ROSSBURG, Ohio — Over the past half-decade, when the Dirt Late Model world converges on Eldora Speedway, the conversation across the facility revolves around one question: Can anyone stop Jonathan Davenport?
In the 2025 edition of the Dirt Late Model Dream, “Superman” made sure the answer was an unmistakable “no.”
Davenport didn’t just win the Dream for the fourth time overall and the third time in a row at the Tony Stewart-owned track. He obliterated the field on the final run to the finish, crossing under the checkered flag more than a half a lap ahead of his closest competitor.
“I love taking Tony’s money for sure,” the Blairsville, Ga., driver said following the 10th Eldora crown jewel victory of his career. “This place is just awesome. It’s the only place you can come to, I feel like if you’ve got the best race car, you can win no matter where you start when the track is right.”
Davenport started his march to the front from the 13th spot, the furthest back he has won from at Eldora since winning his first World 100 in 2018 from 18th.
The front-row starters duplicated the 2004 Dream with Georgians Shane Clanton and Dale McDowell leading the field just as they did 21 years ago.
McDowell jumped out to the early lead, but the field was reracked before the field could complete a lap when Chris Madden and Spencer Hughes got together in turn three.
The No. 17m once again took command and pulled out to the early lead, while Clanton held strong in second for 16 laps before losing the spot to Brandon Sheppard. The second yellow flag of the race flew on Lap 22 for a flat tire on Jason Jameson’s machine, giving Chris Ferguson the chance to advance to second behind McDowell on the restart.
At that point, Davenport found himself in the same 13th position he was in at the start. But when the green flew once more, he decided it was go time. He passed five cars in the first lap after the restart to get to eighth. Three laps later, he was up to fourth. When he got the chance at another restart 32 laps in, Davenport cruised up to second and went to work on running down his fellow Georgian.
Davenport couldn’t catch McDowell on that run, but a slowing Jimmy Owens put him right beside McDowell on the front row with 61 to go. Davenport held strong on the top around turns one and two and cleared him a lap later, leaving McDowell with a sight many other second-place runners at Eldora have seen in recent years — the rear deck of the No. 49 Double L Motorsports entry.
Two more cautions gave the field a shot at Davenport, but he once again proved to be unstoppable at the Big E. With a sizable advantage in hand, Davenport continued slicing through slower traffic in the late stages as if the field was right on his tail, building up an incredible 10.135-second lead by the end.
“At the start of the race, man I just couldn’t go anywhere,” Davenport said. “I was just stuck behind Ricky (Thornton Jr.). He would start moving around. I saw Bobby (Pierce) start moving around. We had that caution and everybody forgot about the bottom. They just left it open and I just drove right through there on the bottom. Just kind of stayed there, never really abused my tires. I kind of started moving out once I got to the top three or four there just to kind of see what we had if we had another restart, that way if I got stuck on the outside, I would have some kind of idea of what to do.”
While Pierce finished on the podium for the third straight year at the Dream, it was one of the most eventful 100 laps of his career. After charging up from ninth to second in the first 46 circuits, the No. 32 slowed to bring out the caution and came to the work area to change both rear tires. The Oakwood, Ill., driver took full advantage of the fresh rubber, going from last back into second with eight to go, but by that point the gap to Davenport was already insurmountable.
“It’s honestly a blessing the tire went flat, I knew I was probably killing them,” Pierce said. “When they do that track prep and the surface is so hard, it gets those little sharp pieces of dirt, it kills the tire. I couldn’t get going in the beginning, so I had to jump up top and get the line burned in, but of course that’s what happens, you burn your tires. All in all, an awesome rebound for us tonight.”
Rounding out the podium was Pierce’s fellow World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series regular in provisional starter Nick Hoffman. It marked his career best in crown-jewel competition at Eldora, but a few laps into the race, Hoffman’s only goal was to simply finish the race.
“Tonight I couldn’t even make it through the first 10 laps and I knocked the spoiler off all by myself,” Hoffman said. “I was so pissed off. I was just kind of hanging on there, got that first caution, had already went a lap down. Went in, and my guys did a hell of a job to at least get my spoiler built back where I had a little bit.
“As soon as they got me back to where I had a spoiler and a right-rear quarterpanel back out there, I could at least make laps around the racetrack. I was probably a little too tight early, and obviously the racetrack came to me.”
Tim McCreadie picked up his first top five in the Dream since 2022 in fourth, while the 24th-starting Devin Moran finished top five in the event for the first time in the fifth spot.
