ROSSBURG, Ohio (Sept. 5) — Looking for his first Super Late Model victory at Eldora Speedway during the 44th annual World 100 weekend, things didn’t start off too well for Jonathan Davenport on Thursday’s opening night.

The 30-year-old Blairsville, Ga., driver, piloting the Longhorn Chassis owned by Lee Roy and Kevin Rumley, starting in the sixth row of Thursday’s opening 25-lap feature, never making anyway headway in finishing 13th.

He turned things around in Friday’s opening feature. Blitzing the front-row starters by going from third to first on the opening lap, Davenport led all 25 laps for a $5,000 payday.

“We worked really hard trying to get us a win here,” Davenport said. “We’ve won a couple heat races. Me and Kevin, we made a big swing at it here. We did last night and it was the wrong way, but tonight I think was the right direction.”

Davenport built a straightaway lead after seven laps and turned back a mid-race challenge from sixth-starting Scott Bloomquist, then survived a late restart before taking the checkers.

Bloomquist drew within several lengths as the frontrunners entered traffic by lap 13, but over the next few laps, Davenport stepped up his aggressiveness to put a cushion of four lapped cars between his No. 6 and Bloomquist’s No. 0, drawing away before a lap-19 caution for Brian Shirley, who stopped at the end of the frontstretch.

With the field bunched with six laps remaining, Bloomquist started alongside Davenport, who immediately returned to the high side of the track to a high groove that was too much for everyone else as he pulled away to win by more than a half-straightaway.

Bloomquist, of Mooresburg, Tenn., was second followed by fellow multiple World 100 winners and fourth-row starters Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, and Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark.. Chris Madden was fifth while front-row starters Eddie Carrier Jr. (eighth) and Ryan Gustin (18th) barely knew what hit them.

Davenport, who was hampered by brake problems in last year’s World 100 and accepted the blame for a wreck that knocked him out of June’s $100,000-to-win Dream, gained some confidence heading into Saturday’s $47,000-to-win weekend finale.

“Now I know that you can actually pass at this place, and you don’t have to take everything you can get, when you get it,” Davenport said, “and just kind of pace myself and be there for the 100 laps.”

Preliminaries

First heat (top three transfer): Scott Bloomquist, Brian Birkhofer, Jeff Babcock, Rick Eckert, Jeep Van Wormer, Brandon Kinzer, Austin Smith, Walker Arthur, McKay Wenger, Don Gordon.

Second heat (top three transfer): Chris Madden, Billy Moyer, Randy Weaver, Bobby Pierce, Jimmy Owens, Don O'Neal, Jason Welshan, Steve Lance Jr., Bill Lewis, J.T. Conley.

Third heat (top three transfer): Dennis Erb Jr., Chris Simpson, Jimmy Mars, Mike Marlar, Dustin Linville, Rod Conley, Vic Hill, Jason Hughes, Charles LaPlant, Bryant Dickinson.

Fourth heat (top three transfer): Jonathan Davenport, Billy Moyer Jr., Brad Neat, Shannon Babb, Billy Ogle Jr., Cody Mahoney, Bub McCool, Brian Diveley, Jon Hodgkiss, Scott Knepley.

Fifth heat (top three transfer): Ryan Gustin, Dale McDowell, Devin Moran, Frank Heckenast Jr., Jared Landers, Casey Noonan, Chase Junghans, Curtis Deisenroght, Tommy Bailey. Scratched: David Breazeale.

Sixth heat (top three transfer): Eddie Carrier Jr., Mason Zeigler, Brian Shirley, Duane Chamberlain, Jacob Hawkins, Jon Henry, Dan Schlieper, James Rice, Ross Nicastri. Scratched: Butch Kruckeberg.

First consolation (top three transfer): Bobby Pierce, Jeep Van Wormer, Jimmy Owens, Dustin Linville, Rick Eckert, Don O'Neal, Mike Marlar, Rod Conley, Brandon Kinzer, Vic Hill, Jason Hughes, Steve Lance Jr., Austin Smith, McKay Wenger, Walker Arthur, J.T. Conley, Charles LaPlant. Scratched: Bill Lewis, Jason Welshan.

