Wythe Raceway
Notes: Davenport can’t repel Overton at Wythe
By Robert Holman
DirtonDirt.com weekend editor
Jonathan Davenport (49) tries to repel Brandon Overton (76). (Austin Bumgarner)
RURAL RETREAT, Va. (April 15) — Jonathan Davenport is inching closer to his first victory of the 2022 season. Davenport led Friday’s Schaeffer’s Spring Nationals feature at Wythe Raceway in Rural Retreat, Va., for 52 of the 53 laps before watching Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., swoop in and grab the lead just 1,500 feet from the checkered flag. | RaceWire
While it was a heartbreaking defeat for Davenport, the final 25 laps of the feature gave fans a battle between two of last season’s hottest drivers. Overton went on to claim the $10,053 victory, his six of the year, while Davenport finished second, remaining winless in 13 tries so far in ‘22.
“(The track) started rubbering through (turns) one and two there and I kept getting tighter and tighter. Brandon had a little bit harder tire on (the right front). I knew that going in,” Davenport said. “I heard him a couple times. He actually got beside me one time off of (turn) two, but I pulled back away and then I was just kind of really just a sittin’ duck. I mean, I felt like I held him off pretty good for a while, but then we got to those lapped cars, and the last probably about five laps I started fading.”
Davenport began experiencing a little trouble exiting the turns of the high-banked, half-mile oval and slowly Overton closed in. Little did Davenport know, however, there were a number of contributing factors in his last-lap demise.
“I couldn’t get off the corner,” Davenport said. “I was still a little tight in but I could kind of manage, but then I couldn’t leave the corner as good as what I had been previous. Then we caught the lapped cars and they was running two-wide and I thought it was maybe the grit just making (the track) a little worse. But then we went through one and two there and I really hung off the corner and I heard him coming. Then I saw him beside of me and we went down in three and four, and I didn’t know it but somebody had blowed up (an engine).
“The outside lane had oil in it so I slid through that and about hit the wall. But anyway, (Overton) was asking me if I hit it because he said whenever he got in front of me, he said he felt like he almost parked. Then I hit it, too, because as soon as I come off the corner I just started spinning all the way down the front straightaway. Then I come in and my left-rear tire was flat, so, you know, it just wasn’t our time. Our car’s getting better. We’re finally timing better now. We won two heats now back to back. So we’re definitely getting better. We just got to put a whole night together.”
Davenport said Overton’s front tire choice, however, played a significant factor in the outcome.
“(Overton) and his guys just chose the (correct) right front tire,” Davenport said. “I didn’t think that would be an issue here, but I’ve never seen it rubber here before either. I don’t know if it’s a little bit different dirt because I seen a lot of dirt piled up on the front straightaway and stuff so I don’t know if they put different dirt on it or whatever. I can make 1,000 excuses, but we just got beat tonight. If it had been 50 laps, we’d have won, but you know, it wasn’t.
“(The harder right front tire) just made him steer better later in the race when it rubbered, but, like I said, I didn’t think it’d be an issue. But obviously it was. Just got to thank my guys, you know, they give me a great car again and I almost held him off long enough. I just needed two more corners.”
A tale of two cars
Having two cars with the same temperament is really helpful when drivers have to go back and forth between two different machines. Whether a chassis change is necessitated because of a motor issue or other mechanical problem, knowing that similar adjustments on both race cars get similar results makes a driver’s life a little easier. Sometimes it takes a while to find those similar points though.
For the last few weeks, Mooresville, N.C.’s Kyle Strickler has been trying to reign in a second car, to no avail. Friday at Wythe he was back to the car he knows works and the result was a solid sixth-place finish.
“This is our other car we’ve been running the beginning part of the year and it seems to be a good bit better,” Strickler said. “So we had the backup car and we’re trying to work on that the last three races and we’re just struggling, struggling, struggling. So we got back in this car and was fast right out of the gate there. Just gonna keep working on our adjustments for the feature. We were a little loose and then tight across the center and then could have used more traction on exit.
“But, all in all, I wish we could’ve got one spot better there and ended up top-five, but she’s in one piece and finishing in sixth is a lot better than not making the show and being miles off what I thought we were last night (at Volunteer Speedway). Pretty happy with, you know, come here and … I’ve only been in a Late Model once here when I drove the Wells (and Sons Motorsports) years ago, so to come out here and unload and to run decent, I’m proud of the guys and the team.”
After starting third, Strickler ran fourth for the first 16 laps, but a caution hurt his effort.
“I think Chris (Madden) picked the wrong line on that first restart and then we just couldn’t get turned down the hill and get going,” Strickler said. “The inside line was better, so that hurt me there, and then I don’t know what Chris broke (when he slowed), but I got stuck on the outside again for the next restart. My car was just a little tight and then (it would) skate, so I had to be real cautious on the restarts. I didn’t want to get in there and shove up over and then you lose a bunch of spots. All in all a good day for everybody. It’s good to get a good finish every once in a while.”
Arrington steps up
Stepping up from Crate Late Models to the higher horsepower Super Late Model division this season has been a learning experience for 29-year-old Tyler Arrington of Lebanon, Va. Friday marked Arrington’s third outing in his new Savage and he was thankful he was back on familiar turf.
“We went to Natural Bridge and made the show there. Came out of there with a top-10. Really I feel like this is only my second Super (Late Model) race,” Arrington said after finishing 11th. “I’m learning a lot about Super racing and it was nice to come here to my home track and get some laps. But this is the first laps I’ve had in this car here. This is a new car this year, a new Savage Race Car. I feel like we’ve got a piece that can compete, but I’ve got to work on me.
“It’s funny, I was telling them (crew) guys that it really surprised me how it doesn’t feel that fast. It’s fast, obviously here, but it’s not what I thought it would be, you know? I’ve ran Crate up here for so long. This is where I cut my teeth in a race car, so I kinda got used to some speed anyway. Crate vs. Super? Crate it’s just more momentum it seems like. Super you use the motor more. Obviously the car’s got to be good, but you gotta go down the straightaway in these things.”
Arrington said finishing the race against a solid field of competitors is a confidence booster.
“The field was really good tonight,” he said. “It’s what I needed. I needed some good regional guys, some good national guys, you know, just kinda mixed up. We went to Smoky Mountain to their first race and everybody was there and we didn’t make the show. That was tough, but at the same time, that was really the first time that I’d ever drove a Super, drove this car.
“I’m learning more about the car and Super racing. I’ll be anxious to come back here in the summer and run again now that I’m kinda getting the bugs worked out and kinda know where to go on (spring) loads and stuff. It’s just different than a Crate.”
Madden's demise
Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., dogged Jonathan Davenport for the first third of Friday’s race, but on an early restart he gave way to a charging Brandon Overton, who felt he needed to get by Madden as soon as an opportunity presented itself. A few laps later, however, Madden pulled to the outside of turn one and slowed, his hand sticking out his window to alert other drivers that he had trouble.
“We had a right-front (tire) going down,” said Madden. “This place is extremely fastest and tough to pass, so, you know, with everything that’s going on, there’s no use in wearing stuff out for no reason. So, we’ll just go they again tomorrow (at Tazewell).”