Dream XXXI
Pos. Driver (car no.), hometown, chassis, earnings
1. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., Longhorn, $100,000
2. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., Longhorn, $30,000
3. Nick Hoffman (9), Mooresville, N.C., Longhorn, $20,000
4. Tim McCreadie (9m), Watertown, N.Y., Longhorn, $15,000
5. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, Longhorn, $12,500
6. Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., Team Zero, $10,000
7. Max Blair (111), Centerville, Pa., Longhorn, $9,000
8. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., Longhorn, $8,500
9. Josh Rice (11R), Crittenden, Ky., Rocket, $8,000
10. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., Rocket, $7,500
11. Shane Clanton (25), Zebulon, Ga., Capital, $7,250
12. Chris Ferguson (22), Mount Holly, N.C., Stinger, $7,000
13. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., Longhorn, $6,800
14. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., Longhorn, $6,600
15. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., Rocket, $6,400
16. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., Longhorn, $6,200
17. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., Longhorn, $6,000
18. Timothy Culp (c8), Prattsville, Ark., Capital, $6,000
19. Dustin Sorensen (19), Rochester, Minn., Longhorn, $6,000
20. Jordan Koehler (114), Mount Airy, N.C., Longhorn, $6,000
21. Chris Madden (44), Gray Court, S.C., Longhorn, $6,000
22. Drake Troutman (22*), Hyndman, Pa., Longhorn, $6,000
23. Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, Rocket, $6,000
24. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., Longhorn, $6,000
25. Jason Jameson (12), Lawrenceburg, Ind., Longhorn, $6,000
26. Spencer Hughes (19m), Meridian, Miss., Rocket, $6,000
Lap leaders: McDowell 1-39; Davenport 40-100
Fast qualifier (among 93 cars): Pierce, 15.114 seconds
Heat race winners: Erb, Ch. Ferguson, Owens, Sheppard, McDowell, Clanton
Consolation winners: Koehler, Jameson
Provisional starters: Overton, Hoffman
Preliminary feature winners: Davenport, Rice
Feature lineup
(100 laps)
Row 1: Shane Clanton, Dale McDowell
Row 2: Brandon Sheppard, Jimmy Owens
Row 3: Chris Ferguson, Tyler Erb
Row 4: Tim McCreadie, Daulton Wilson
Row 5: Bobby Pierce, Hudson O’Neal
Row 6: Ricky Thornton Jr., Max Blair
Row 7: Jonathan Davenport, Josh Rice
Row 8: Timothy Culp, Kyle Bronson
Row 9: Chris Madden, Garrett Alberson
Row 10: Brandon Overton, Nick Hoffman
Row 11: Jordan Koehler, Jason Jameson
Row 12: Spencer Hughes, Devin Moran
Row 13: Dustin Sorensen, Drake Troutman
7:56 p.m. | Longhorn-heavy field
Longhorn Chassis was shut out of Dream heat victories for the first time since 2018, but the North Carolina chassis builder dominates the 26-car field with 17 entrants. West Virginia’s Rocket Chassis has five entries while Georgia-based Capital Race Cars has two starters.
A pair of Tennessee chassis manufacturers, Team Zero Race Cars and Stinger Race Cars, have one starter apiece.
Chris Ferguson is the first driver to put a Stinger Race Car in the field since Michael Page in 2018.
Capital has multiple cars in the field for the first time since 2021.
7:50 p.m. | Southerners on top
A pair of Southern states have produced the most starters for Dream XXXI. Georgia and North Carolina have four drivers apiece in the 26-car starting field. Two Georgians, Shane Clanton and Dale McDowell, start on the front row.
Three other states — Illinois, Indiana and Pennsylvania — have two drivers apiece in the 13-row lineup.
The rest of the field is made up of single states: Texas, New York, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, South Carolina and Arizona.
7:45 p.m. | Three first-time starters
With the 26-driver field, three drivers will make their first Dream starts.
Drake Troutman, 20, of Hyndman, Pa., will start on the tail of the field while fellow consolation transferree Jordan Koehler, 23, of Mount Airy, N.C., is set to start 21st.
Timothy Culp, 34, of Prattsville, Ark., will start 15th in his Dream debut. Culp narrowly missed the 2017 Dream, breaking a driveshaft while taking the white flag in leading the sixth Dream heat that would’ve put him on the front row.
