ROSSBURG, Ohio — No one’s perfect, the saying goes. But Jonathan Davenport says he’s merely one adjustment away.

The 38-year-old Blairsville, Ga., driver rolled past early leader Jimmy Owens on the sixth lap Thursday at Eldora Speedway and cruised to a $12,000 preliminary victory heading toward Saturday’s 52nd annual World 100.

In winning the caution-free 25-lapper, the third-starting Davenport — already a four-time World 100 winner and among the clear-cut weekend favorites — took the checkers a whopping 5.410 seconds ahead of Owens in a no-doubter finish.

“This is the place you want to be good at,” Davenport said in victory lane while waxing poetic about the track where he loves to win most. “We got a pretty good race car for here.”

Newport, Tenn.’s Owens, a two-time World 100 winner who led the first six laps from outside the front row but watched Davenport easily drive by on the low side, settled for second while Wednesday’s $128,000 Dream winner Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., rounded out the podium. Dream runner-up Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., was fourth in a top-five of heavy-hitters while pole-starting Johnny Scott of Las Cruces, N.M., rounded out the top five.

Davenport, who improved 16 positions after 84 laps in the previous night’s Dream to finish fourth, found the track surface more to his liking on the first of two preliminary nights for the World 100. ("Man, I wish the racetrack was like that last night,” Davenport said in victory lane.)

And if his car seemed perfect while pulling far ahead of the competition, Davenport cautioned that it wasn’t quite so.

“I think we're one adjustment away from about being perfect right there,” he said. “We changed quite a few things today We just couldn't get a good balance on it.”

The Double L Motorsports driver thanked crew chief Jason Durham along with crew members Vinny Guliani and Tyler Bragg for giving him a winning car.

“Just a phenomenal job by my guys, Jason and Vinny and Tyler and we all put our heads together and just constantly change on this thing,” Davenport said. “ =We changed some things on the car, and it messed the balance up a little bit. I think we got it back there pretty good.”

Owens, who hasn’t led a lap in Eldora’s major events since his second World 100 victory in 2011, drove a car that wasn’t as stable in the corners as he’d have liked.

“I felt like we were good, but you know, the 49 car, they've been phenomenal this year. Another great year for those guys, hats off to ‘em,” Owens said. “You know, we've got some work to do and maybe we make some improvements for the big race.”

All 24 starters were running the conclusion of the 25-lapper, 16 of them on the lead lap.

Notes: Davenport scored his 19th victory of the season. … He said the team has been racing with “heavy hearts” following recent deaths, including the daughter of longtime Longhorn Chassis employee Matt Langston and young Longhorn employee Ethan Mastro who died in separate accidents. … Davenport also mentioned Chris Davis of Midwest Sheet Metal, whose father died recently.

Feature lineup

(25 laps)

Row 1: Johnny Scott, Jimmy Owens
Row 2: Jonathan Davenport, Chris Madden
Row 3: Brandon Overton, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 4: Mike Marlar, Brandon Sheppard
Row 5: Spencer Hughes, Tyler Erb
Row 6: Trent Ivey, John Blankenship
Row 7: Kye Blight, Garrett Alberson
Row 8: Gregg Satterlee, Ryan Gustin
Row 9: Jensen Ford, Mark Whitener
Row 10: Tyler Carpenter, Jason Feger
Row 11: Joseph Joiner, Camaron Marlar
Row 12: Kyle Strickler, Dakotah Knuckles

Consolation race results

(12 laps; top two transfer)

First consolation: Joseph Joiner, Kyle Strickler, Kent Robinson, Dale McDowell, Daulton Wilson, Carson Ferguson, Darrell Lanigan, R.J. Conley, Jason Jameson, Jason Riggs, Manny Felcon, Jerry Bowersock, John Henderson, Chase Osterhoff, Keegan Cox, Jeremy Creech. Scratched: Parker Martin, Steve Sabo.

Second consolation: Camaron Marlar, Dakotah Knuckles, Rick Eckert, Freddie Carpenter, Jon Henry, Mike Benedum, Dustin Nobbe, Steven Roberts, Will Roland, Dean Carpenter, Rob Anderzack, Curtis Roberts, Justin White, Jon Kirby, Jeff Robertson. Scratched: Brandon Moore.

