OCALA, Fla. — Jonathan Davenport secured his second consecutive Wieland Winter Nationals feature on Thursday night at Ocala Speedway.
The three-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion fended off Brandon Overton to capture the $10,000 victory.
The final results will show that Davenport led all 40 laps, but Overton caught up to Davenport as they approached the white flag.
However, he could never pass him to steal the win from his fellow Georgian, who triumphed by 0.538 seconds at the finish line.
Kyle Bronson achieved his best series finish of the year, taking third, followed by Brandon Sheppard and Devin Moran.
In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 85th time in his career, Davenport also was victorious at Ocala for the fifth time in his career, the most all-time for any late model driver during Speedweeks at the egg-shaped track.
“He (Overton) made me more worried than I should have been. I didn’t know he was coming like that at the very end,” Davenport said. “It was kind of slimy around the bottom, so he just kept chasing it down and blowing it out. That was why I didn’t think we could move, and since I was in the front, I couldn’t tell what everyone else was doing. Once I got to the lapped cars, I didn’t think I could pass any on the outside. I think they finally rolled in a little of that slime through one and two. It was a little better through the middle, but it was kind of bumpy. As long as your car wouldn’t bounce too badly, I guess that was why he got that good run. Other than that, I was just blocking.”
Overton, in his return to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series in 2025, was the third different driver to run second during the 40-lap race, joining Sheppard and Bronson in that category.
“I I felt like I was doing everything I could,” Overton said. “I almost made a move on him there, but I just got my right rear quarter-panel in the wall and couldn’t get low enough to take the lead. It was an awesome race. If the fans didn’t enjoy that, they might as well stop coming. The wins are on the way. I feel like I have the best crew in the business. I just want to win one; I mean, we’re really close to winning one.”
Bronson, looking for his first series win since taking the Silver Dollar Nationals in 2021, regained the third position on lap 33 to round out the podium.
“It definitely feels good to get a good finish,” Bronson said. “I have been down on myself a little bit. We’ve got everything we need to win; we just need to put the right pieces in the right places and go after it.”
The finish:
Jonathan Davenport, Brandon Overton, Kyle Bronson, Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran, Spencer Hughes, Ross Robinson, Tyler Bruening, Tanner English, Dillon McCowan, Max Blair, Danie Hilsabeck, Tyler Erb, Ricky Thornton Jr., Blair Nothdurft, Hudson O’Neal, Donald McIntosh, Carson Ferguson, Daulton Wilson, Garrett Alberson, Wil Herrington, Brian Shirley, Mark Whitener, Dan Ebert, Drake Troutman, Tim McCreadie, Brenden Smith.
