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Fast Talk: Davenport, Birkhofer and James (oh my!)
Here’s the latest edition of Fast Talk, a DirtonDirt.com feature appearing each Monday and sponsored by Out-Pace Racing Products. Staffers Michael Rigsby, Todd Turner and Joshua Joiner gather weekly for a roundtable discussion about who’s hot, who’s not and other issues regarding Dirt Late Model racing (edited for clarity and length):
Todd Turner: A busy last weekend in March was abbreviated by wet weather, but let’s discuss some of the winners, starting with Jonathan Davenport’s $30,000 Carolina Crown victory at Lancaster (S.C.) Speedway. The race drew a modest field of fewer than 25 cars, and all of them ended up chasing Davenport, who won for the third straight weekend.
We’ve talked about Davenport’s 2013 reset with AES Racing after a one-year stint with Clint Bowyer Racing wasn’t fruitful. Sounds like Davenport is settling in with his new team and finding things more to his liking with car owner Steve Cooke, doesn’t it?
Michael Rigsby: I mention this in the VideoCast this week: this is exactly the kind of season that I expected Davenport to have. Picking off high-dollar shows, picking and choosing where he wants to race, and having everyone else in the pit area saying, “Whoa this guy is a load.” I guess no one should be surprised, but we all did wonder a bit whether he could put it back together right away? In case you were still on the fence, he has.
TT: I agree, Davenport's hot streak is impressive, and something he's shown he can do, especially at the conclusion of 2011. I think his next step is proving himself in national touring events after struggling on the Lucas Oil Series last season.
Joshua Joiner: Davenport has definitely found a situation that fits him well with AES racing, and it's shown in his performances this past three weeks. I really believe people undervalue the importance of team chemistry. Talking with Davenport since his split with Bowyer, it doesn't sound like he ever gelled with that team, for whatever the reasons. And it's clear that he blames that for much the team's disappointing performance last year. I expected he would rebound from last season once he got comfortable with AES, but I never expected him to get on this kind of roll this early. If this is any indication of the potential Davenport has with AES, the rest of the sport better look out.
TT: La Salle (Ill.) Speedway had a big weekend with its Thaw Brawl — benefitting somewhat from the NDRL rainouts that sent drivers looking for another place to race — as former track champ Dennis Erb Jr. won the preliminary feature and Iowa’s Brian Birkhofer topped Chris Simpson in the $10,000 finale.
I had one subscriber question why Birkhofer, who hadn’t raced until La Salle, was among the drivers in our Top 25 — and I think Birky answered the question quite nicely this weekend. It’s tricky ranking drivers who have raced a lot compared to those who have raced sparingly or not at all, but last year’s World 100 winner is a proven commodity. He had his hands full with Simpson, though, in that 50-lapper, didn’t he?
MR: Yeah that might go down as one of the more underrated races of the year when it's all said and done. First off, if anyone doesn't think Birky is one of the Top 25 drivers in the country, they’ve had too many Busch Lights (shoutout to Birky there). And also kudos to Chris Simpson, who continues to get better and better every year. I was impressed he gutted it out, and nearly passed Birky a few times in that race, from Arizona on, he's been really formidable, and appears to be on his way to a good season.
JJ: Simpson was definitely impressive and is showing that he's capable of competing with just about anyone. As for Birkhofer, every time someone waits to start their year late like he tends to, I worry about them having a slow start, kind of like he did last year. But his victory at La Salle indicates that he's likely carrying over the momentum he picked up in the second half of 2012, which bodes well for him for the rest of the season.
MR: Another thought regarding La Salle: That was old-school Dirt Late Model racing. A rainout somewhere else, and you really didn't know who was going to pull through the gate. Reminds me of the pre-Internet days for sure.
TT: Scott James has gotten plenty of press for joining the Warrior Race Cars house car team and running well at Speedweeks, but he hadn’t nabbed a victory until Saturday at one of his home tracks, Florence Speedway. James outdueled Mike Marlar for a $5,000 payday in the season-opening Spring 50. His continued success builds up the interest in his pursuit in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series points chase, don’t you think?
MR: I thought the exact same thing. If he can go out there, and be this competitive on that tour all year, it really adds and extra wrinkle to how entertaining and competitive that tour really could be. Not to mention James will never shy away from sticking his car somewhere — if he thinks he can win, he'll go for it — which doesn't always make everyone happy, but it makes for entertaining nights more often than not. The over-under on James WoO wins anyone? I'll say four is the baseline ... and I'll take the over.
TT: James never had more than two victories in a season running the Lucas Oil Series, so I guess I'm taking the under. But I'm not sure I've seen him look as solid as he has early this season.
JJ: If definitely doesn't hurt it. He was already an interesting addition to the WoO roster, but now that he's heading into the tour's next race with some momentum he's definitely stir up even more interest and raising the expectations for him and the Warrior house car team. He's definitely had a solid start to the season. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep it going and consistently run well against the talent of the WoO regulars.
Four wins on the WoO tour sounds like a pretty tough challenge for James. I can definitely see him winning one or two, but it's difficult for me to see him winning more than that when Josh Richards, Darrell Lanigan, Tim McCreadie and Shane Clanton have all started the year strong.
TT: Let’s take a look ahead to a big weekend for both national tours, starting with the World of Outlaws at the $20,000-to-win Illini 100 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway. Michael, you’ve been going to Farmer City since you were in diapers, so surely you can tell us which Illinois driver is going to be the first to win this race, right? Or you and Joshua can at least give us some things to look for at a racetrack with a reputation as a racy joint.
MR: Shannon Babb has nearly won this thing a few times (literally nipped at the stripe), so you'd have to think he's an odds-on favorite, but something wonky typically prevents him from getting there. I actually think he is going to win it this year, so it's funny you asked. We've had so much bad weather here this spring, it'll be interesting to see how the racetrack holds up. From all accounts it's in good shape, but with the snow, rain, cold temperatures, it's taxing on a track crew. That'll be something to keep an eye on as well.
JJ: I've got my eye on Brandon Sheppard. He's coming off a solid run Saturday at La Salle, and he really needs to make the most of the WoO tour's visits to tracks he's familiar with if he's going to stick with his plans to chase the tour's Rookie of the Year award like he said at Speedweeks.
TT: The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series makes a southbound journey to Jackson Motor Speedway in Byram, Miss., and Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas. Any thoughts about this trip? I noted last week that Jared Landers had good 2012 runs at both tracks, including a victory at Lone Star, and he’ll try to push his sub-par Speedweeks performances on the series into the further recesses of his memory. He’s got a chance to get into the thick of the points chase.
MR: Interesting to note that Eddie Carrier Jr. is making the haul out there. While he hasn't committed to running the Lucas tour just yet, he's obviously got an eye on it, being 10th in points right now. I'll be interested in Carrier’s performance. Also, two-time and reigning champ Jimmy Owens hasn't really jumped off the page so far this year. Could this be one of those weekends where he earns a sweep? Lots to watch for.
JJ: There are quite a few Lucas Oil drivers who could use solid runs this weekend to help with a boost in the points chase. I know it's still early, but Jimmy Owens, Scott Bloomquist and Steve Francis all need to get things in gear here pretty soon and not let Don O'Neal get too far ahead in the standings. I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record saying this, but if O'Neal ever finds some consistency, he's going to be tough to beat for the Lucas Oil title. This could be the year he does just that, and if so, it's going to be tough for anyone to catch him, especially if those other guys don't get going soon.