Consolation race lineups

(12 laps; top two transfer)

First consolation
Row 1: Jason Riggs, Kent Robinson
Row 2: Joseph Joiner, Kyle Strickler
Row 3: R.J. Conley, Jason Jameson
Row 4: Carson Ferguson, Daulton Wilson
Row 5: Manny Falcon, Darrell Lanigan
Row 6: Parker Martin, John Henderson
Row 7: Keegan Cox, Jerry Bowersock
Row 8: Dale McDowell, Chase Osterhoff
Row 9: Steve Sabo, Jeremy Creech
Second consolation
Row 1: Camaron Marlar, Mike Benedum
Row 2: Dakotah Knuckles, Freddie Carpenter
Row 3: Steven Roberts, Rick Eckert
Row 4: Jon Henry, Dustin Nobbe
Row 5: Dean Carpenter, Will Roland
Row 6: Justin White, Jon Kirby
Row 7: Rob Anderzack, Curtis Roberts
Row 8: Brandon Moore, Jeff Robertson

Heat race notes

With all eight cylinders firing, Chris Madden was back running at the speed he flashed before a spark plug wire fell off and cost him a $128,000 victory in Wednesday’s Dream. He followed up his overall fast-time honors with a convincing victory from the fourth starting spot in the first heat. “It’s pretty good,” he said with a smile. “We got a good package for ’em.” … Dale McDowell retired from the first heat with rear end trouble. … Jimmy Owens captured the second heat after turning back a last-lap challenge from the fourth-starting Brandon Sheppard, who slipped to fifth at the initial green flag but rallied to place a fast-closing second. … Darrell Lanigan and John Henderson made the call for the second heat after their crews scrambled to repair damage the drivers did to their cars in bouts with the outside wall during qualifying. The damage to Lanigan’s Tony Jackson Jr.-fielded Capital machine was restricted to its right-rear corner while Henderson had a broken right-front suspension to fix along with his bent rear deck. … Jon Henry, whose only 2022 racing action prior to this week was a pair of midget starts at Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway, executed a 360-degree spin on the first lap of Heat 3 after contact with Mike Marlar. The Ohio driver went on finish ninth in Rick DeLong’s No. 3. … Jonathan Davenport appeared headed to a runner-up finish in Heat 3 until Trent Ivey slipped high through turns three and four on lap eight, allowing June’s Eldora Million winner to assume command and head to victory. “He just got into the wall,” Davenport said of Ivey, who recovered to finish third. “It’s real tricky getting into three with that hump we got from the trucks going back-and-forth across the track.” … Johnny Scott lost a significant portion of his lead in the fourth heat when he scraped the turn-four wall heading to the white flag but held on to emerge triumphant over Dream winner Brandon Overton, who recovered from a poor qualifying effort to pick his way from the seventh starting spot to a second-place finish. “I missed it by this much (holding his fingers close together) and I got into the wall,” Scott said as he sighed in relief that the miscue didn’t cost him the race.

Heat race results

(10 laps; top five transfer)

First heat: Chris Madden, Ricky Thornton Jr., Spencer Hughes, Kye Blight, Jensen Ford, Jason Riggs, Joseph Joiner, R.J. Conley, Carson Ferguson, Manny Falcon, Parker Martin, Keegan Cox, Dale McDowell. Scratched: Steve Sabo.

Second heat: Jimmy Owens, Brandon Sheppard, Tyler Erb, Garrett Alberson, Mark Whitener, Kent Robinson, Kyle Strickler, Jason Jameson, Daulton Wilson, Darrell Lanigan, John Henderson, Jerry Bowersock, Chase Osterhoff, Jeremy Creech.

Third heat: Jonathan Davenport, Mike Marlar, Trent Ivey, Gregg Satterlee, Tyler Carpenter, Camaron Marlar, Dakotah Knuckles, Steven Roberts, Jon Henry, Dean Carpenter, Justin White, Rob Anderzack. Scratched: Brandon Moore.

Fourth heat: Johnny Scott, Brandon Overton, John Blankenship, Ryan Gustin, Jason Feger, Mike Benedum, Freddie Carpenter, Rick Eckert, Dustin Nobbe, Will Roland, Jon Kirby, Curtis Roberts, Jeff Robertson.

