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Davenport wires field to complete MLRA Spring Nationals sweep at Lucas Oil Speedway

WHEATLAND, MO. (April 13, 2024) - Jonathan Davenport lived up to his nickname of "Superman" once again on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Speedway, completing a dominating weekend sweep of the 11th annual MLRA Spring Nationals Presented by Arizona Sport Shirts.

One night after leading all 40 laps to take home a $7,000 prize, Davenport paced all 60 circuits to once again outdistance Ricky Thornton Jr., and take home the $20,000 check.

After winning five times at Lucas Oil Speedway in 2023, the Blairsville, Ga., driver is two-for-two this season after beating Thornton by 4.23 seconds for his latest triumph in south-central Missouri.

"We got a good starting spot from qualifying," Davenport said. "My guys have been doing a great job. We were so good in that heat race, we were afraid to change anything. We over-adjusted last night. We did finally make some changes there and i don't know if they were the right ones, we it sure made it easier to drive. I could maneuver very well. The car was really good."

Just as he did a night earlier, Davenport sprinted to the lead at the start from his front-row starting position. He opened a 3.1-second lead just six laps in over Mason Zeigler with Thornton Jr. running third. By lap 12, Davenport caught lapped traffic and that allowed Zeigler to shave a half-second off his lead. It didn’t take Davenport long to stretch his command back out to 4.07 seconds by lap 20 as Thornton moved into the runner-up spot.

The long green-flag run from the start continued and Davenport threatened to make it a complete runaway as his lead hit 4.8 seconds by lap 25. That’s when the first caution flew as Chris Simpson slowed on the track with a flat tire.

Davenport rolled from the restart and needed just five laps to re-open a 1.5-second lead over Thornton with Garrett Alberson third and Zeigler fourth. His margin was 2.1 seconds when the race’s second caution appeared on lap 35 after Matt Johnson’s spin in turn four.

It took only three laps after the restart for the next caution, with the top four unchanged. However, Mike Marlar continued an impressive march, going from 21st and into the fifth by lap 38 when a five-car pileup in turn three brought out the red to clean up the debris.

When action resumed, it was more of the same with Davenport using the high groove to quickly open a two-second lead over Thornton by lap 43. Marlar continued to ascend using the extreme low line, passing Alberson for third on lap 46 and 2.5 seconds behind the leader.

The race remained caution-free the rest of the way and that was all Davenport needed to weave his way through lapped traffic all the way to the checkers.

Thornton held off Alberson for second with Marlar slipping to fourth in the final laps. Zeigler settled for fifth and reigning MLRA champ Chad Simpson was sixth for the second straight night.

Davenport said he didn't change his driving approach after the cautions wiped out his sizeable leads, but he definitely kept an eye on the video board to see who was behind him.

"I got into a pretty good rhythm there and the biggest thing that won me the race was through lapped cars," Davenport said. "I tried not to get complacent and get behind one. Even if it was the wrong line, I tried to keep my momentum up and try to pass them in the next corner.

"I knew those guys were right on me. Ricky's been really good and Garrett was coming up through there."

Thornton said he thought the final caution would provide him a chance to see how he matched up with Davenport after losing to him at the finish by just over a second on Friday night.

"The one yellow came out and I thought I could at least see how comparable I am to him and he just drove off," Thornton said. "That's why we're here. We need to get better. We'll keep working.

"Hopefully when we come back here for the Show-Me (May 23-25) we can finish a little better in the heat race. That's a big thing here."

Dustin Hodges posted the fastest qualifying lap at 14.788 seconds out of Group A, while Davenport set fast time in Group B at 14.873. They both won their heats to secure front-row starting positions.

Poe wins POWRi Super Stocks feature: Aaron Poe of Knob Noster emerged a narrow winner after a tight battle over the final 14 laps to earn the POWRi Super Stocks feature win.

Ted Welschmeyer took the lead at the start over Friday-night winner Taylor Carver. Those two were side-by-side for the lead when a lap-six caution flew.

Poe powered from third to the lead on the restart on lap seven. He and Welschmeyer battled it out from there with Poe riding the high groove and Welschmeyer the low side. That’s how they stayed until the finish, with Poe, the reigning POWRi Super Stocks national champ, winning by .578 seconds.

Afterward, Welschmeyer's car failed technical inspection. Brian Brown was elevated to second with Carver third, Derek Brown fourth and Derek Henson fifth.

Clevenger rallies late to win SMVR feature: Damen Clevenger rallied in the final half of the Show-Me Vintage Racers main event to come away with the feature win over Friday-night winner Brandon Jordan.