7:40 p.m. | Vintage front row
Someone asked Dale McDowell if he recalled anything about the 2004 Dream. Shane Clanton received the same question.
McDowell’s response? “I can’t remember that long ago,” he said.
And Clanton’s? “Yeah,” he replied, “I flipped.”
Neither driver, however, mentioned the reason for the specific inquiry: after the two Georgia veterans won Saturday’s final heat races to put Clanton on the pole and McDowell on the outside for the 100-lapper, it meant they would share the race’s front row 21 years after they did it in ’04 (albeit with McDowell on the pole in that instance).
Both drivers expressed surprise when informed that they were throwing it back to 2004. Then they thought back to how the race itself went for them that year.
McDowell finished a dismal 19th. Clanton led laps 1-30 before finishing 21st due to a rollover in a race won by the late Scott Bloomquist.
“I hope it’s not the same result,” Clanton said of leading the field to the green flag alongside McDowell.
With the front row starters representing a combined 108 years of age (McDowell is 59, Clanton is 49), both drivers are banking on their experience helping them as they each chase a second career Dream triumph.
“On a slick racetrack, it’s good for us old guys,” Clanton said when describing the icy surface that prevailed for the heats. “The gas-mashers are in trouble.”
McDowell said the track “slowed down” to his liking for his heat, but he still had some big decisions to make for the feature.
“When you run in those conditions on soft tires you gotta do things a little different than you when you put on hard tires for the race,” McDowell remarked. “It’ll come down to who finds the right balance.”
7:35 p.m. | Jameson wins second B-main
Jason Jameson led the opening two laps, then reclaimed control from Drake Troutman on the 11th lap, before pacing the final five circuits in winning the second and final consolation. Troutman, who led laps 3-10, faded to third and will start last (26th) in the Dream XXXI feature.
Tenth-starting Devin Moran grabbed the runner-up spot from Troutman on lap 13 and finished second to Jameson, 1.187 seconds back at the line.
Finish (top three transfer): Jason Jameson, Devin Moran, Drake Troutman, Jason Feger, Garrett Smith, Dennis Erb Jr., Tyler Bruening, Carson Ferguson, Ryan Gustin, Devin Gilpin, Tanner English, Derrick Stewart, Mike Marlar, Clint Keenan, Michael Leach, Austin Kirkpatrick, Donald McIntosh, Tyler Carpenter, Zack Mitchell, Freddie Carpenter, Kale Green, Mason Zeigler, Trent Ivey, Wil Herrington, Austin Smith.
7:30 p.m. | Second consolation melee
The race’s first caution flew on the ninth lap when Trent Ivey lost his right-rear quarterpanel.
Ivey was involved in a lap-12 melee when he spun to avoid Donald McIntosh and Mason Zeigler, who tangled and spun at the exit of turn two; McIntosh was the only driver who was able to continue.
7:20 p.m. | Second consolation lineup
Row 1: Jason Jameson, Wil Herrington
Row 2: Drake Troutman, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 3: Tyler Bruening, Jason Feger
Row 4: Mike Marlar, Garrett Smith
Row 5: Ryan Gustin, Devin Moran
Row 6: Donald McIntosh, Michael Leach
Row 7: Tanner English, Clint Keenan
Row 8: Trent Ivey, Carson Ferguson
Row 9: Zack Mitchell, Freddie Carpenter
Row 10: Mason Zeigler, Devin Gilpin
Row 11: Tyler Carpenter, Austin Smith
Row 12: Derrick Stewart, Austin Kirkpatrick
Row 13: Kale Green
7:15 p.m. | Koehler wins first consy
Jordan Koehler took control on the second lap and led the rest of the 15-lap first consolation, winning by 1.051 seconds over fourth-starting Spencer Hughes.
Dustin Sorensen, who led the race's opening lap, used a turn-three slider and bounced off the turn-four wall, beating Dan Ebert to the line by 0.350 of a second for the third and final transfer spot into the Dream XXXI finale, leaving Ebert on the outside looking in.
It’s Sorensen’s second career last-lap pass to transfer into a Dream feature (2023).
Finish (top three transfer): Jordan Koehler, Spencer Hughes, Dustin Sorensen, Dan Ebert, Mike Spatola, Trey Mills, Ethan Dotson, Michael Page, Mark Whitener, Frank Heckenast Jr., Montana Dudley, Jadon Frame, Jason Riggs, Brenden Smith, Dylan Thornton, Seth Daniels, Cory Lawler, Chad Simpson, Evan Koehler, Cade Dillard, Forrest Trent, Joseph Joiner, Allen Styck. Scratched: Ben Sukup, Justin Duty.
