restarted alongside Ricky Thornton Jr. just behind race leader Brandon Sheppard. When the green flag waved, the No. 49 Longhorn machine used the outside line around the track to seize the runner-up position.
For a moment, it looked as if Davenport was gaining on Sheppard and might have a chance to overtake as a hornet’s nest of activity was playing out behind the leading duo. However, ‘The Fast 49’ began to fall back into the clutches of a fast rising Devin Moran with less than two laps to go. Still though, it looked as if a second-place finish was virtually a lock.
But coming out of turn four with the checkered flag in sight, Davenport’s car slowed dramatically. Moran flew by on the outside to grab second at the finish line as Davenport coasted.
“It started right before that last caution,” Davenport explained in his post-race interview with MavTV Plus. “I think something electrical went wrong, we’ve got a ground loose or whatever. It started popping really bad and I lost my (instrument)lights. Under that caution it wouldn’t hardly run at all and I was flipping all kinds of switches to try to get something to work. It made it almost to the checkered flag so at least we finally got us a podium run.”
Even with his first podium run of the season, Davenport regretted not having a chance to challenge Sheppard for the win.
“I would have liked to run those last three laps at full power. I found a little bit through here and I passed Ricky and I even gained on Brandon a little bit. But the one part that I needed a little bit of power, it just wasn’t there. I was missing too bad. Anyway, it was a good podium run for us, the first one of SpeedWeeks.”
Brandon Sheppard scores Thursday night Lucas Oil win at All-Tech
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