John Martin started on the pole and sprinted to the lead for the start, opening a two-second margin over Bryant Moyer by lap seven. Clevenger, who started seventh, moved into second by lap nine when a caution slowed the field.

Jordan, re-starting fifth after beginning the race 14th, rolled into the lead on lap 11. He and Clevenger raced side-by-side over the next two laps with Clevenger forging into the lead with one to go.

Clevenger was able to hang on to beat Jordan by .275 seconds for his third career SMVR win at Lucas Oil Speedway.

"It helped me catch the lead car," Clevenger said of the caution. "The track was tacky and fast, especially down on the bottom once we got down there. That's where we ran them down at. It was a good, close race."

Don Marrs wound up third with Jim Thorne fourth and David Isaacs fifth.

LUCAS OIL SPEEDWAY UNOFFICIAL RESULTS (April 13, 2024)

11th annual Lucas Oil MLRA Spring Nationals

Lucas Oil MLRA Late Models

A Feature - 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[2]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[6]; 3. 58-Garrett Alberson[13]; 4. 157-Mike Marlar[21]; 5. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[4]; 6. 25-Chad Simpson[7]; 7. 32S-Chris Simpson[20]; 8. 18D-Daulton Wilson[19]; 9. 49W-Justin Wells[3]; 10. 11G-Gordy Gundaker[9]; 11. 29-Rodney Sanders[15]; 12. 25J-Tony Jackson Jr[25]; 13. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[16]; 14. 36-Logan Martin[10]; 15. 8-Dillon McCowan[8]; 16. 76-Blair Nothdurft[14]; 17. 15D-Justin Duty[24]; 18. 11T-Trevor Gundaker[23]; 19. 1X-Matt Johnson[22]; 20. 11-Jeff Herzog[11]; 21. 78S-Steve Stultz[26]; 22. 1XM-Aaron Marrant[18]; 23. (DNF) 7W-Cole Wells[12]; 24. (DNF) 22H-Dustin Hodges[1]; 25. (DNF) 7D-Dusty Leonard[17]; 26. (DNF) 10S-Garrett Smith[5]

Fast Shafts B Feature 1 - 1. 7D-Dusty Leonard[1]; 2. 18D-Daulton Wilson[9]; 3. 157-Mike Marlar[11]; 4. 78S-Steve Stultz[2]; 5. 3W-Brennon Willard[6]; 6. 96-Dalton Imhoff[3]; 7. 44W-David Webster[12]; 8. 17T-Jeremy Tharp[14]; 9. (DNF) 15S-Clayton Stuckey[8]; 10. (DNF) 65-Jon Binning[10]; 11. (DNF) 11T-Trevor Gundaker[7]; 12. (DNF) USA1-Chris Hawkins[4]; 13. (DNF) 8K-Tyler Kuykendall[5]; 14. (DNS) 7B-Shayne Bailey

Wieland B Feature 2 - 1. 1XM-Aaron Marrant[3]; 2. 32S-Chris Simpson[4]; 3. 1X-Matt Johnson[1]; 4. 15D-Justin Duty[10]; 5. 93-Mason Oberkramer[8]; 6. 82-Jace Parmley[12]; 7. 1/4-Jaxon Ertel[5]; 8. 71-Jim Body[9]; 9. 26-Glen Powell[14]; 10. (DNF) 2-Tyler Stevens[6]; 11. (DNF) 50C-Kayden Clatt[11]; 12. (DNF) 17A-Austin Howes[13]; 13. (DNF) 25J-Tony Jackson Jr[2]; 14. (DNF) 67-Jimmy Vanzandt[7]

Flo Sports Heat 1 - 1. 22H-Dustin Hodges[1]; 2. 10S-Garrett Smith[3]; 3. 11G-Gordy Gundaker[5]; 4. 58-Garrett Alberson[6]; 5. 7D-Dusty Leonard[2]; 6. 96-Dalton Imhoff[4]; 7. 8K-Tyler Kuykendall[7]; 8. 11T-Trevor Gundaker[9]; 9. 18D-Daulton Wilson[8]; 10. 157-Mike Marlar[10]; 11. 7B-Shayne Bailey[11]

Simpson Race Products Heat 2 - 1. 49W-Justin Wells[1]; 2. 25-Chad Simpson[2]; 3. 11-Jeff Herzog[4]; 4. 29-Rodney Sanders[3]; 5. 78S-Steve Stultz[5]; 6. USA1-Chris Hawkins[8]; 7. 3W-Brennon Willard[7]; 8. 15S-Clayton Stuckey[9]; 9. 65-Jon Binning[10]; 10. 44W-David Webster[6]; 11. (DNS) 17T-Jeremy Tharp

