WHEATLAND, Mo. (May 25) — Living up to his nickname of Superman, Jonathan Davenport put on another dominating performance Saturday at Lucas Oil Speedway.
Davenport led every lap, with only a parade of caution flags slowing him down in rolling to a $50,000 victory in the 32nd annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 presented by Missouri Division of Tourism. The Blairsville, Ga., driver took the checkers 5.92 seconds in front of runner-up Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., the only driver to threaten the winner at all.
It was Davenport's eighth feature victory at Lucas Oil Speedway since the spring of 2023 and his second Show-Me 100 triumph. He also won the crown jewel race in 2015, leading all 100 laps. This time, he only had to lead 80 as series officials made the call prior to the feature to shorten the race because of approaching rain and challenging track conditions.
"I've just got to thank my guys," Davenport said after his crew went to work on the primary car after Davenport had to go to a backup for Thursday night's first preliminary feature. He rallied from the back of the field to 10th and on Friday night, finished third in the main car still wasn't quite up to snuff.
"We really got behind two days," Davenport added. "We had electrical issues the first night and never could figure them out. Then last night in the feature, we go the front end knocked off on the first lap. I knew I didn't feel good, but didn't know why until we got back to the pits and started assessing the damage. We had to change basically everything in the front end.
"This car was really good from the start. I couldn't believe (front-row starter Garrett Alberson) would spin a little bit and I could drive right by him on the start. I just tried to manage my tires and not tear them up too bad.”
Five cars tangled in turn one as the green flew to start the event, causing a complete restart. That was telling of what was to come, with nine cautions in all to occur. Every time Davenport would build up comfortable leads of three seconds or more, he had to do it all over again.
The fourth-starting Davenport, in his Lance Landers Motorsports Longhorn chassis, made a big move on the race's restart by splitting front-row starters Alberson and Ricky Thornton Jr. He grabbed the lead on the opening lap and soon had a 3.4-second gap over Thornton by lap three.
Davenport, 40, said he used a softer right-rear tires than most of his competitors and that was a key to getting ultimate handling on a track that was wetter than during the first two nights.
"During that first run, I was going pretty hard," Davenport said. "I figured we might have a long green-flag run and I might be able to put half the field a lap down and we wouldn't have to worry about half of them."
A lap-10 caution as Logan Martin slowed to enter the pits wiped out Davenport’s sizable lead, but he quickly sprinted out to 3.3-second command in just five laps as action resumed.
Again catching lapped traffic, Davenport’s lead grew to five seconds by lap 20. Two laps later, Davenport narrowly missed a spinning Brennon Willard in turn three as the third caution flew and erased his 4.3-second cushion over Thornton with Chris Simpson in third.
Simpson moved into second on the restart and gave chase to Davenport. But again, the leader stretched his lead to more than two seconds when Chad Simpson slowed on the track to bring out a lap-27 caution.
Thornton regained second as action resumed and started to close in on the leader, cutting Davenport’s lead to 1.6 seconds by lap 34 — but that’s when the fifth caution appeared for a slowing Clay Harris. Just two laps went into the books before yellow No. 6 came out.
With lightning flashing in the distance and seven cautions already, the race finally reached the halfway mark with Davenport lead Thornton by 1.3 seconds. Tim McCreadie had worked his way into third with Chris Simpson fourth.
McCreadie, also on a softer tire, overtook Thornton for second on lap 47 with Davenport maintaining a 1.2-second lead. The gap was 1.7 when action slowed again for caution No. 8 as Aaron Marrant slowed on lap 53.
During that stoppage, officials allowed the drivers to switch helmets for better vision. Davenport and McCreadie broke away on the restart with 25th-starting Ross Robinson advancing past Thornton and into third.
McCreadie pulled right behind Davenport on lap 60, but Davenport seemed to find a new burst of speed and opened the lead back up to 10 lengths before again entering lapped traffic.
Chris Simpson, running 10th, brought out caution No. 9 on lap 62 when he slowed in turn four. Davenport and McCreadie sprinted away again after the restart, with Davenport in front by 1.5 seconds at lap 70, leaving him 10 laps to navigate.