7:06 p.m. | First consolation melee
Spencer Hughes slid in front of Cade Dillard on the opening lap of the first consolation, causing Dillard’s hood to pop up and sending him spinning, collecting Allen Styck, who piled in several seconds later.
Forrest Trent spun to avoid, collecting Seth Daniels; Trent retired, while Daniels continued.
Joseph Joiner was collected, ripping the entire right-rear quarter panel and spoiler off, ending his bid to make the Dream XXXI finale.
7:05 p.m. | First consolation race lineup
Row 1: Dustin Sorensen, Jordan Koehler
Row 2: Mark Whitener, Spencer Hughes
Row 3: Ethan Dotson, Cade Dillard
Row 4: Dan Ebert, Frank Heckenast Jr.
Row 5: Montana Dudley, Jadon Frame
Row 6: Mike Spatola, Forrest Trent
Row 7: Cory Lawler, Brenden Smith
Row 8: Evan Koehler, Chad Simpson
Row 9: Trey Mills, Jason Riggs
Row 10: Michael Page, Joseph Joiner
Row 11: Dylan Thornton, Allen Styck
Row 12: Seth Daniels, Ben Sukup
Row 13: Justin Duty
7:00 p.m. | Heat odds and ends
It’s the first year since 2018 that none of the six heat winners in the Dream drove Longhorns (two Rockets along with a Club 29, Swartz, Capital and MB Customs cars seven years ago). …. Among heat transferrees, four drivers have 10 starts or fewer in 2025. Shane Clanton and Chris Madden have nine starts apiece while Chris Ferguson has eight and Timothy Culp six. … This year’s front row will duplicate the 2004 front row with Georgians Clanton and Dale McDowell on the front row (Clanton is on the pole this time, McDowell in 2004). … The combined age of the front-row starters is 108; McDowell (59) would be the event’s oldest winner. Scott Bloomquist was 54 when he won in 2018. … McDowell’s victory in Heat 5 gave him the outside pole for the 100-lapper, marking just the fourth time in 23 Dream finale appearances that he’s had a single-digit starting spot. He started on the pole in 2004, eighth in ’06 and ninth in ’21. … Hudson O’Neal, 46th in preliminary points, made the deepest run in the heats with an eighth-to-second charge in the fourth heat (the next lowest driver in preliminary points was Clanton at 24th). … Friday’s preliminary feature winners Jonathan Davenport and Josh Rice will start alongside each other in the seventh row of the 100-lapper after third-place finishes. … Brandon Overton and Nick Hoffman will start in the 10th row as provisional starters, the highest drivers in points who failed to transfer through heats. … Joseph Joiner, who had a flat tire in his heat, was the highest points failing to qualifying (besides provisionals) at 15th.
6:45 p.m. | Clanton wins final heat, earns pole
Shane Clanton led all 15 laps unchallenged from the pole, winning the sixth and final heat race by 1.301 seconds over third-starting Max Blair.
Garrett Alberson used a turn-three slider by Wil Herrington with three laps to go, claiming the third and final transfer position into Saturday’s 100-lap Dream XXXI finale; Herrington settled for fourth.
Finish (top three transfer): Shane Clanton, Max Blair, Garrett Alberson, Wil Herrington, Tyler Bruening, Garrett Smith, Donald McIntosh, Clint Keenan, Zack Mitchell, Devin Gilpin, Derrick Stewart, Jackson Hise, Brody Smith, Tristan Chamberlain. Scratched: Oakley Johns.
6:40 p.m. | Sixth heat race lineup
Row 1: Shane Clanton, Garrett Smith
Row 2: Max Blair, Garrett Alberson
Row 3: Wil Herrington, Tristan Chamberlain
Row 4: Tyler Bruening, Donald McIntosh
Row 5: Clint Keenan, Brody Smith
Row 6: Jackson Hise, Devin Gilpin
Row 7: Zack Mitchell, Derrick Stewart
Row 8: Oakley Johns
6:37 p.m. | McDowell beats Madden in heat five
Third-starting Dale McDowell tiptoed around the bottom past Chris Madden to lead the final three laps, winning heat five by 0.541 of a second over fourth-starting Ricky Thornton Jr., who also slipped by Madden on the next lap, relegating Madden to third after pacing the opening 12 laps from the outside front-row.
