The Dirt Late Model Dream is one of the crown jewels in all of dirt racing. Held each June at Ohio’s famed Eldora Speedway, the event draws some of the top dirt late model talent from around the country to battle it out for 100 laps. An incredible $100,000 purse awaits the driver who can conquer the competition at “the World’s Greatest Dirt Track” and join the ranks of past winners that include Scott Bloomquist (8-times), Brandon Overton (3-wins), Jonathan Davenport (3-wins), and Fast Freddy Smith (2-wins).
Brandon Overton and Jonathan Davenport have dominated as of late, collectively winning the last five trips to the Dream. For Davenport, a win would be his third straight, and for either of them, a win would be their fourth, which would put them one notch closer to Scott Bloomquist for the who’s who of late models at Eldora. Bloomquist, an eight-time winner of this event and widely considered to be the best ever at the track, was killed in a plane crash last August near his family farm in Tennessee.
Dale McDowell, the 2014 Dirt Late Model Dream winner making his 18th consecutive start, qualified second next to pole sitter Shane Clanton and quickly looked for the lead before a lap two caution for an incident involving Chris Madden and Dustin Sorensen. McDowell would go on to lead the first 39 laps without much of a challenge, but it was just a matter of time. From the drop of the green flag, it was obvious that Davenport was the car to beat. After qualifying thirteenth, he immediately began to march forward, and with cautions for Jason Jameson and Hudson O’Neal resetting the field twice, the “Fast 49” was in second place by lap 35. He would take the lead on lap 40, grab his bags, and checked out, ultimately winning by more than 10 seconds over 2nd place Bobby Pierce and 3rd place Nick Hoffman.
The win is Davenport’s third straight Dirt Late Model win, and his fourth overall. He’s also won the World 100 at Eldora five times—quite an impressive resume for the Blairsville, Georgia native.
Image Sourced via Eldora Speedway’s Facebook Account