Dirt on Dirt - J.D. fends off B-Shepp, captures Huset's prelim

July 18

Huset’s Speedway,

Brandon, SD

Sanction: Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (Silver Dollar Nationals second prelim) - $10,000

Information provided by: Kyle McFadden, series and track reports (last updated July 19, 4:15 pm)

J.D. fends off B-Shepp, captures Huset's prelim

Silver Dollar Nationals second prelim

Jonathan Davenport
Brandon Sheppard
Ricky Thornton Jr.
Devin Moran
Hudson O'Neal
Garrett Alberson
Dennis Erb Jr.
Daulton Wilson
Drake Troutman
Brandon Overton
Bobby Pierce
Donald McIntosh
Clay Harris
Brenden Smith
Blair Nothdurft
Tyler Erb
Dan Ebert
Spencer Hughes
Daniel Hilsabeck
Cory Lawler
Carson Ferguson
Brian Shirley
Ethan Dotson
Jesse Sobbing

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Jonathan Davenport (49) topped Brandon Sheppard (1) at Huset's.

What won the race: Surviving a frantic late-race challenge from Brandon Sheppard, Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., completed a flag-to-flag victory in Friday night’s 40-lap Silver Dollar Nationals preliminary feature at Huset’s Speedway. The 41-year-old superstar dominated the first 34 non-stop circuits before a caution flag tightened the field and produced a last-ditch bid by Sheppard, who ran the outside lane from fifth to second on the restart but fell 0.194 of a second short of the $10,000 top prize at the finish.

Quotable: “I’m not one to sugarcoat anything, but that was about a snoozer there until Brandon got up on the wheel (following the restart) and I didn’t really know where to go,” Davenport said. “Cory (Fostvedt) pointing me up, but I wasn’t for sure if it was down there or down there, so I was really just trying to block there. We was just good enough to hang on.”

Key notes: Davenport appeared headed to an uncontested triumph — leading by over 3 seconds midway through the race — as the inside line was dominant but had to hold on for dear life after the lap-34 caution flag. Sheppard shot forward on the outside to reach second with a lap-36 pass of Ricky Thornton Jr. and was right on Davenport’s rear bumper at the start-finish line for the final two circuits. … Davenport’s first-ever win at Huset’s was his sixth of the 2025 season on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the 82nd of his career with the national tour. … Thornton briefly nosed into second on lap 35 before settling for a third-place finish, the spot he occupied for 39 circuits. … Thursday prelim winner Devin Moran started from the pole and ran second for laps 1-34 but slipped backward on the restart to finish fourth. … The race’s lone caution flag flew on lap 34 for Carson Ferguson, who slowed in a cloud of smoke while running eighth and retired. His crew determined that an oil line had come loose and will run the same powerplant on Saturday. … A small rain shower hit the track just before 3:30 p.m. local time, but the start of action wasn’t adversely hampered. Officials had earlier moved hot laps up one hour to 5:30 p.m. with the threat of thunderstorms rising later in the evening and the feature was checkered at 8:29 p.m. … Huset’s hosts the Silver Dollar Nationals for the third straight season with an event-record purse exceeding $315,000. Saturday's 80-lap feature paying $75,000-to-win concludes the weekend.

On the move: Brenden Smith of Dade City, Fla., started 21st and finished 14th.

Winner's sponsors: Davenport’s Double L Motorsports Longhorn Chassis was powered by a Clements Racing Engine and carries sponsorship from Nutrien Ag Solutions, ASC Warranty, Dynagro Seed, Mark Martin Automotive, Mega Plumbing & HVAC, Bobcat of Batesville, Bert Transmissions by Budda, Lucas Oil, Hoosier Racing Tire, VP Racing Fuels, Bilstein Shocks and Midwest Sheet Metal.

Points chase: After Huset’s Friday: 1. Jonathan Davenport (6,145); 2. Ricky Thornton Jr. (6,135); 3. Hudson O’Neal (5,805); 4. Devin Moran (5,780); 5. Garrett Alberson (5,600); 6. Brandon Sheppard (5,555); 7. Brandon Overton (5,315); 8. Daulton Wilson (4,995); 9. Carson Ferguson (4,715); 10. Donald McIntosh (4,600); 11. Daniel Hilsabeck (4,445); 12. Spencer Hughes (4,160).

Current weather: Broken Clouds, 75°F

Car count: 31

Fast qualifier: Garrett Alberson

Time: 12.755 seconds

Polesitter: Devin Moran

Heat race winners: Devin Moran, Jonathan Davenport, Garrett Alberson, Ricky Thornton Jr.

Consolation race winners: Donald McIntosh

Provisional starters: Spencer Hughes, Jesse Sobbing

Next series race: July 19, Huset’s Speedway (Brandon, SD) $75,000

Editor's note: Details reason for Ferguson's retirement

From staff reports

BRANDON, S.D. — Updates from Friday’s 15th annual Silver Dollar Nationals second prelim night, highlighted by a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win feature for Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

Surviving a frantic late-race challenge from Brandon Sheppard, Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., completed a flag-to-flag victory in Friday night’s 40-lap Silver Dollar Nationals preliminary feature at Huset’s Speedway. The 41-year-old superstar dominated the first 34 non-stop circuits before a caution flag tightened the field and produced a last-ditch bid by Sheppard, who ran the outside lane from fifth to second on the restart but fell 0.194 of a second short of the $10,000 top prize at the finish.