Jason Jameson appeared to have Madden in his crosshairs until he slapped the turn-four wall as they raced toward the white flag and settled for fourth.
Pole-starting Austin Smith faded to 11th, while Carson Ferguson improved six positions to finish ninth aboard his backup car.
Finish (top three transfer): Dale McDowell, Ricky Thornton Jr., Chris Madden, Jason Jameson, Dennis Erb Jr., Mike Marlar, Devin Moran, Tanner English, Carson Ferguson, Mason Zeigler, Austin Smith, Justin Cooper, Carson Brown, Ryan Payne, Clay Harris.
6:30 p.m. | Trouble for Harris
After the fifth heat race’s opening start was called back, Clay Harris slowed from 10th with rear suspension damage. He required a tow back to the pits after his right-rear spring was shown sitting on the backstretch.
6:27 p.m. | Fifth heat race lineup
Row 1: Austin Smith, Chris Madden
Row 2: Dale McDowell, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 3: Tanner English, Mike Marlar
Row 4: Carson Ferguson, Devin Moran
Row 5: Jason Jameson, Carson Brown
Row 6: Clay Harris, Mason Zeigler
Row 7: Justin Cooper, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 8: Ryan Payne
6:25 p.m. | First-timer
When Jimmy Owens took off his helmet for an interview after winning the third heat, he reflected on his victory.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been a heat race winner,” he said.
In fact, the 53-year-old with three Eldora crown jewel triumphs had never previously captured a Saturday heat at the Dream. He’s been coming to the event since 2004 and will make his 18th career start in the 100-lap finale, making the statistic almost unbelievable.
Owens, who will start fourth, failed to qualify for last year’s Dream finale. His last top-five finish came in 2014 (fourth) and his last top-10 was in ’18 (10th).
6:20 p.m. | B-Shepp rockets to win heat four
Third-starting Brandon Sheppard took control on the seventh lap and led the final nine circuits to win the fourth heat by 3.165 seconds over eighth-starting Hudson O’Neal. Second-starting Kyle Bronson led laps 4-6 before taking third from Brandon Overton in the closing laps, relegating Overton to fourth.
Michael Leach led the opening three laps from the pole before fading to eighth. Austin Kirkpatrick replaced Ross Bailes aboard his own No. 11 AKR entry.
The race’s lone caution came out on the third lap when Kale Green spun from 11th in turn two; he continued and placed 14th.
Finish (top three transfer): Brandon Sheppard, Hudson O’Neal, Kyle Bronson, Brandon Overton, Drake Troutman, Jason Feger, Ryan Gustin, Michael Leach, Trent Ivey, Freddie Carpenter, Tyler Carpenter, Austin Kirkpatrick, Casey Noonan, Kale Green, Brandon Moore.
6:13 p.m. | Fourth heat race lineup
Row 1: Michael Leach, Kyle Bronson
Row 2: Brandon Sheppard, Brandon Overton
Row 3: Kale Green, Jason Feger
Row 4: Ryan Gustin, Hudson O'Neal
Row 5: Drake Troutman, Tyler Carpenter
Row 6: Trent Ivey, Casey Noonan
Row 7: Freddie Carpenter, Brandon Moore
Row 8: Ross Bailes
6:10 p.m. | Owens tops third heat
Jimmy Owens led all 15 laps from the pole to win the twice-slowed second heat by 2.688 seconds over fourth-starting Bobby Pierce. Timothy Culp started and finished third.
Joseph Joiner drew the race’s first caution when he slowed with a flat left-rear tire on the opening lap. Joiner’s Hunt the Front team, along with fellow competitor Ricky Thornton Jr., changed the tire and got Joiner back out for the restart; he could only rebound to finish 10th.
Jordan Koehler appeared to make contact with Ethan Dotson on the ensuing restart, spinning in turn four, before getting clipped by Seth Daniels; Koehler recovered to fourth, while Daniels settled for 11th.
Finish (top three transfer): Jimmy Owens, Bobby Pierce, Timothy Culp, Jordan Koehler, Ethan Dotson, Frank Heckenast Jr., Mike Spatola, Brenden Smith, Trey Mills, Joseph Joiner, Seth Daniels, Eli Johnson, Dustin Nobbe. Scratched: Clayton Bryant, Ashton Winger, Kody Evans.
6:05 p.m. | Back in the Dream
Chris Ferguson said he didn’t come to Eldora this weekend with any major expectations. His victory in the second heat, though, has him thinking of duplicating his best days at Eldora.