Earnhardt Technologies Heat 3 - 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[4]; 3. 36-Logan Martin[2]; 4. 76-Blair Nothdurft[5]; 5. 1X-Matt Johnson[8]; 6. 1XM-Aaron Marrant[7]; 7. 1/4-Jaxon Ertel[3]; 8. 67-Jimmy Vanzandt[6]; 9. 71-Jim Body[9]; 10. 50C-Kayden Clatt[11]; 11. (DNS) 17A-Austin Howes

Lucas Oil Heat 4 - 1. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[1]; 2. 8-Dillon McCowan[4]; 3. 7W-Cole Wells[6]; 4. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[2]; 5. 25J-Tony Jackson Jr[7]; 6. 32S-Chris Simpson[3]; 7. 2-Tyler Stevens[5]; 8. 93-Mason Oberkramer[10]; 9. 15D-Justin Duty[9]; 10. 82-Jace Parmley[8]; 11. 26-Glen Powell[11]

Group A My Race Pass Qualifying - 1. 22H-Dustin Hodges, 00:14.788[9]; 2. 49W-Justin Wells, 00:14.884[3]; 3. 7D-Dusty Leonard, 00:15.143[6]; 4. 25-Chad Simpson, 00:15.274[21]; 5. 10S-Garrett Smith, 00:15.350[20]; 6. 29-Rodney Sanders, 00:15.356[13]; 7. 96-Dalton Imhoff, 00:15.372[17]; 8. 11-Jeff Herzog, 00:15.398[10]; 9. 11G-Gordy Gundaker, 00:15.426[16]; 10. 78S-Steve Stultz, 00:15.443[2]; 11. 58-Garrett Alberson, 00:15.498[5]; 12. 44W-David Webster, 00:15.583[14]; 13. 8K-Tyler Kuykendall, 00:15.583[19]; 14. 3W-Brennon Willard, 00:15.681[7]; 15. 18D-Daulton Wilson, 00:15.733[1]; 16. USA1-Chris Hawkins, 00:15.739[22]; 17. 11T-Trevor Gundaker, 00:15.835[11]; 18. 15S-Clayton Stuckey, 00:15.913[18]; 19. 157-Mike Marlar, 00:15.980[4]; 20. 65-Jon Binning, 00:16.009[15]; 21. 7B-Shayne Bailey, 00:16.552[8]; 22. 17T-Jeremy Tharp, 00:16.563[12]

Group B My Race Pass Qualifying - 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport, 00:14.873[11]; 2. 25Z-Mason Zeigler, 00:14.916[7]; 3. 36-Logan Martin, 00:15.357[5]; 4. 46-Earl Pearson Jr, 00:15.439[2]; 5. 1/4-Jaxon Ertel, 00:15.455[8]; 6. 32S-Chris Simpson, 00:15.488[12]; 7. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr, 00:15.496[19]; 8. 8-Dillon McCowan, 00:15.569[21]; 9. 76-Blair Nothdurft, 00:15.612[18]; 10. 2-Tyler Stevens, 00:15.615[1]; 11. 67-Jimmy Vanzandt, 00:15.637[3]; 12. 7W-Cole Wells, 00:15.700[9]; 13. 1XM-Aaron Marrant, 00:15.708[13]; 14. 25J-Tony Jackson Jr, 00:15.793[6]; 15. 1X-Matt Johnson, 00:15.816[14]; 16. 82-Jace Parmley, 00:15.824[22]; 17. 71-Jim Body, 00:15.840[4]; 18. 15D-Justin Duty, 00:15.918[20]; 19. 17A-Austin Howes, 00:15.973[15]; 20. 93-Mason Oberkramer, 00:16.060[16]; 21. 50C-Kayden Clatt, 00:16.702[10]; 22. 26-Glen Powell, 00:17.049[17]

POWRi Super Stocks

A Feature - 1. 45-Aaron Poe[5]; 2. 69-Brian Brown[7]; 3. 40-Taylor Carver[3]; 4. 11-Derek Brown[17]; 5. 27D-Derek Henson[9]; 6. 94-Kenny Carroll[8]; 7. 44-James Nighswonger[12]; 8. C1-Darrin Crisler[18]; 9. 04-Blaine Ewing[15]; 10. 164-Michael Muskrat[10]; 11. 1J-Josh Jones[1]; 12. 26M-Donnie Miller[4]; 13. 28K-Chris Kircher[14]; 14. 7M-Scott Johnson[6]; 15. 1X-Kris Lloyd[23]; 16. 94C-JT Carroll[20]; 17. 75M-Randy Moses Sr[19]; 18. 22-Lonnie Duncan[11]; 19. 10-Steve Beach[22]; 20. 35-Johnny Coats[21]; 21. 73-Francisco Escamila[25]; 22. (DNF) 1G-Nick Gibson[24]; 23. (DNF) 69C-Caleb Brown[16]; 24. (DNS) 3-Dale Douty III; 25. (DQ) 21W-Ted Welschmeyer[2]

