ROSSBURG, Ohio — Jonathan Davenport has done more than enough to prove that he’s the modern master of Eldora Speedway.

He won last year’s Eldora Million. He owns five globed trophies, cementing his World 100 prowess. He won the 2020 Intercontinental Classic, the $50,000-to-win event that replaced the World 100 during the Covid-19 pandemic. And he won the 2015 Dream. So why would the Blairsville, Ga., driver think he still had any boxes left to check off at the Big E entering the 29th annual Dream?

Look back no further than June 6, 2015. Not to any near misses. Not to any should-have-beens. No, Davenport actually won his first biggie at the famed Tony Stewart-owned half-mile that day. But he inherited it, a gift so-to-speak, from Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., who crossed the finish line first, only to weigh 25 pounds light at the scales afterwards. The Hall of Famer’s disqualification handed Davenport his first career triumph in an Eldora crown jewel.

Just because the record book says he won, however, to Davenport, the victory didn’t happen quite like he wanted. It’s not like he wasn’t fast. He won a pair of preliminary features that weekend. But nonetheless, he still trailed Bloomquist across the stripe in the one the mattered most.

Saturday, Davenport finally managed to make it to the finish first.

Taking the lead from Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., with an inside moved through turns three and four on lap 30, Davenport led the final 71 laps to win Dream XXIX, a triump worth $129,000 for the 39-year-old superstar. Once in the lead, Davenport was never threatened, though runner-up Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., did narrow the gap to 3/10ths of a second with less than five laps remaining.

Madden, who started ninth, had to settle for second for third straight time, while third-starting Pierce finished third after leading four laps. Ricky Thornton Jr. of Chandler, Ariz., climbed six positions to finish fourth and polesitter Mason Zeigler of Chalk Hill, Pa., led laps 1-25 before slipping to fifth.

“(It) just feels good to finally go and celebrate this victory instead of just the money,” said Davenport. “Last year I had four races circled that I still needed to win. I knocked two of them off last year and we just knocked one of them off here. So, if we come back here for the Dirt Track World Championship and win again, hell, me and (team owner) Lance (Landers) might sell all this (stuff) and buy us a boat.”

VIDEO: Watch highlights from the 2023 Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway. 

The victory gives Davenport his ninth career big-money payday at the historic track and brings his earnings to $1,539,022 just in those nine Eldora races. While he may still be smiling on the way to the bank Monday, he’s likely one of the few who left Eldora too giddy as Davenport’s dominance over the final half of the 100-lap affair was made much easier as the track developed a distinct preferred groove.

“It was just like racing at Cherokee (Speedway in South Carolina), me and Madden (finishing) one and two in the rubber, what do you know?” said Davenport in victory lane. “I’m sure that wasn't the best race y'all ever seen here, but it was definitely hectic from where I was. I couldn't go full speed because I couldn't get caught up behind those lapped cars.

“It was rubbered just enough down the straightaways, if you got too close I’d get an aero push and then I was afraid I'd miss the rubber getting in the corner. So I was trying to go fast enough down the straightaway and then back my corner up to let the lapped cars get a little bit ahead. I’m about out of breath. I think I held my breath last two laps there. Man (it) just feels good.”

Davenport, who started sixth, said he probably got to the lead just in time. As ho-hum as the race was over the final 70 laps, it was anything but in the first 30. While Zeigler jumped out to set the pace early, Pierce, Thornton, Davenport and eventually Madden put on a dandy show battling for second.

“I thought it may take rubber, but we haven't been on these tires all weekend yet,” Davenport said. “So I thought it may take a little longer to get there. I just was patient at the first and just tried not to burn my edges off (the tires) and just tried to take advantage of other people's mistakes and when somebody would slip, I’d try to go ahead and go. I guess I got to the lead right at the right point, I guess.

“But I mean, Madden followed us up through there and I don't know exactly when he got to second. So I was just biding my time. I was really just hoping it wouldn't rubber really. I kind of knew in the back of my mind it may rubber late. They said there may be a little problem with some (water) drainage (on the track) getting in to turn three or something. That’s the reason he had to keep (the track so) hard because the first night it was really rough and hard on equipment. I don't know.”

Madden wasn’t distraught over his runner-up finish and another $25,000 payday, but he was plenty disappointed that he didn’t get a real opportunity to race Davenport for the lead after running him down.

“Another second place for us,” said Madden. “(The track) just one-laned there and rubbered up right around the bottom. Just couldn't do anything. Couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything. Before the rubber come I felt like we had the car to get it done tonight. I had an awesome race car and hats off to my guys. We've struggled this week, but we stayed together and kept working at it and finally found a balance right there today in the heat race.”

VIDEO: Chris Madden reacts after another second-place finish in an Eldora crown jewel. 

Unfortunately for Madden, he didn’t make it to the front in time to show how good his car was. By the time he caught Davenport, the track was already down to one dominant groove. He left with his sixth top-five finish in Dream competition.

“We had a great race car, just circumstances right there put us on one lane and all we could do is ride around like a freight train … follow the leader,” Madden said. “So it is what it is. We'll take it home and get ready to come back for the World (100 in September). Hopefully they can give us a better racetrack and get all these whoopty-doo’s cut out this thing and maybe we can use some of the racetrack. We can't use the racetrack because it’s so rough in the center of three and four. We’ll get us a win here one day. But second is, I guess better than third.”

Second is better than third — and paid $10,000 more — but Pierce was hardly complaining.

“By far (this is) my best finish in the Dream,” Pierce said. “We were pretty good there … just kind of like at the (Eldora) Million. I was right there with J.D. for a little and then they pulled away from me. But I was making the top work down there until it rubbered on the bottom. Hey, we'll take it man. The podium is awesome here at the Dream. By far my best finish.

“(It was a) great weekend with the second last night and third tonight. We'll build a notebook. That's what we got to do. First time running the Dream here with this Longhorn (Chassis). We’ll just build a notebook. We couldn't learn too much on the rubbered-up track there. Still, we kind of learned some before it rubbed up and I felt like we had a really good car. So we're looking forward to the next time we get to come to Eldora.”

Notes: After being elevated to the 2015 Dream win, Davenport’s best Dream finish was third (2018). He finished fourth three times (2016, ’21-’22) and seventh once (’21), but also had finishes of 23rd (’19) and 25th (’17). … Davenport praised his winning Longhorn Chassis, the same car that he’s used in other Eldora wins. “This old girl here,” he said. “We've won the Million in it. We won the World. We won the World the year before that.” … On Friday, Davenport said he didn’t think he was quite good enough to win the finale. He admitted in victory lane that he had a bit of good luck on Saturday. “I told it several people today that I just didn't have that warm and fuzzy feeling,” he said. “I just ain't felt good all weekend, even though we've ran good. We've been living right because we sure had a lot of luck on our side this whole weekend. Just from Shirley blowing the tire, getting the right lane on a restart, getting to draw the number three when the racetrack slowed down, getting in the right heat, just so many different things.” … Six former Dream winners made the 26-car starting field: Davenport, Brandon Sheppard, Dennis Erb Jr., Dale McDowell, Shane Clanton and Jimmy Owens. Other than Davenport, Clanton’s ninth-place finish was tops among the former race winners. … Jimmy Mars, the 1997 Dream winner, was represented in the starting field by first-time Dream starter Dustin Sorenson, who piloted the familiar yellow 28 of Mars and MB Customs.

Dirt Late Model Dream Results From Eldora Speedway