A third-place finisher in 2021’s second Dream and a fourth-place finisher in 2019’s finale, Ferguson has his new Stinger Chassis in the Dream’s headliner for the first time since 2022. He failed to qualify the last two years.
There’s one similarity to Ferguson’s last Dream feature appearance: he’s starting from the fifth spot once again. He’s hoping for better results, however, than in 2022 when he was involved in an accident early in the event and retired after 15 laps for a 23rd-place finish.
6:02 p.m. | Third heat race lineup
Row 1: Jimmy Owens, Joseph Joiner
Row 2: Timothy Culp, Bobby Pierce
Row 3: Ethan Dotson, Jordan Koehler
Row 4: Trey Mills, Mike Spatola
Row 5: Frank Heckenast Jr., Brenden Smith
Row 6: Seth Daniels, Clayton Bryant
Row 7: Eli Johnson, Dustin Nobbe
Row 8: Ashton Winger, Kody Evans
6:01 p.m. | Lucky 13?
A third-place finish in Heat 1 positions Jonathan Davenport in the 13th starting spot for the Dream, which he’s gunning to win for a third consecutive year.
Notable is that Davenport’s three career Dream victories have come after he won a Saturday heat. He started sixth in 2015 and ’23 and took the green flag from the pole in last year’s finale.
This marks the second time in 16 career Dream feature appearances that Davenport has started 13th. The previous instance was in the first of 2021’s double Dreams when he finished seventh.
5:57 p.m. | All Fergy in second heat
Second-starting Chris Ferguson led all 15 laps to win the second heat by 2.994 seconds over third-starting Daulton Wilson. Winner of Thursday’s rain-postponed prelim, Josh Rice started fourth and finished third. Polesitter Dustin Sorensen faded to finish fourth.
Finish (top three transfer): Chris Ferguson, Daulton Wilson, Josh Rice, Dustin Sorensen, Spencer Hughes, Dan Ebert, Jadon Frame, Cory Lawler, Chad Simpson, Michael Page, Allen Styck, Justin Duty, Jerry Bowersock, Jensen Ford, Rod Conley. Scratched: John Henderson.
5:52 p.m. | Second heat race lineup
Row 1: Dustin Sorensen, Chris Ferguson
Row 2: Daulton Wilson, Josh Rice
Row 3: Spencer Hughes, Dan Ebert
Row 4: Justin Duty, Cory Lawler
Row 5: Jadon Frame, John Henderson
Row 6: Jensen Ford, Chad Simpson
Row 7: Jerry Bowersock, Rod Conley
Row 8: Allen Styck, Michael Page
5:50 p.m. | Terbo cruises to win first heat
Tyler Erb took advantage of a lap-eight restart and led the final eight laps to win the first 15-lap heat race, taking the checkers 2.311 seconds over Tim McCreadie, who led the opening seven laps from the pole.
Erb’s crew quickly poured cold water in the radiator following the heat.
The race’s lone caution flew on the eighth lap when Bryant Dickinson spun at the pit road entrance. Dickinson did not continue.
Finish (top three transfer): Tyler Erb, Tim McCreadie, Jonathan Davenport, Nick Hoffman, Mark Whitener, Cade Dillard, Montana Dudley, Forrest Trent, Evan Koehler, Jason Riggs, Dylan Thornton, Ben Sukup, Bryant Dickinson. Scratched: Chris Simpson, Cody Overton, Zack Dohm.
5:48 p.m. | Late-night repairs
Bobby Pierce didn’t hang around the inspection area very long after finishing second in Friday’s held-over 50-lap preliminary feature. In fact, he was already headed back to his trailer before the FloRacing broadcast crew could grab him for an interview.
But Pierce didn’t take off because he was trying to avoid an interview. He said all that was on his mind was getting to his pit stall so he could begin repairing significant damage to his Longhorn Chassis before predicted showers moved in.
Pierce led laps 33-39 en route to his runner-up finish despite racing with damage sustained in an opening-lap accident. He clipped Carson Ferguson’s flipping machine between turns one and two — contact that happened quickly and didn’t appear especially heavy but was indeed when he inspected the car following the race.
“When the fuel cell is pushed over, it’s a hard hit,” said Pierce, who had to reposition the fuel cell among other repairs.
Pierce’s right-side door was bent from just behind the right-front wheel to the rear deck. He replaced the entire right side with new sheet metal and thus had to put a new wrap on it, and he used “three different deck pieces” to rebuild the back of the car.
