Fast Talk presented by MD3 and Five Star Bodies
Fast Talk: J.D.'s lucrative week and unsung roles
With Jonathan Davenport the biggest winner during a weather-plagued weekend, our roundtable checks in for the weekly feature presented by MD3 and Five Star Race Cars Bodies (edited for clarity and length):
Survey Jonathan Davenport’s $137,500 windfall at Volunteer Speedway’s Gauntlet?
Kevin Kovac, DirtonDirt senior writer: As an independent, pick-and-choose racer this year, Davenport knows he has to make weeks like the Gauntlet count. And with Vic Hill putting up one of the most winnable six-figure bonuses you’ll ever see — win one of three prelims and the $30,000-to-win finale — you better believe J.D. had that $100,000 in his crosshairs. Bagging a deal like that can essentially take the place of a national touring series points-fund check that he’s bypassing this year. Davenport has said he doesn’t expect to earn as much money this year as he would running a series, but, if he keeps winning at the rate he has since early March and hits in some of the richest races, his bank account will certainly still fill up.
Todd Turner, DirtonDirt managing editor: After Davenport won the opener of the four-race week, his chances to claim the $100,000 bonus (for winning a prelim and the finale) looked great … until it didn’t. Of course Davenport slapped the wall in the second prelim, then was sidelined by a flat tire while leading the third prelim. But with the big money on the line, Davenport sealed the deal in fighting off a mid-race challenge by Mike Marlar. Vic Hill’s bold week drew a modest car count, and probably wasn’t seen by many folks being on the track’s fledgling streaming service, but the money spends all the same for Davenport.
Kyle McFadden, DirtonDirt staff reporter: You had to wonder what the vibes were like within the Double L Motorsports camp entering Saturday after slapping the wall Wednesday and Friday’s flat tire. But if there’s one thing to know about Jonathan Davenport, it’s that those DNFs tend to be isolated and that they rarely snowball into a prolonged slump. In fact, it almost felt inevitable that things would swing back his way. The odds of three straight nights going sideways for Davenport are slim, and sure enough, he delivered when it mattered most. This is shaping up to be another lucrative season for the Blairsville, Ga., star, reminiscent of his pick-and-choose 2022 campaign that yielded a staggering $2 million in earnings.
Aaron Clay, DirtonDirt weekend editor: It was quite the dominating performance at Volunteer Speedway for Jonathan Davenport and his Double L Motorsports team. Obviously, Davenport bookended the four-day event by winning Tuesday’s $7,500 opener and Saturday’s $30,000 finale, but he seemed in control to win Friday’s $20,000 third round before a flat right-rear tire derailed his effort. Not only did Davenport win the $100,000 bonus offered by track promoter Vic Hill, but he also earned fast qualifier honors each of the four race nights. One stat that Kevin pointed out: Davenport seems to be hitting his stride with his seven 2026 victories coming in his last 15 starts.
If you had a $100,000 bonus for a single event, come up with a unique format as to how it can be won (or shared?).
Turner: I’ll keep it super simple. And this is a bonus that could be offered by a track any time it hosts, say, a national touring event. Give the polesitter the option to start on the tail of the field, and if the polesitter wins, the payout increases by $100,000. It automatically builds drama. Casual spectators can understand and follow it. The ability for drivers to collude is slim. And it’s a bonus that could stand for as long as the track wants to offer it, making each national touring race there something special. My former colleague Brian McLeod often said drivers rallying from the tail makes heroes. And, in this case, a hero with a six-figure motive.
McFadden: I would say, for a four-race event, a driver must win one of the preliminaries, finish on the podium in the other two preliminaries while, of course, getting the job done in the Saturday night finale. Only winning one of the three prelims is a justifiable way to deem drivers eligible for a six-figure bonus in the finale, but I wanna make sure that the other two prelim nights matter, too, and aren’t a waste.
Clay: Props to Vic Hill for thinking outside the box and trying to improve the sport by infusing a high-paying multiday event. Easy for me to say with no skin in the game, but I would also do a multiday event (at least three races) while offering a lucrative bonus to the driver who did the best, overall. Whether the event awards points — similar to miniseries points (ex: Wild West Shootout) — or you simply go by best average finish, I’d want to award the most consistent team. This is most logical, since your race winners will already receive a large payout, while also ensuring consistency is rewarded.
Kovac: I’d go along the lines of a 24-car team race in which six drivers are installed as “captains” who make draft-style selections of three other feature starters to join them as four-racer squads. Then they compete for not only the race win but also an overall team victory — best combined finishes receives the $100,000 bonus split among them. The format should provide some entertaining driver combos and intrigue throughout the race. I might randomly appoint the final member to each of the six teams rather than let the captains pick (to avoid having someone be the last person on the playground selected).
Any other result jump out to you during a weather-plagued weekend?
McFadden: Chris Madden offered a revealing glimpse into the behind-the-scenes work Friday at Volunteer Speedway, detailing the progress Wells Motorsports and the Infinity Race Cars house car team have made over the past month or two. The Gray Court, S.C., veteran said in victory lane he’s been dialing in a brand-new Infinity car, and the results are starting to show. Madden now has two victories, four podiums and seven top-five finishes over his last eight starts, a stretch that signals he’s trending firmly in the right direction after an up-and-down start to the season. If this front-running pace holds, it could finally set the stage for a breakthrough at an elusive Eldora crown jewels — the $100,000-to-win Dream on June 3–6, which will be here before we know it.