Feature lineup

(40 laps)

Row 1: Devin Moran, Garrett Alberson
Row 2: Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 3: Brandon Sheppard, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 4: Bobby Pierce, Hudson O'Neal
Row 5: Drake Troutman, Brandon Overton
Row 6: Blair Nothdurft, Carson Ferguson
Row 7: Daulton Wilson, Tyler Erb
Row 8: Ethan Dotson, Cory Lawler
Row 9: Donald McIntosh, Dan Ebert
Row 10: Clay Harris, Brian Shirley
Row 11: Brenden Smith, Daniel Hilsabeck
Row 12: Spencer Hughes, Jesse Sobbing

Consolation results

(10 laps; top six transfer)

Finish: Donald McIntosh, Dan Ebert, Clay Harris, Brian Shirley, Brenden Smith, Daniel Hilsabeck, Spencer Hughes, Jesse Sobbing, Lane Brenden, Junior Coover, Matthew Larson, Brock Carlson, Brody Smith, Ben Sukup, Shane DeMey.

Heat race recap

Devin Moran fired off from the outside front row and led all eight laps to win the first heat race by 0.572 of a second over polesitter Brandon Sheppard. Drake Troutman and Daulton Wilson each gained two spots to finish fourth and fifth; they will join Moran and Sheppard in Friday’s 40-lap second Silver Dollar Nationals prelim. … Jonathan Davenport led the entire way from the pole, winning the second heat by 1.776 seconds over second-starting Bobby Pierce, who trailed him the entire way. Blair Nothdurft started and finished third, while fifth-starting Ethan Dotson held fourth all eight laps and claims the final transfer spot into the $10,000-to-win prelim. … Garrett Alberson controlled the third heat race for a flag-to-flag victory, taking the checkers 0.822 of a second ahead of Dennis Erb Jr., who pursued Alberson the entire distance. Fourth-starting Brandon Overton got the jump on Tyler Erb at the initial start, relegating Erb to finish fourth. … Ricky Thornton Jr. cruised to lead all eight laps en route to winning the fourth and final heat race by 1.073 seconds over Hudson O’Neal, who trailed him the entire distance. Fourth-starting Carson Ferguson passed Cory Lawler on the fourth lap and finished third, relegating Lawler to finish fourth. … All four heats were completed without incident and combined to last just shy of eight minutes.

Heat results

(Eight laps; top four transfer)

First heat: Devin Moran, Brandon Sheppard, Drake Troutman, Daulton Wilson, Donald McIntosh, Brody Smith, Jesse Sobbing, Matthew Larson.

Second heat: Jonathan Davenport, Bobby Pierce, Blair Nothdurft, Ethan Dotson, Clay Harris, Spencer Hughes, Brian Shirley, Brock Carlson.

Third heat: Garrett Alberson, Dennis Erb Jr., Brandon Overton, Tyler Erb, Dan Ebert, Lane Brenden, Junior Coover, Shane DeMey.

Fourth heat: Ricky Thornton Jr., Hudson O'Neal, Carson Ferguson, Cory Lawler, Brenden Smith, Daniel Hilsabeck, Ben Sukup.

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., 12.899
2. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 12.919
3. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 13.105
4. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 13.151
5. Jesse Sobbing (18), Malvern, Iowa, 13.167
6. Blair Nothdurft (76n), Renner, S.D., 13.212
7. Brody Smith (17sr), Dade City, Fla., 13.216
8. Spencer Hughes (19m), Meridian, Miss., 13.233
9. Drake Troutman (22*), Hyndman, Pa., 13.246
10. Ethan Dotson (74x), Bakersfield, Calif., 13.255
11. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C. 13.292
12. Brian Shirley (3s), Chatham, Ill., 13.297
13. Donald McIntosh (79), Dawsonville, Ga., 13.492
14. Clay Harris (6), Jupiter, Fla., 13.520
15. Matthew Larson (8L), Lake Elmo, Minn., 13.688
16. Brock Carlson (49c), Winside, Neb., 13.813
Group B
1. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., 12.755
2. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., 12.855
3. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 12.919
4. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 12.954
5. Tyler Erb (1T), New Waverly, Texas, 13.040
6. Cory Lawler (93L), Hanover, Pa., 13.065
7. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 13.163
8. Carson Ferguson (93), Lincolnton, N.C., 13.187
9. Lane Brenden (8), Mitchell, S.D., 13.224
10. Daniel Hilsabeck (22), Earlham, Iowa, 13.357
11. Dan Ebert (60), Lake Shore, Minn., 13.477
12. Brenden Smith (17ss), Dade City, Fla., 13.496
13. Shane DeMey (15m), Denison, Iowa, 13.618
14. Ben Sukup (07), Norfolk, Neb., 13.791
15. Junior Coover (10), Norfolk, Neb., 14.075

Friday’s schedule

(All times local)
2 p.m. - Pits open
2:45 p.m. - Tech and registration opens
4 p.m. - Grandstands open
4:45 p.m. - Tech and registration closes
5:30 p.m. - On-track activity
- Super Late Model hot laps
- Super Late Model time trials (2 laps)
- Limited Late Model hot laps
Opening ceremonies
- Super Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Super Late Model consolations (10 laps)
- Limited Late Model consolations (10 laps)
Feature events
- Super Late Models (40 laps)
- Limited Late Models (30 laps)