Second consolation (top three transfer): Shannon Babb, Frank Heckenast Jr., Duane Chamberlain, Billy Ogle Jr., Bub McCool, Jacob Hawkins, Jared Landers, Chase Junghans, Jonn Henry, Casey Noonan, James Rice, Dan Schlie;er, Jon Hodgkiss, Brian Diveley, Cody Mahoney, Curtis Deisenroght, Tommy Bailey. Scratched: Ross Nicastri.

Time trials (unofficial)

Pos. Driver (car no.), hometown, time

1. Jeff Babcock (1), Wayne, Ohio, 15.611
2. Randy Weaver (116), Crossville, Tenn., 15.619
3. Jimmy Mars (28), Menomonie, Wis., 15.653
4. Kent Robinson (7r), Bloomington, Ind., 15.726
5. Steve Francis (15), Ashland, Ky., 15.767
6. Jackie Boggs (4B), Grayson, Ky., 15.793
7. Tyler Reddick (11), Corning, Calif., 15.816
8. Wendell Wallace (1), Batesville, Ark., 15.825
9. Austin Hubbard (32), Seaford, Del., 15.852
10. R.J. Conley (71c), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 15.860
11. John Blankenship (23), Williamson, W.Va., 15.867
12. Morgan Bagley (14m), Longview, Texas, 15.888
13. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 15.922
14. Chris Madden (44), Gray Court, S.C., 15.945
15. Jason Hughes (12), Watts, Okla., 15.988
16. Jonathan Davenport (6), Blairsville, Ga., 15.995
17. Casey Noonan (1n), Sylvania, Ohio, 16.008
18. Eddie Carrier Jr. (28), Salt Rock, W.Va., 16.024
19. Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., 16.040
20. Billy Moyer (21), Batesville, Ark., 16.050
21. Rod Conley (71r), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 16.065
22. Billy Ogle Jr. (201), Knoxville, Tenn., 16.073
23. Ryan Gustin (19r), Marshalltown, Iowa, 16.080
24. Jon Henry (15), Ada, Ohio, 16.091
25. Brandon Kinzer (18), Allen, Ky., 16.108
26. Don O’Neal (5), Martinsville, Ind., 16.130
27. Chris Simpson (32), Oxford, Iowa, 16.188
28. Rusty Schlenk (11), McClure, Ohio, 16.219
29. Wayne Chinn (1), Bradford, Ohio, 16.226
30. Mark Dotson (85D), Cameron, Mo., 16.239
31. Nick Latham (31), Winchester, Ohio, 16.270
32. Delmas Conley (71), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 16.289
33. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 16.306
34. Cody Mahoney (4), Hanover, Ind., 16.324
35. Devin Moran (99m), Dresden, Ohio, 16.331
36. Jacob Hawkins (20), Fairmont, W.Va., 16.333
37. Walker Arthur (87), Forest, Va., 16.346
38. Jason Riggs (81jr), Harrisburg, Ill., 16.349
39. Dustin Linville (D8), Bryantsville, Ky., 16.367
40. Bub McCool (57j), Vicksburg, Miss., 16.397
41. Chase Junghans (18), Manhattan, Kan., 16.420
42. James Rice (11r), Verona, Ky., 16.448
43. McKay Wenger (42), Fairbury, Ill., 16.488
44. Jason Welshan (29), Maryville, Tenn., 16.526
45. Charles LaPlant (3c), East Prairie, MO., 16.598
46. Brian Diveley (11D), Springfield, Ill., 16.612
47. Jerry Bowersock (95j), Wapakoneta, Ohio, 16.722
48. Cecil Eunice (22), Blackshear, Ga., 16.786
49. Austin Smith (11), Cedartown, Ga., 16.820
50. J.T. Conley (71j), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 16.925
51. Vic Hill (1), Mosheim, Tenn., 16.977
52. Jon Hodgkiss (69), Kennedy, Pa., 17.038
53. Tommy Bailey (35), Corbin, Ky., 17.156
54. Mason Zeigler (25z), Chalk Hill, Pga., 17.209
55. Don Gordon (33), Chatham, Ontario, 17.367
56. Bill Lewis (26), Warren, Ind., 17.458
57. Bryant Dickinson (5*), Ionia, Mich., 18.179
58. Scott Knepley (30k), Spiceland, Ind., 18.255
59. David Breazeale (54), Four Corners, Miss., 20.757