Clay: Wil Herrington definitely deserves a spotlight after his dominating performance in Saturday’s Southern Thunder Super Dirt Series season opener. Racing near his hometown of Hawkinsville, Ga., Herrington led all 50 laps unchallenged for his first career series victory. But more important than that, it was Herrington’s first Super Late Model victory since last May 25 at Potomac Speedway in Budds Creek, Md., and his first five-figure payday since last March 2 at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala., both aboard the No. 15k Bruce Kane Racing entry. Herrington seems to be dialing in his self-owned No. 14 Rocket Chassis.
Kovac: How about the start Gregg Satterlee has had to his 2026 season? He’s only raced five times at two tracks (Port Royal and Selinsgrove) over the past month, but he has three wins and two seconds, including back-to-back victories at both Pennsylvania ovals over the past weekend. The checkered flags have been fruitful for local shows, too, with his two Selinsgrove wins worth $5,000 and the Port Royal triumph paying $4,000. It’s a good time for Satterlee to be on a heater with the Lucas Oil Series coming to his Mid-Atlantic region this weekend for races at Georgetown, BAPS and Hagerstown. Can he keep rolling and grab his first Lucas Oil victory since 2022?
Turner: Bruce Kane Racing has fielded cars for several capable drivers (including Wil Herrington, as Aaron mentioned above), and he’s got a new one with Kyle Lee of Mercersburg, Pa. In Lee's debut with the team — and his debut at Potomac Speedway — he raced to a $3,499 victory in the Danny Garrett Memorial for Limited Late Models. That could be a fruitful pairing regionally and perhaps give Lee a chance to run occasional further-flung special events.
For touring drivers who’ve gotten a lousy start to the season, when it is time to press the panic button?
Clay: I often wonder if pressing the panic button is effective in Dirt Late Model racing? For example, Brian Shirley has had a rather horrendous start to the season, with multiple engine failures and an overall lack of competitiveness. He currently sits 11th in the Lucas Oil Series standings, nearly 400 points behind leader Devin Moran; however, if Shirley and his Bob Cullen Racing team were truly panicking, I assume they'd simply drop off the Lucas Oil tour and chase big wins around the Midwest. Maybe dropping off a national tour is pressing the panic button in this case, but I suspect we’re a month or two from that being a real concern.
McFadden: I’m no crewman or driver, so take this for what it’s worth, but to me, go-time is May. That stretch — with Illinois Speedweek, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series stop at Eagle Raceway, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series northeastern swing and the Show-Me 100 on Memorial Day weekend — is go-time. If there’s still no signs of speed or momentum through that stretch, then there’s legitimate cause for concern. I tend to view the season in three segments: everything leading up to the Dirt Late Model Dream in June, everything from the Dream to the World 100 and then the closing stretch through the Gateway Dirt Nationals. Even if a driver misses on the first two, there’s still time to salvage a season with a strong finish at the year’s remaining marquee events.
Kovac: I would pinpoint Memorial Day weekend as typically the make-or-break point of a touring driver’s season. Unless we’re talking about a rookie or even second-year driver who is clearly out on the road looking for experience more than full-bore success, if a touring regular reaches the unofficial start of the summer stretch still in all-out struggle mode — like, say, without even a single top-five finish to signal they’re on the right track — then it’s probably time to pull back to regroup and run a more regional schedule. This is a results-based sport, and continuing on without flashing even glimpses of contending performance doesn’t seem like it would be enjoyable or cost-effective.
Turner: Panicking isn’t the best reaction for any of us, but perhaps re-evaluating the season’s plans, making an equipment or crew change or simply regrouping seems prudent. Confidence is obviously intertwined in competition, so if a team is heading the wrong direction without any solutions to improve it other than try harder, morale isn’t going to magically get better. Some drivers (or car owners) are more patient than others, but if a team hits Memorial Day without much success, that’s a bad sign.
Who is an unsung person in Dirt Late Model racing — specifically or a role — who deserves a shoutout?
McFadden: Car owners, without question. They’re the backbone of this sport, making massive financial sacrifices just to keep cars on the track. Everyone involved in this sport certainly plays a key role, but without car owners willing to pour in thousands — and in many cases, millions — of dollars, we simply don’t have a show to enjoy. It’s not always glamorous, and the role of a car owner seldom grabs the spotlight, but their commitment is the reason this sport continues to exist and survive.
Clay: Hopefully he’s becoming more of a household name, but I think Kelley Carlton deserves a shoutout (full disclosure Kelley works with FloRacing Night in America and occasionally joins our panel here). Not only is Kelley one of the most respected and valued race directors in Dirt Late Model racing, he’s one of dirt racing’s biggest ambassadors. You’ll never find Kelley talking badly, or putting another track down, but he will use critical thinking to survey a situation and then offer his opinion in an attempt to find improvement. Kelley is instrumental in the success of many touring series and Southeastern tracks, including national-level events such as the Wild West Shootout and Gateway Dirt Nationals.
Turner: This is relatively mundane, but I’ll go with the faceless tow-truck driver who pays attention and quickly arrives at the scene to deftly clean up wrecks, mishaps and debris. With tow-truck drivers — as with officials in many sports — those you don’t notice at all are the good ones. Too often a distracted wrecker driver who doesn’t expedite the return to action draws the ire of spectators and competitors, so here’s to those that do it quickly and correctly — and rarely receive a pat on the back.
Kovac: A track or series pit steward is certainly worthy of special recognition. We’re talking about an official who’s in the pit area, right there on the front lines all night, so they’re typically the first person an angry driver or crew member will find to argue their case when something goes awry on the track. It takes a calm but forceful personality to handle the barbs that inevitably fly their way from racers. The pit steward must be skilled in diffusing testy situations and always remember something veteran Chub Frank has said: don’t take a competitor’s words personally because they’re just “yelling at the official’s shirt.”