Heat race lineups

(10 laps; top five transfer)

First heat
Row 1: Ricky Thornton Jr, Spencer Hughes
Row 2: Jensen Ford, Chris Madden
Row 3: Dale McDowell, Jason Riggs
Row 4: Kye Blight, Parker Martin
Row 5: R.J. Conley, Manny Falcon
Row 6: Joseph Joiner, Carson Ferguson
Row 7: Keegan Cox, Steve Sabo
Second heat
Row 1: Tyler Erb, Kent Robinson
Row 2: Jimmy Owens, Brandon Sheppard
Row 3: Garrett Alberson, Daulton Wilson
Row 4: Mark Whitener, Kyle Strickler
Row 5: Jason Jameson, Darrell Lanigan
Row 6: Jerry Bowersock, Chase Osterhoff
Row 7: Jeremy Creech, John Henderson
Third heat
Row 1: Trent Ivey, Dakotah Knuckles
Row 2: Mike Marlar, Jonathan Davenport
Row 3: Gregg Satterlee, Jon Henry
Row 4: Steven Roberts, Camaron Marlar
Row 5: Tyler Carpenter, Rob Anderzack
Row 6: Dean Carpenter, Justin White
Row 7: Brandon Moore
Fourth heat
Row 1: John Blankenship, Johnny Scott
Row 2: Ryan Gustin, Will Roland
Row 3: Jason Feger, Mike Benedum
Row 4: Brandon Overton, Freddie Carpenter
Row 5: Rick Eckert, Jon Kirby
Row 6: Dustin Nobbe, Curtis Roberts
Row 7: Jeff Robertson

Pre-race notes

With memories of June’s rain-plagued Eldora Million and Dream still fresh in everyone’s mind, a second straight day of gorgeous weather — sunny skies with afternoon temperatures in the high 70s — for the first of two World 100 preliminary programs is a welcomed development. … Big news was made Thursday afternoon when Hoosier Racing Tire officials conducted a press conference in Eldora’s media center to announce the details of the National Late Model Tire that will debut for the 2023 season with the goal of reducing and streamlining tire choices for Super Late Model teams. Hoosier representatives were joined by World of Outlaws COO Brian Carter, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series director Rick Schwallie and Eldora owner Tony Stewart. … The 107-car roster is the first World 100 field to top the century mark since 104 cars were signed in for the 2018 event. Last year’s double World 100s drew 80 and 79 cars, respectively. … Jeremy Shaw of Millport, Ala., was forced to scratch from World 100 action due to terminal engine woes that struck his car during one of Wednesday’s Chasing the Dream features. … Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio, has switched to his second car — the Longhorn machine in which he enjoyed so much success during Georgia-Florida Speedweeks earlier this year — because his primary car was heavily damaged in a late-race Dream crash Wednesday after a blown right-front tire sent him into Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., between turns one and two. … Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., was swept up in the Moran-O’Neal accident — he couldn’t avoid slamming into Moran’s car — and also sustained week-ending damage to his primary mount. He pulled the motor and put it in his backup car, which also now sports the Ricky Bobby/Talladega Nights-themed bodywork that was on the vehicle he drove on Wednesday. … North Carolina-based cousins Chris and Carson Ferguson are in their second cars after experiencing trouble during Wednesday’s Dream feature. Chris was turned backward into the turn-one wall by contact with Kyle Strickler of Mooresville, N.C., and was left with a bent rear clip and fuel cell, forcing him to pull out his other Team Zero machine; Carson was knocked from the 100-lapper by terminal engine and will switch to a Longhorn car that his friend, Chris Hargett, drove up from Ferguson’s shop this morning and unloaded in the Eldora pit area just before noon. ... Zack Mitchell of Enoree, S.C., blew an engine during his Chase the Dream feature on Wednesday. The team outfitted Mitchell’s Longhorn with a new Vic Hill powerplant on Thursday. … Josh Rice of Verona, Ky., made an engine change Thursday afternoon, bolting in his bigger powerplant that he would have preferred to run in Wednesday’s Dream but couldn’t because its delivery by freight shipment from Jay Dickens’s Mississippi shop was delayed until Wednesday. Rice, who ran as high as third in the 100-lapper before sliding back to an eighth-place finish, considered leaving his smaller powerplant in his car for the remainder of the week until he drained the oil and discovered metal shavings that were concerning.