Davenport diced through slower traffic to extend his lead to four seconds with five to go. He took it home from there, winning by a full straightaway over McCreadie. It was Davenport's third Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory of the season.
Eighth-starting Daulton Wilson of Fayetteville, N.C., finished third and Robinson fourth. Thornton, who won both preliminary nights, was fifth in a race that took one hour, one minute to cover the 80 laps. Rain began to fall shortly after the checkered flag.
Davenport said he would have been good if McCreadie, 50, had pulled off the victory. Tim McCreadie's dad, Modified racing legend Barefoot Bob McCreadie died earlier this month.
"I wanted to win this for my team so bad, but in the bottom of my heard I was pulling for Timmy, too," Davenport said. "He's had a rough week for sure. You know how things work out. I figured I was going to push or jump the cushion and he was gonna pass me. As long as I ran second to him, I'd have been all right."
McCreadie, with just his second top-five in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season, said the tire choice was key and took away positive vibes from the competitive run.
"For our race team, Rocket1, it's been a climb," McCreadie said. "Every night we have some success but we haven't been able to put a full night together. A little bit of moisture in the track and I have to thank (team owners) Mark Richards and Steve Baker and everybody who works on these Rockets."
Davenport said the softer tire was a bit of a gamble he and the team decided to go with before race time.
"Here lately I've been making all the wrong tire choices," Davenport said. "This is the wettest I've seen (the track) in a long time. I remember back when we were here for the (Lucas Oil) MLRA race, we ran 2s and 4s. Last night, the 3s were better and it was 40 laps. The track hadn't changed and a lot of laps had been on it.
"We just threw caution to the wind. I almost done it last year and I wish I had, but we didn't. Hindsight it 20-20 and it came back around in 2024. That was pretty cool."
Wilson was pleased with his third-place finish considering his past struggles at Lucas Oil Speedway.
"My guys have busted their butts all week. This place has kicked my butt the last couple of years," Wilson said. "Hats off to all my guys. This car is really good."
Martin, of West Plains, won the Midwest Sheet Metal Show-Me Challenge and forfeited the $2,500 prize to start at the rear of the 33-car Show-Me 100 lineup. He had climbed to 16th by lap 10 when he had mechanical issues and retired.
Show-Me 100
Pos. Driver, hometown, chassis, earnings
1. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., Longhorn, $50,000
2. Tim McCreadie (1), Watertown, N.Y., Rocket, $20,000
3. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., Longhorn, $10,000
4. Ross Robinson (7), Georgetown, Del., Rocket, $9,000
5. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., Longhorn, $8,000
6. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., Longhorn, $7,000
7. Hudson O'Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., Longhorn, $6,000
8. Gordy Gundaker (11G), St. Charles, Mo., Longhorn, $5,000
9. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., Rocket, $4,500
10. Max Blair (111), Centerville, Pa., Longhorn, $4,000
11. Trevor Gundaker (11), St. Charles, Mo., Longhorn, $3,500
