After the Checkers
Instant reaction, analysis of Ocala's Lucas Round 3
By Kyle McFadden
DirtonDirt.com staff reporter
Jonathan Davenport crashes on the opening lap. (Mike Ruefer)
OCALA, Fla. (Feb. 26) — Instant reaction and analysis from Thursday’s Wieland Winternationals action on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at Ocala Speedway, a $10,000-to-win non-points event won by Hudson O’Neal (RaceWire):
OWNING IT: Of all the chaos that defined Thursday’s danger-filled feature, none was more seismic than Jonathan Davenport’s jaw-dropping crash while battling Kyle Bronson for the lead entering the opening corner. When I approached Davenport after the race, I wasn’t sure what I’d get. As a reporter, you learn quickly that after a crash like that, you’re usually the last person a driver feels like talking to. But there he was at his trailer, helping his crew pack up for the night and, to my surprise, in a better mood than I expected. Davenport shouldered the blame for the incident and made sure to apologize to Bronson immediately after the race, particularly if any damage from the melee affected his run at the win. I share all of that because, while it may go down as one of the more embarrassing moments of Davenport’s career, I can appreciate a man owning his mistakes. I even saw someone comment on one of my X posts that Davenport is “washed up,” a claim I couldn’t disagree with more. There are still plenty of victories, crown jewels in particular, left for him to add to his already-legendary career.
SURFACE SEARCH: I get it, the 3/8-mile Ocala Speedway has been under scrutiny for how it’s raced this week. The first two nights were hammer-down fast, so owner Bubba Clem opted to scale back the water-truck usage. The result? A 40-lap feature that rubbered up just before halfway, leaving Clem visibly frustrated that he hadn’t delivered a better show for fans and drivers. Look, I won’t pretend I know Bubba well, because I don’t, but in the brief minute we spoke after the race, one thing was clear: he’s determined to get it right by Saturday. I will say, the drivers asked for less water after the opening two nights, and they certainly got it Thursday. Hopefully there’s a happy-medium to be found. Ocala has impossibly large shoes to fill in replacing East Bay Raceway Park, and while we all sorely miss East Bay, I can commend Bubba and his staff for doing everything they can to shoulder that void.
SHIRLEY RISING: When I was walking up the track entrance to take a gander at what kind of track prep officials would be doing before the feature, I noticed Kyle Bronson and Brian Shirley just ahead, so I approached them from behind. “Is tonight your night?” I ask Bronson, who basically said he hopes that it was. Then Shirley chimes in: “Well, what about me?” The tone suggested that I ought to not forget who’s standing right there. Full disclosure: I hadn’t realized Shirley was rolling off third until he said something. He’s taken his share of lumps this Speedweeks, but the tide has quietly started to turn — sixth Tuesday, seventh Wednesday — before a flat tire on lap five derailed what looked like a podium-caliber run Thursday. If there’s one takeaway from the night, it’s don’t overlook Shirley, because he’s crept back into the nightly hunt.
RIGHT DIRECTION: Ricky Thornton Jr. and his Koehler Motorsports No. 20RT team took a meaningful step forward Thursday, steering clear of trouble and cashing in with a fourth-place finish, their best run of Speedweeks so far. Yes, some of the climb up the leaderboard came courtesy of attrition ahead of them. But from my vantage point, Thornton’s race pace looked closer to his usual standard than at any point during Speedweeks. He raced on the offensive attack rather than stalling out in the midpack, even slipping past Brandon Overton early to claim fourth before settling into position the rest of the way. Yes, Thornton is now amid a 14-race winless streak, tied for his longest since January 2023, but he was noticeably upbeat Thursday despite that. And judging by the way he moved forward, it doesn’t feel like it’ll be long before he strings together a complete, triumphant night again.
SALVAGED SOMETHING: Clay Harris faced his first true uphill climb of Speedweeks when an off-kilter qualifying effort buried him in his heat and, ultimately, deep in the B-main. Forced to take a provisional, the Jupiter, Fla., driver, who hadn’t finished worse than fifth in the last four Lucas Oil events, salvaged a 13th-place finish Thursday. That’s nothing to celebrate, sure. But consider this: Harris logged only 10 finishes of 13th or better all of last season. Off nights are inevitable for a third-year touring driver. The difference is minimizing the damage. Harris did exactly that.
BREAKOUT SEASON?: I had this feeling at the beginning of the season that Hudson O’Neal could be the driver best positioned for a breakout campaign. It’s starting to look that way right now, as the 2023 Lucas Oil champ has six wins to his credit, now having won everywhere he’s raced — Central Arizona Raceway, Volusia Speedway Park, All-Tech Raceway and Ocala Speedway. So much for the claims from those who say he can’t win as much without Kevin Rumley. Jason Durham has this SSI team dialed in. They’re going to be extremely tough to beat all year.
STAT OF THE NIGHT: Hudson O’Neal’s $10,000 victory pushes the Martinsville, Ind., superstar past Bobby Pierce in season earnings — $126,220 to $116,400 — currently the most in Dirt Late Model racing. At his current 28.6 percent win rate, O’Neal is easily trending toward his first 20-win season — and possibly more. If he makes 82 starts again like last year and maintains that clip, he’d project to 23 victories. For context: O’Neal’s career-high win total is 14, set with Rocket1 Racing in 2023.