Heat 1 - 1. 7M-Scott Johnson[1]; 2. 1J-Josh Jones[7]; 3. 45-Aaron Poe[8]; 4. 3-Dale Douty III[4]; 5. 04-Blaine Ewing[9]; 6. C1-Darrin Crisler[6]; 7. 75M-Randy Moses Sr[2]; 8. (DNF) 1X-Kris Lloyd[3]; 9. (DQ) 73-Francisco Escamila[5]

Heat 2 - 1. 21W-Ted Welschmeyer[2]; 2. 40-Taylor Carver[5]; 3. 27D-Derek Henson[1]; 4. 164-Michael Muskrat[6]; 5. 22-Lonnie Duncan[8]; 6. 11-Derek Brown[7]; 7. 94C-JT Carroll[4]; 8. 10-Steve Beach[3]

Heat 3 - 1. 69-Brian Brown[1]; 2. 26M-Donnie Miller[5]; 3. 44-James Nighswonger[2]; 4. 28K-Chris Kircher[3]; 5. 69C-Caleb Brown[8]; 6. 35-Johnny Coats[7]; 7. 94-Kenny Carroll[6]; 8. (DNF) 1G-Nick Gibson[4]

Show-Me Vintage Racers

A Feature - 1. 6-Damen Clevenger[7]; 2. 2 D-Brandon Jordan[14]; 3. 00K-Don Marrs[8]; 4. 113-Jim Thorne[5]; 5. 66-David Isaacs[9]; 6. 74-Rodney Ashworth[3]; 7. 88-Beth Martin[6]; 8. 14-Mickie Cook[2]; 9. 8X-Gary Proskocil[11]; 10. 42-Rob Brash[10]; 11. 72-WIlliam Holohan[12]; 12. 58-John Martin[1]; 13. 9D-Bryant Moyer[4]; 14. 1-Angela Ashworth[13]

Heat 1 - 1. 58-John Martin[1]; 2. 6-Damen Clevenger[7]; 3. 9D-Bryant Moyer[4]; 4. 88-Beth Martin[6]; 5. 113-Jim Thorne[5]; 6. 14-Mickie Cook[2]; 7. 74-Rodney Ashworth[3]

Heat 2 - 1. 00K-Don Marrs[1]; 2. 66-David Isaacs[2]; 3. 2 D-Brandon Jordan[7]; 4. 8X-Gary Proskocil[4]; 5. 42-Rob Brash[3]; 6. 72-WIlliam Holohan[5]; 7. 1-Angela Ashworth[6]

Weekly Series Opener next: The first Big Adventure RV Weekly Racing Series program is up next at Lucas Oil Speedway, with the Clear Creek Golf Car USRA B-Mods racing for $750-to-win in the headline feature.

It will be Public Telecommunicators Appreciation Night at the Races next Saturday, April 20. In observation of National Public Telecommunicators week April 14-20, to show appreciation to the 911 dispatch agencies, all 911 dispatchers get in FREE with ID or Badge.

The Hermitage Lumber POWRi Late Models, Arctic Food Equipment USRA Modifieds and O'Reilly Auto Parts USRA Stock Cars will join the B-Mods.

For ticket information about any event on the 2024 Lucas Oil Speedway schedule, fans can contact Admissions Director Nichole McMillan at (417) 295-6043 or via email at nmcmillan@lucasoilspeedway.com for more information about any event on the 2024 Lucas Oil Speedway scheduled.

CONTACT:

Danny Lorton

Lucas Oil Speedway General Manager

Office: (417) 282-5984

DLorton@lucasoilspeedway.com
Complete Lucas Oil Speedway event information, archived race recaps, previews and driver features, along with ticket information and schedules can be found by visiting LucasOilSpeedway.com.

Lucas Oil Speedway is located at Highways 83 and 54 in Wheatland, Missouri. A campground with shower and bathroom facilities is also available. With its entrance located just outside the pit gate this sprawling scenic camping facility will continue to enhance the racing experience at the Diamond of Dirt Tracks.