“We finished at three in the morning,” said Pierce’s father and crew chief Bob, who noted that Bobby handles his own bodywork.
5:46 p.m. | First heat race lineup
Row 1: Tim McCreadie, Nick Hoffman
Row 2: Tyler Erb, Jonathan Davenport
Row 3: Dylan Thornton, Cade Dillard
Row 4: Mark Whitener, Forrest Trent
Row 5: Chris Simpson, Jason Riggs
Row 6: Montana Dudley, Evan Koehler
Row 7: Ben Sukup, Cody Overton
Row 8: Zack Dohm, Bryant Dickinson
5:45 p.m. | A wider track
Jason Jameson of Lawrenceburg, Ind., sitting behind the wheel while waiting to cross the track to the upper pit area, said a congested hot-lap session didn’t allow him to get a single full-speed lap.
But he did say that the track’s shaping up better tonight than last night, when it didn’t allow much side-by-side racing early. “It was wider than it was last night,” Jameson said, potentially allowing for more racing.
Jameson starts ninth in the fifth heat and a spin in last night’s heat action was among things that haven’t gone his way during the Dream.
“This weekend’s not been a good one for me,” Jameson said.
5:35 p.m. | Hot laps complete
Eighty cars participated in Saturday's hot laps, which were completed without major incident.
Opening ceremonies are next.
5:32 p.m. | Erb’s miscue
Tyler Erb leaned against his General Lee No. 01 on the backstretch pits and watched the beginnings of Saturday’s hot laps. He knows he left some money on the table in Friday’s preliminary when he got bogged down in the treacherous cushion between turns one and two, allowing race winner Josh Rice and Bobby Pierce to go past. Erb settled for third.
“A $30,000 mistake,” Erb said over the roar of hot-lapping cars. While his car nearly came to a stop in the cushion, he never lost fire, but simply took a moment to wrestle his car back onto the racing surface proper.
“It was like I was high-centered on a curb,” Erb said.
His car performed well enough for a podium finish, but he wasn’t sure if he’d sustained nosepiece or other damage and raced a little more conservatively to assure his preliminary points status.
Erb starts third in the first heat race behind Tim McCreadie and Nick Hoffman with Jonathan Davenport alongside.
5:29 p.m. | Ready to rebound
Carson Ferguson is jumping right back on the horse after escaping injury in a wild flip-and-hit accident on the opening lap of Friday’s held-over 50-lap feature.
The Lincolnton, N.C., driver’s crew chief, Scott Fegter, said the brand-new Longhorn Chassis that Ferguson rolled between turns one and two before being clipped by Chris Simpson was a virtual write-off from “bumper-to-bumper.” While the engine appears OK and some various parts were salvageable, Fegter remarked there “wasn’t much that wasn’t bent” on a car that the Paylor Motorsports team debuted this week.
Fegter said Ferguson didn’t seem to be sore in the aftermath of the wreck as he readies to run the team’s older backup car. The 25-year-old starts seventh in Heat 5 as he bids to start his third career Dream (his best finish is 12th in 2023).
5:16 p.m. | Party people
Josh Rice had to spend time savoring his career-best $30,000 victory — and first-ever at Eldora — in Friday’s held-over 50-lap preliminary feature. But he couldn’t have too much fun because he still has a $100,000 prize to chase in Saturday’s Dream finale.
The Rice clan certainly enjoys themselves after winning races, but they did temper themselves a bit because they had another night ahead of them.
How did they do it? They didn’t push any longer than the resources in their trailer allowed.
“We ran out of beer,” Rice’s older brother James said while tuning on his sibling’s engine shortly before the start of Saturday’s hot laps, “so we had to go to bed.”
Rice is scheduled to start fourth in Saturday’s second heat as he seeks his fifth career Dream finale start in seven attempts. His career-best finish remains the sixth-place run he had in 2015 when he was a green 16-year-old with barely a dozen Super Late Model starts under his belt.
5:06 p.m. | Family switch
On second thought, Tyler Carpenter’s weekend didn’t end when he gave up the seat in his car to his father Freddie for Friday night’s B-main.
By event rules the younger Carpenter can’t go back to his own Kryptonite Chassis because it’s now his father’s ride for Saturday, but Tyler can start his heat race driving … Freddie’s car, which the family repaired after it sustained a bevy of broken parts when Freddie hopped the cushion during Friday’s first heat. Both Carpenters will be in the fourth heat with Freddie keeping his scheduled starting spot but Tyler dropping to the rear of the field because it’s his first race after making a car change.
