BULLS GAP, Tenn. — Jonathan Davenport isn’t one to make excuses. But he’ll share the prime reason why he couldn’t keep up with Kyle Larson in the losing end of their epic Thursday night showdown at Volunteer Speedway, a battle that drew the Twitter response of “Wow, this is badass” from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“Burned the right-rear up because we were too tight,” Davenport said. “We obviously set up to try to run the middle through three and four. And I thought I was OK through turn one and two, but I just … once you do that, you have to commit to the cushion. I was just too tight to run the cushion in three and four. Every time I hit it I’d just push really bad.”

Larson’s high-octane ability around the rim of the 4/10-mile oval proved too much for Davenport, who led laps 1-8 and 26-36 in the nonstop 50-lapper. But when digging a little deeper into Superman’s uncharacteristic falloff over the final laps, Davenport had his mind fixed on a more lucrative mark that apparently suppressed the moment.

“We were testing a lot … I don’t want to say test and sound like Scott (Bloomquist). We got $100,000 (to try and win) next weekend,” Davenport said of April 14-15’s Spring Thaw event at Volunteer on the XR Super Series. “This is $20,000. That’s a lot of money. But next weekend is the $100,000. We know we’re not going to be able to do that for 100 laps. You won’t have any tire left on it. We learned some things. I felt like I was OK. I felt like I was too tight to run around the cushion.”

“After sliding around with him I just got my tire hot and chunked it out,” Davenport added.

This is amazing to watch https://t.co/6QmSNxLYc8

— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 7, 2023

“Sure,” Davenport said in agreement to the above statement. “He did a good job. I just didn’t commit (to the top). If I was going to commit to the cushion I would have left my car a little freer. I set it up to try to run the middle on one end and towards the top, but not try and run around the cushion.”

In the end, Thursday’s heavyweight bout between the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2022’s DirtonDirt.com Driver of the Year was a matter of incentive.

Larson did anything to win the one race he promotes, the Kyle Larson Presents Late Model Challenge, which wooed fellow NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch and Chase Briscoe, along with spectators in town for NASCAR’s weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Larson remains persistent in building a bridge between NASCAR’s fanbase and the dirt racing world.

“I look forward to hopefully getting some more Cup guys out to try these Late Models,” Larson said in victory lane. “And I don’t know, maybe you guys bug FloRacing and Tony Stewart enough and we can get the Prelude to the Dream back at Eldora.”

It’s @KyleLarsonRacin with the knockout win at The Gap! 🥊

Yung Money outlasts @TheFast49 (who congrats Larson in victory lane) in a sliderfest to keep the good times rolling.

Second win in five days with NASCAR Cup on Bristol dirt and @HighLimitRacing at Lakeside on the… pic.twitter.com/0kGN88MimK

— Kyle McFadden (@ByKyleMcFadden) April 7, 2023

Davenport’s greater incentive meant pacing himself to perhaps to better himself for a six-figure paycheck next weekend. When asked if squandering the spotlight in front of a wider audience with NASCAR in town, Davenport said: “I don’t look that far ahead, man. I did the best job I could, I feel like.

“I could’ve tried a little harder and tore a car up, bent it up,” Davenport said. “I took what we could get, you know. Obviously, I didn’t let him go. He was better than I was. I just didn’t try and kill myself and tear the car up trying to catch him.”

Last year’s top-ranked Dirt Late Model driver has his gaze on not just another lofty objective, but a dreamy objective this weekend in debuting with NASCAR’s Cup and Craftsman Truck Series races at a dirt-covered Bristol.

Kaulig Racing has summoned Davenport to the big leagues — a tall order that steepened on Friday after all practices were cancelled because of rainy weather. Davenport's first laps will now come in a 15-lap heat race on Saturday. Lineups will determined via a random draw with a passing points format in the heats. Spire Motorsports, meanwhile, grants Davenport his chance to drive a NASCAR Truck.

“I haven’t even looked at the weather. Hell, every time I look at the weather, it gets worse,” Davenport said. “I just quit looking at it. Maybe my first laps (in a Cup car) will be in the feature. I don’t know. They’re liable to rain it all out … up until the feature. I don’t know. We’ll just see. I’d like to make some laps just for myself. And then I’d like to make some laps to feel what I need to feel to get the car to suit me."

On the @TheFast49 beat for @FloRacing these next few days🦸🏻‍♂️

I’ll have behind-the-scenes coverage of Davenport’s call-up to @NASCAR’s big leagues at @ItsBristolBaby throughout the weekend.

First, there’s $20K to be won at The Gap. Guess you could say I’m Superman’s sidekick for… pic.twitter.com/Vk9Cr8iXaM

— Kyle McFadden (@ByKyleMcFadden) April 6, 2023

Last week, Davenport spent some time in Chevrolet Racing’s simulator, doing what he can to at least become familiar with NASCAR’s Next Gen race car, which checks in at 3,200 pounds and 670-horsepower. For perspective, Davenport’s Dirt Late Model weighs roughly 2,300 pounds and pushes 900 horsepower.

This drastic transition in power-to-weight ratio and the overall chemistry of the two race machines puts Davenport at a disadvantage despite his superior credentials as a dirt racer.

Reading and reacting on the racetrack to what he feels in the cockpit “ is a big part of our deal here I feel like,” Davenport emphasized Thursday before parting for the evening.

“I feel like I’m pretty good at telling the guys what my car needs just by the feel in my ass,” he continued. “I’m not going to have any of that. So, I’m going to be that far behind once again getting in the car, no less know how to drive it. Once I figure that part out, I don’t know how to change it to make it feel better — to tell the crew chief or the car chief or whoever in the hell I tell. So, yeah, I don’t know. We’ll just hope I get a little bit of time and, if not, I guess that’ll be another good excuse.

“I did (the simulator) one time and I didn’t feel like it was really going to help me,” Davenport added. “Racingwise, I felt like it helped me get used to the car and the shifting, and the steering of the car. Things like that that would recreate with the sim. I tried to get myself in a little bit better shape. I felt fine tonight. I wasn’t gassed at all running pretty hard there for 50 laps. I feel pretty good about that. I don’t know. There’s a lot of unknowns. I guess we’ll see.”