12. Carson Ferguson (93), Lincolnton, N.C., Longhorn, $3,250
13. Clay Harris, Jupiter, Fla., Rocket, $3,000
14. Chad Simpson (25), Mount Vernon, Iowa, Infinity, $2,750
15. Chris Simpson (32), Oxford, Iowa, Longhorn, $2,500
16. Dillon McCowan (8), Urbana, Mo., Longhorn, $2,400
17. Brennon Willard (3W), Lebanon, Mo., Capital, $2,350
18. Garrett Smith (10), Eatonton, Ga., Rocket, $2,325
19. Aaron Marrant (1x), Richmond, Mo., Longhorn, $2,300
20. Earl Pearson Jr. (46), Jacksonville, Fla., BMF, $2,250
21. Jeff Herzog (11H), Festus, Mo., Capital, $2,200
22. Cory Lawler (93), Hanover, Pa., Rocket, $2,150
23. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., Longhorn, $2,100
24. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, Longhorn, $2,050
25. Brian Rickman (90), Columbus, Miss., Rocket, $2,000
26. Tanner English (96), Benton, Ky., Longhorn, $2,000
27. Brenden Smith (17ss), Dade City, Fla., Rocket, $2,000
28. Tony Jackson Jr. (25), Lebanon, Mo., Capital, $2,000
29. Neil Baggett (21xxx), Columbus, Miss., Rocket, $2,000
30. Drake Troutman (7T), Hyndman, Pa., Longhorn, $2,000
31. Spencer Hughes (19H), Meridian, Miss., Rocket, $2,000
32. Logan Martin (36), West Plains, Mo., Rocket, $2,000
33. Justin Wells (49), Aurora, Mo., TNT, $2,000
Lap leaders: Davenport 1-80
Preliminary feature winners (among 63 cars): Thornton (2)
Consolation winners: Baggett, McCowan, Pearson
Non-qualifiers’ race winner: Martin
Provisional starters: Robinson, Troutman, B. Smith, Lawler, Jackson, Herzog, Marrant, Willard
Show-Me 100 feature lineup
(80 laps)
Row 1: Ricky Thornton Jr., Garrett Alberson
Row 2: Devin Moran, Jonathan Davenport
Row 3: Max Blair, Chris Simpson
Row 4: Spencer Hughes, Daulton Wilson
Row 5: Tim McCreadie, Gordy Gundaker
Row 6: Brian Rickman, Chad Simpson
Row 7: Carson Ferguson, Jimmy Owens
Row 8: Mike Marlar, Garrett Smith
Row 9: Hudson O'Neal, Trevor Gundaker
Row 10: Neil Baggett, Dillon McCowan
Row 11: Earl Pearson Jr., Justin Wells
Row 12: Tanner English Clay Harris
Row 13: Ross Robinson, Drake Troutman
Row 14: Brenden Smith, Cory Lawler
Row 15: Tony Jackson Jr., Jeff Herzog
Row 16: Aaron Marrant, Brennon Willard
Row 17: Logan Martin
Last-chance race
(20 laps; winner transfers)
Finish: Logan Martin, Tyler Stevens, Aaron Marrant, Dustin Hodges, Ethan Dotson, Clay Stuckey, Steve Stultz, Payton Looney, Mason Oberkramer, Jaxon Ertel, Jeremy Shaw, Billy Moyer, Cole Wells, Brennon Willard, Jeremy Petty, Chris Hawkins, Dusty Leonard, Jeff Roth, Jason Sivils, Jace Parmley, Kylan Garner. Scratched: Brenden Smith, Jon Binning, Glen Powell, Jimmy Vanzandt.
Consolation results
(12 laps; top two transfer)
First consolation finish: Neil Baggett, Justin Wells, Tony Jackson Jr., Payton Looney, Tyler Stevens, Aaron Marrant, Brennon Willard, Billy Moyer, Jeremy Petty, Jason Sivils, Cory Lawler, Ross Robinson (DNS) Ryan Johnson, Jacob Magee, Jared Landers.
Second consolation finish: Dillon McCowan, Tanner English, Jeremy Shaw, Ethan Dotson, Clayton Stuckey, Jace Parmley, Cole Wells, Steve Stultz, Jeff Roth, Glen Powell, Brenden Smith, Drake Troutman, Jeff Herzog, Al Humphrey. Scratched: Dalton Imhoff.
Third consolation finish: Earl Pearson Jr., Clay Harris, Logan Martin, Jaxon Ertel, Dusty Leonard, Dustin Hodges, Kylan Garner, Mason Oberkramer, Chris Hawkins, Jon Binning, Matt Menzie, Jimmy Vanzandt, Scott Crigler. Scratched: Chris Wilhite Jr., Kenny Green.