Freddie said with a smile that he suggested putting his No. C4 body on Tyler’s No. 28 machine and Tyler’s body on his car, but they’ll keep the bodywork intact and just race with duct-tape numbers differentiating their switch in vehicles.
5:02 p.m. | Heat polesitters
Among the six heat polesitters, three drivers own major Eldora victories — Tim McCreadie (first heat), Jimmy Owens (third) and Shane Clanton (sixth heat) — while the other three don't have much an Eldora pedigree. Neither Michael Leach (fourth heat) nor Austin Smith (fifth heat) have made a major event at Eldora while Dustin Sorensen (second heat) has only a start in 2023 while piloting the MB Customs house car. Interestingly, two polesitting cars arrived in the same hauler with Smith and Clanton teammates with the Capital Race Car team.
4:26 p.m. | Hot laps moved up
With officials watching for expected rain later tonight, officials have moved up hot laps another 15 minutes to 5:15 p.m. (overnight that time was already moved up to 5:30 p.m. from the original 6:30 p.m. time).
Heat race lineups
(15 laps; top three transfer)
First heat
Row 1: Tim McCreadie, Nick Hoffman
Row 2: Tyler Erb, Jonathan Davenport
Row 3: Dylan Thornton, Cade Dillard
Row 4: Mark Whitener, Forrest Trent
Row 5: Chris Simpson, Jason Riggs
Row 6: Montana Dudley, Evan Koehler
Row 7: Ben Sukup, Cody Overton
Row 8: Zack Dohm, Bryant Dickinson
Second heat
Row 1: Dustin Sorensen, Chris Ferguson
Row 2: Daulton Wilson, Josh Rice
Row 3: Spencer Hughes, Dan Ebert
Row 4: Justin Duty, Cory Lawler
Row 5: Jadon Frame, John Henderson
Row 6: Jensen Ford, Chad Simpson
Row 7: Jerry Bowersock, Rod Conley
Row 8: Allen Styck, Michael Page
Third heat
Row 1: Jimmy Owens, Joseph Joiner
Row 2: Timothy Culp, Bobby Pierce
Row 3: Ethan Dotson, Jordan Koehler
Row 4: Trey Mills, Mike Spatola
Row 5: Frank Heckenast Jr., Brenden Smith
Row 6: Seth Daniels, Clayton Bryant
Row 7: Eli Johnson, Dustin Nobbe
Row 8: Ashton Winger, Kody Evans
Fourth heat
Row 1: Michael Leach, Kyle Bronson
Row 2: Brandon Sheppard, Brandon Overton
Row 3: Kale Green, Jason Feger
Row 4: Ryan Gustin, Hudson O'Neal
Row 5: Drake Troutman, Tyler Carpenter
Row 6: Trent Ivey, Casey Noonan
Row 7: Freddie Carpenter, Brandon Moore
Row 8: Ross Bailes
Fifth heat
Row 1: Austin Smith, Chris Madden
Row 2: Dale McDowell, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 3: Tanner English, Mike Marlar
Row 4: Carson Ferguson, Devin Moran
Row 5: Jason Jameson, Carson Brown
Row 6: Clay Harris, Mason Zeigler
Row 7: Justin Cooper, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 8: Ryan Payne
Sixth heat
Row 1: Shane Clanton, Garrett Smith
Row 2: Max Blair, Garrett Alberson
Row 3: Wil Herrington, Tristan Chamberlain
Row 4: Tyler Bruening, Donald McIntosh
Row 5: Clint Keenan, Brody Smith
Row 6: Jackson Hise, Devin Gilpin
Row 7: Zack Mitchell, Derrick Stewart
Row 8: Oakley Johns
Saturday’s schedule
(All times local)
8 a.m. - Ballroom breakfast buffet opens
11 a.m. - Ticket office opens (ticket and pit pass sales)
11 a.m. - Grounds cleared and secured
11 a.m. - Ballroom breakfast buffet closes
Noon - All gates, suites and concessions open
1 p.m. - Outreach service (white tent behind main office)
3 p.m. - Drivers’ autograph session (fan zone)
4 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting (fan zone)
5:15 p.m. - Hot laps
Opening ceremonies
Competition
- Late Model heats (15 laps)
- Late Model consolations (20 laps)
- Dream XXXI feature (100 laps)
