DAVENPORT, Iowa — Night one of the Davenport Dirt Stars is in the books. But it was not easy. Morning showers made the racetrack fast and gave it a whole lot of character throughout the evening.
One hundred and 17 cars were on hand for Night one and the competition was heated.
Davenport racer Matt Ryan showed why he is the Karl Chevrolet Premier Late Model Tour 2026 champion. Ryan dominated his heat race and led all twenty laps of the A-Main.
Ryan started on the outside pole and once he put distance between himself and Jeff Aikey, all he had to watch out for was lapped traffic and caution flags. He finished with a six second gap over second-place Aikey.
As Ryan set a torrid pace, the battle was for third, fourth, and fifth. CJ Horn would come away with the spot after passing fourth place finisher Dave Eckrich. J.D. Auringer rounded out the top five.
The Midwest Recyclers / Del’s Metal Co. – IMCA Modifieds feature took a toll on men and machines. Only twelve cars finished the 20-lap race. None of that mattered to Brandon Durbin. Durbin got out front early and as several top contenders dropped out of the race, he was able to manage his lead.
Late in the race, Missouri racer Jace Whitt made a charge at Durbin but was never in a position to pass for the lead.
Whitt finished a close second, followed by Jace Eckrich, Matt Werner, and Bill Roberts Jr.
The Koehler Electric – Street Stocks were the first feature to hit the racetrack and set the tone for the rest of the evening. Three cautions in the first five laps would put five of the starters on the trailer.
Scotty Pratt was able to escape the carnage with only a flat tire, which he was able to get changed under caution. Scotty restarted at the tail and in just two green flag laps was in the lead. Pratt led the rest of the way to the checkers.
Jesse Owen topped Donnie Louck for second. Ethan Coday finished fourth and Cary Brown fifth.
Levi Laymon scored his first Davenport win in the Freds Towing / Cantrell Towing / QC Towing – IMCA SportMods. Levi was able to fend off all challenges in the 15-lap main. That included a late race surge by Bryson Eckrich.
In the closest finish of the night, half a car-length separated Laymon and Eckrich at the checkers. Dakota Cole took third over Ben Chapman and Colton Laymon.
David Brandies took home the trophy in the D & K Home Products – IMCA Stock Cars. Brandies passed Scotty Pratt for the lead on the opening lap. Brandies would hold the top spot for the remainder of the race.
John Oliver Jr. would emerge at Brandies’ top rival, but mechanical issues late in the race would sideline Oliver. Pratt would climb back to take second. Braden Richards finished third, ahead of Pat Rachels and Jack Hockaday.
Matt Bennett captured the win in the Wangelin’s Auto – IMCA Hobby Stocks. It was Matt’s first win at Davenport this year. Bennett was locked in a race-long struggle with track champion Carson Butt. Carson got a little too aggressive on the final lap and spun into the infield in turn two.
Randy LaMar was credited with second. Karter Miles, Kael Koch, and Solomon Bennett were third through fifth, in that order.