Click LucasOilSpeedway.com for more information and detailed directions to the speedway or call the Track Hotline at (417) 282-5984. The Lucas Oil Speedway EZ Texting number is (417) 804-4141.

In addition, fans can get social with Lucas Oil Speedway by following @LucasSpeedway on Twitter, clicking "Like" at www.facebook.com/LucasOilSpeedway and on www.youtube.com/LucasOilSpeedway

About Lucas Oil Speedway

Lucas Oil Speedway is considered by fans, drivers and industry insiders to be one of the top five racing facilities in the nation. Located in Wheatland, Missouri, approximately an hour from Springfield, Missouri, and just an hour and a half from the Kansas City metro area, the "Diamond of Dirt Tracks" lives up to its title.

Twenty-One VIP Luxury Suites, HD Jumbo-Tron Screen, Stadium Style Musco Sports Lighting, a Bose Sound System, Go-Kart Slick Track, The Diamond Bar, Track Treasures Gift Shop, the best track food in the country and paved pits are a few of the spectacular amenities setting the Diamond of Dirt apart. This year marks the 12th season for the Liquid Quarter Mile Drag Racing Lake, "Lake Lucas." New for 2017 was all-purpose built Off Road facility featuring a host of regional events.

Lucas Oil Speedway's dirt oval track plays host to some of the largest and most-popular events in the Midwest with national and regional touring series appearing frequently including: The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, POWRi Midget National Series, Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League, United States Modified Touring Series, ASCS Sprint Cars and the Lucas Oil MLRA.

In addition to the special events, the Lucas Oil Speedway Weekly Racing Series features the Late Models, USRA Modifieds, USRA Stock Cars and USRA B-Mods.

2024 Official Lucas Oil Speedway Marketing Partners

Arizona Sport Shirts

"The Official Merchandise Provider" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Bill Roberts Chevrolet

"The Official Truck" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Dixie Chopper

"The Official Mowers of Lucas Oil Speedway"

General Tire

"The Official Tire" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Lucas Oil Products

"The Official Oil" of Lucas Oil Speedway

MAVTV

"The Official Television Network" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper

"The Official Soft Drink" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Rugged Radios

"The Official 2-Way Communications Provider" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Summit Racing Equipment

"The Official Sponsor" of Lucas Oil Speedway

Sunoco Race Fuels

"The Official Fuel" of Lucas Oil Speedway

2024 Lucas Oil Speedway Supporters Include:

AM Pyrotechnics, Alliance Sport Marketing, Arctic Food Equipment, Arizona Sport Shirts, Berry Tractor and Equipment Co., Big Adventure RV, Bill Roberts Chevrolet, Bolivar Auto Sales & Detailing, Bolivar Farmers Exchange-MFA, Boone's BBQ Barn, Boubin Tire/American Racer, Bridal Cave, BWI Sanitation, Candlelight Creations-Dick's Wild Root Horseradish, Casey's, Citizens Memorial Healthcare, City Magnet, Clearlight Inn, Dixie Chopper, Eibach Springs, Farmers Insurance Agent Kristy Reynolds, Fast Shafts by Axle Exchange, Foley Equipment-Cat Rental Store, Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare, Hermitage Lumber, HICKAMO Country Store, Hobbytime Motorsports, Impact Signs Awnings Wraps, In the Garden of Eden, KC Bobcat, Kluhsman Racing Components, Kona Ice, Lucas Cattle Company, MD3, Midwest Sheet Metal, Miller Welding, Missouri Division of Tourism, MyRacePass, Nutrien Ag Solutions, OakStar Bank, O'Bannon Bank, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Ozark Golf Cars, Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr. Pepper, Ozarks Community Health Center, PEM, Pitts Homes, Pitts Realty, Pitts Cattle, Pomme de Terre Resort, ProThings Apparel, RACEceiver, Racinboys.com, RacinDirt.com, Rains Ice Company, RCR Designs, Real Racing Wheels, Rod End Supply, Ron Jenkins Accounting & Tax Service, Rugged Radios, Ryan E. Murphy Law Firm LLC, SBU Athletics, Safety Kleen, Scott Furniture, Sidetrack RV Park, Simpson Racing Products, Southwest Electric Cooperative, State Tech, Stillwater Resort, Summit Racing Equipment, Sunoco Race Fuels, Turn 1 Bar & Grill, US Army Corps of Engineers-Pomme de Terre, Vietti Marketing Group, Wheatland Motel, White's Marine Center, Wieland, Wild Animal Safari, Woods Supermarkets.

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