DirtonDirt Dispatches

Dispatches: Turkey Bowl gives Crigler biggest win

November 14, 2025, 7:22 am

From series, staff, track and other reports

Sawyer Crigler in victory lane. (Kyle Medlin)

Among the latest notes and quotes from around Dirt Late Model racing from mid-November, including from the season-ending FloRacing Night in America presented by Kubota action at Senoia (Ga.) Raceway. Also find a listing of live-streaming video from specials around the country:

Crigler’s pinnacle

Sawyer Crigler, 26, of Alton, Mo., had a standout, championship-winning season on Missouri’s 4 State Dirt Late Model Series. But he grabbed the biggest victory of his career Saturday at Springfield (Mo.) Raceway’s Turkey Bowl.

Not only did Crigler earn $6,000 in the Super Late Model season-ender, he did it on a night when 70 Supers were among more than 360 race cars packing the pits in southwestern Missouri.

“This is, by far, the biggest win of my career. I’ve won one of these (Turkey Bowl races) in an A-mod, but it was (in 2021) and man, this just means the world to me. I don’t know what to say,” Crigler said. “That modified (victory) meant a lot because it was my first one, but this one is a little bit more prestigious. My dad’s got three of them, now I got two, I (need) one more to catch him.”

Crigler credited his father Scott Crigler, a 2016 and ’18 Late Model winner at the Turkey Bowl, for all his help.

"I couldn't do it without him,” the younger Crigler said. “He helps me more than you could ever imagine. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here today.”

Crigler joins a Turkey Bowl winner’s list that’s dotted with high-profile names, including Bobby Pierce, Jack Sullivan, Jesse Stovall, Ryan Gustin, Justin Wells, Logan Martin and Hall of Famer Ken Essary. — Track reports

Correction: Fixes Crigler's earnings to $6,000 sted $5,000.

Thankful winner

Jonathan Davenport was the class of the field in Friday night’s Peach State Classic opener at Senoia (Ga.) Raceway. But he needed more than sheer speed to capture the 50-lap feature that kicked off the season-ending weekend for the FloRacing Night in America Series presented by Kubota.

After the 42-year-old superstar from Blairsville, Ga., celebrated atop his car’s roof in victory lane, his first words made clear his thoughts on his performance.

“We got really lucky there,” Davenport bottom-lined.

Davenport led every circuit of the A-main from his pole position, but he very nearly saw his whole night — and his still-beating hopes for the FloRacing tour’s points title — evaporate on lap 27 when the slower car driven by Tyler Millwood of Kingston, Ga., went spinning in front of him. With Davenport unable to evade Millwood, he slid to a stop against Millwood’s machine at the top of turn four.

“I saw the crash happening, but this place is so slick, like there’s nowhere I could go,” Davenport said. “I thought he was gonna hold the brakes and I could get by on the top, and then he closed that hole up and so then all I could do was try not to hit him right with the nose … I hit him with the side.”

But as Davenport pictured the $20,000 first-place prize flashing past him, he was informed by officials over the one-way radio that he would keep his spot and restart as the leader because he spun to avoid Millwood, who was charged with bringing out the caution flag.

Davenport breathed a huge sigh of relief.

“Fortunately, I didn’t get put to the back there,” Davenport said. “Obviously I don’t really know all the rules, but it worked in our favor there.”

Taking advantage of his new lease on life, Davenport controlled the remainder of the distance to beat his pal Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., by 0.722 of a second and complete a perfect evening.

“What an awesome race car,” Davenport said. “I gotta thank my guys once again. We just put this (Longhorn) car together and it was phenomenal for sure ever since we unloaded it yesterday (for practice). We had a Clements (engine) in tonight and it run flawless. Just a really good night.

“We came here to try and get some luck on our side and try to get this (FloRacing) championship, so we done all we can do. We come out and set fast time, won our heat and won the feature, so just awesome.”

Davenport entered the two-race weekend trailing series points leader Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., by 48 points. He kept his hopes for the $75,000 championship alive by cutting his deficit to 27 points as Pierce finished seventh, but the gap could’ve closed up even more if Pierce hadn’t benefitted from a stroke of good fortune that was similar to Davenport’s. On lap 45 the 20th-starting Pierce tangled with Kyle Bronson of Brandon, Fla., between turns three and four and both drivers spun, but Pierce was able to keep his car’s wheels turning — he briefly put his car into reverse to maintain his motion — and officials allowed him to restart in the spot he was running (seventh) when the caution flag was displayed.

“I guess Pierce kind of got in trouble there also,” Davenport said, “so it worked in his favor also. So we both got lucky there.”

Davenport will still need Pierce to stumble in Saturday’s $30,000-to-win finale to grab his second career FloRacing title, but he certainly carries plenty of momentum into Saturday’s action. He recorded his third straight victory — he won the last two nights of last weekend’s World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte — and fourth checkered flag in his last seven starts over the past month. It was also his 20th overall triumph of 2025, his first time reaching the 20-win mark since his $2 million season in 2022 and the seventh time in his Dirt Late Model career that he’s won at least 20 features.

“It gives us a ton (of momentum) for sure,” Davenport said. “I mean, the, the only thing we can do (Saturday) is to win. That’s all we’re thinking about, that’s what we’re gonna try to do as far as tire calls and all that stuff. We’re just gonna go for the win, not think about the points, and how it falls, it falls.” — Staff and series reports

Overton’s 2026 plans

It’s no secret that Brandon Overton and the Longhorn Factory Team haven’t performed up to lofty standards this year, but their performance has no bearing on their plans together for 2026.

The 34-year-old multitime crown jewel winner at Eldora Speedway confirmed that he’ll be back on a national tour — most likely the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series — with the Anthony Burroughs-led Longhorn Factory Team once the New Year begins. General mechanics Justin Tharp and Ryder Cantillo are expected to return on Overton’s No. 76 team as well.

“We’re looking forward to getting the year done and regrouping (for next year),” said Overton, who added that “I don’t see anything changing” in terms of what kind of schedule his Longhorn Factory Team commits to in 2026.

If there’s anything that’s different is that Overton and the No. 76 Longhorn Factory Team, which the Evans, Ga., driver signed a multiyear deal with November 2024, are heading westward for Jan. 10-18’s Wild West Shootout at Central Arizona Raceway in Casa Grande, Ariz.

“We’ll go to (Georgia-Florida) Speedweeks and see what happens,” Overton said. “We’re just trying to work on our car right now, you know what I mean? We’re gonna go to Arizona and that’ll be what’s new for us.”

This weekend’s FloRacing Night in America presented by Kubota finale at Senoia (Ga.) Raceway on Friday and Saturday are Overton’s final races on his 2025 schedule, but he could race Sunday’s Freddy Smith Memorial at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C., sanctioned by the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series.

At 96 features started this year, Overton’s never raced more at the Super Late Model level than he has this year. Overton did put forth two top-10 runs at the World Finals last weekend, so he’s hoping to build on that before the season ends.

“Everything’s good, we just gotta get to running better,” Overton said. “It just depends. Sometimes we can unload and race with them. Sometimes we unload we’re really bad. We just have to turn the really bad nights into decent nights. We’ll be fine. It’s tough. It’s hard to win in any class. Everywhere we go, there’s always competitive cars. Like we said, just have to get a little better.” — Kyle McFadden