Time trials

Driver (car no.), hometown, time

1. Chris Madden (44), Gray Court, S.C., 15.412
2. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., 15.448
3. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 15.570
4. Will Roland (22R), Jasper, Ga., 15.582
5. Jensen Ford (83), Johnson City, Tenn., 15.590
6. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 15.592
7. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 15.609
8. Ryan Gustin (19r), Marshalltown, Iowa, 15.637
9. Spencer Hughes (11), Meridian, Miss., 15.664
10. Kent Robinson (7R), Bloomington, Ind., 15.683
11. Dakotah Knuckles (21k), Ewing, Va., 15.719
12. Johnny Scott (1st), Las Cruces, N.M., 15.729
13. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., 15.757
14. Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, 15.758
15. Trent Ivey (88), Union, S.C., 15.761
16. John Blankenship (23), Williamson, W.Va., 15.768
17. Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., 15.824
18. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., 15.848
19. Gregg Satterlee (22), Indiana, Pa., 15.848
20. Jason Feger (25), Bloomington, Ill., 15.888
21. Jason Riggs (81r), College Grove, Tenn., 15.901
22. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., 15.936
23. Jon Henry (15), Ada, Ohio, 15.944
24. Mike Benedum (25), Salem, W.Va., 15.974
25. Kye Blight (31K), Katanning, Australia, 15.988
26. Mark Whitener (5), Middleburg, Fla., 16.025
27. Steven Roberts (111), Sylvester, Ga., 16.030
28. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 16.030
29. Parker Martin (6jr), Milledgeville, Ga., 16.055
30. Kyle Strickler (8), Mooresville, N.C., 16.064
31. Camaron Marlar (99), Winfield, Tenn. , 16.076
32. Freddie Carpenter (K), Parkersburg, W.Va., 16.081
33. R.J. Conley (71C), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 16.109
34. Jason Jameson (12), Lawrenceburg, Ind., 16.112
35. Tyler Carpenter (28), Parkersburg, W.Va., 16.115
36. Rick Eckert (15K), York, Pa., 16.129
37. Manny Falcon (995), Pine Grove, La., 16.214
38. Darrell Lanigan (29), Union, Ky., 16.341
39. Rob Anderzack (8A), Swanton, Ohio, 16.361
40. Jon Kirby (11J), Russellville, Ark., 16.373
41. Joseph Joiner (10), Milton, Fla., 16.401
42. Jerry Bowersock (95j), Wapakoneta, Ohio, 16.418
43. Dean Carpenter (51), Coldwater, Miss., 16.470
44. Dustin Nobbe (5N), Batesville, Ind., 16.514
45. Carson Ferguson (93), Lincolnton, N.C., 16.549
46. Chase Osterhoff (130), Kankakee, Ill., 16.595
47. Justin White (20W), Stevensville, Mich., 16.691
48. Curtis Roberts (9r), Coleman, Mich., 16.786
49. Keegan Cox (23C), Franklin, Ind., 16.943
50. Jeremy Creech (17C), Richmond, Ind., 16.957
51. Brandon Moore (39M), Montgomery, Texas, 17.365
52. Jeff Robertson (P0), Defiance, Ohio, 17.431
53. Steve Sabo (16S), Fremont, Ohio , 17.905
54. John Henderson (2x), North Augusta, S.C., no time

Thursday's schedule

10 a.m.: Turn-three race registration opens (pit passes and media credential sign-in)
10 a.m.: Main gate ticket office opens (tickets, pit passes and will call)
10 a.m.: Turn-four ticket office opens (tickets and pit passes)
11 a.m.: All ADA parking opens (permit required)
11 a.m.: Grandstand cleared and secured for grand opening
Noon: Turn-three pit gate opens
Noon: All admission gates/suites/concessions open
Noon-4:30 p.m.: Technical inspection for Late Models
3 p.m. - Hoosier Tire press conference
5 p.m.: Drivers’ meeting
6:30 p.m.: Hot laps
- Time trials
8 p.m.: Opening ceremonies followed by on-track competition
- Heat races
- Consolation races
- Twin 25-lap features