Pre-race notes
Saturday’s weather was gorgeous throughout the day — sunny skies with a high temperature in the mid-80s — but it’s expected to go downhill later tonight. Forecasts are predicting the chance of severe thunderstorms to reach 80 percent by sometime around midnight. … Among Saturday afternoon’s pre-race festivities was the Hellraizer Jacks Pit Crew Competition open to the 18 teams locked into the Show-Me 100. Devin Moran’s Double Down Motorsports crew of Chuckie Kimball, Mason Bevard and Dylan Klein changed both rear tires in the fastest time to win the first-place prize of $2,000 and a new Hellraizer jack. … Ross Robinson’s crew finished second in the competition for a $1,000 payoff while Tim McCreadie’s Rocket1 crew earned best appearing honors worth $1,000. … Twelve three-member teams participated in the tire-changing contest. Among those who bypassed the competition were the crews of Ricky Thornton Jr., Garrett Alberson and Jonathan Davenport. … The Double L Motorsports team of Blairsville, Ga.’s Davenport was busy during the crew showdown making extensive repairs to the front end of their Longhorn Chassis, which sustained damage in J.D.’s scrape with Thornton on the first lap of Friday’s feature. Though Davenport managed to finish third and lock into the fourth starting spot for the Show-Me 100, his crew chief Cory Fostvedt said virtually all bolt-on parts on the front end needed to be replaced, repairs were needed to the car’s nose and the left-side door was replaced. … Brian Rickman of Columbus, Miss., was scheduled to start 17th in Friday’s feature had to fall in at the rear after the back barrel of his car’s carburetor hung open as he pulled into the staging area. His crew hastily went under the hood and sent him out underpowered with two operating barrels on the carb; he salvaged a 19th-place finish and locked into the Show-Me 100 for the first time in his career as the 11th starter. … Joining Rickman as first-time Show-Me 100 feature starts among the 18 drivers already locked in Gordy Gundaker of St. Charles, Mo. (starting 10th), Carson Ferguson of Lincolnton, N.C. (13th) and Garrett Smith of Eatonton, Ga. (16th). … Gundaker’s younger brother, Trevor, is also locked into the Show-Me 100 field in the 18th starting spot. It’s Trevor’s third straight start in the crown event following finishes of 19th in 2022 and 24th in ’23. — Kevin Kovac
Consolation race lineups
(15 laps; top two transfer)
First consolation
Row 1: Neil Baggett, Justin Wells
Row 2: Ross Robinson, Tony Jackson Jr.
Row 3: Aaron Marrant, Payton Looney
Row 4: Tyler Stevens, Brennon Willard
Row 5: Billy Moyer, Jason Sivils
Row 6: Ryan Johnson, Jacob Magee
Row 7: Cory Lawler, Jared Landers
Row 8: Jeremy Petty
Second consolation
Row 1: Drake Troutman, Brenden Smith
Row 2: Dillon McCowan, Tanner English
Row 3: Jeremy Shaw, Ethan Dotson
Row 4: Steve Stultz, Cole Wells
Row 5: Clay Stuckey, Jeff Herzog
Row 6: Jace Parmley, Jeff Roth
Row 7: Glen Powell, Al Humphrey
Row 8: Dalton Imhoff
Third consolation
Row 1: Earl Pearson Jr., Clay Harris
Row 2: Scott Crigler, Logan Martin
Row 3: Dusty Leonard, Jaxon Ertel
Row 4: Kylan Garner, Dustin Hodges
Row 5: Chris Hawkins, Mason Oberkramer
Row 6: Matt Menzie, Jimmy Vanzandt
Row 7: Jon Binning, Chris Wilhite Jr.
Row 8: Kenny Green
Saturday’s schedule
(All times local)
11 a.m.-2 p.m. - Fishing tournament (Lake Lucas)
3 p.m. - All gates open
3 p.m. - Registration begins
3:30 p.m. - Pit crew challenge (track infield)
5:30 p.m. - Creed Fisher concert (midway)
6:15 p.m. - Drivers’ autograph session (midway)
7 p.m. - On-track activity begins
- Super Late Model consolation hot laps
- Limited Late Model hot laps
Opening ceremonies
- Super Late Model consolations (15 laps)
- Super Late Model locked-in hot laps
- Limited Late Model consolations (12 laps)
- Super Late Model non-qualifier (20 laps)
Feature events
- Super Late Models (100 laps)
- Limited Late Models (30 laps)