DAVENPORT RETURNS TO ROOTS FOR FASTRAK VMS KING OF THE COMMONWEALTH WIN

JAMAICA, VA – Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, GA returned to his dirt late model roots Saturday night and won the Aaron’s King of the Commonwealth 40 for the FASTRAK Pro Late Model Series at Virginia Motor Speedway. Davenport began his dirt late model racing career with the FASTRAK Series, and has since gone on to superstardom in the sport.

After starting on the outside of the front row for the main event, Davenport took the lead and never looked back. The driver known as “Superman” led all 40 laps for the win driving the C&H Paving Barry Wright “House Car.”

“We’re off to a good start this year with our Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engine program, as we’re three for three so far this season,” Davenport said. “Now, if we could just get some of that success to rub off on our super late model program we would be in good shape.”

The win was worth $3,000 to Davenport, who took the checkered flag with a 2.896 second margin of victory over Tyler Bare of Rockridge Baths, VA in the Bluegrass Farms Rocket. Bare was the Fast Qualifier among the 32 entrants with a lap around the ½-mile clay oval in 18.810 seconds to earn $200 from M&W Transport and Towing.

Henry Hornsby III of Beckley, WV came from the 11th starting spot to finish third in the Henry’s Radiator Longhorn. Polesitter Jensen Ford of Piney Flats, TN took the fourth spot in the Tim Byrd Motorsports TNT, and Matthew Nance of Ronda, NC was fifth in the Diversified Finishers Longhorn.

Mark Parks of Forest, VA drove the Parks Racing Mastersbilt to a sixth-place finish, and seventh went to the defending FASTRAK South East and Mid-Ohio Valley Champion Cla Knight of North Augusta, SC in the Augusta Aquatics/Maxima Race Oil Longhorn. The 2016 Aaron’s King of the Commonwealth Race winner Walker Arthur of Forest, VA took the eighth spot in the Cecil B. Arthur Beef Farms Longhorn.

David Williams of Mechanicsville, MD started 19th and finished ninth in the Latham Masonry Rocket, and was the Keyser Manufacturing Hard Charger of the Race. Defending Virginia Motor Speedway FASTRAK Weekly Racing Series Champion Justin Williams of Concord, VA rounded out the top ten in the Mark Parks Racing Rocket.

In preliminary action, the four eight-lap Heat Races were won by Ford, Davenport, Nance, and Justin Williams. The two ten-lap B-Main Races were won by Benji Hicks of Mt. Airy, NC in the T&K Enterprises Longhorn, and Billy Beachler of Franklin, WV in the Cecil B. Arthur General Contracting Mastersbilt.

A pair of multi-car wrecks in turn one on the first two attempts to start the race accounted for two of the five caution flags in the event. Once everyone settled into a race pace, Davenport took the lead from his outside front row starting spot, followed by polesitter Ford, Justin Williams, Ron Parker of Belwood, NC in the Schaeffer Oil Rocket and Nance.

Parker passed Williams for third on lap two, and by lap seven, Davenport had opened up a half straightaway lead on Ford. By the ninth lap, Davenport caught the cars on the tail end of the lead lap, but that didn’t slow him down at all. Williams began to fade a little on lap ten, as Nance passed him for fourth, and Knight got by him for the fifth spot on lap 12.

Nance had a good run going, as he worked his way around Parker for the third position on the 14th tour. The field slowed for a caution flag on lap 16 when Beachler stalled in turn one. The double-file restart saw Davenport leading Ford, Nance, Parker, Knight, Bare, Justin Williams, Arthur, Hicks and Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA in the Jessica Cornett Racing/CMP Automotive Mastersbilt in the second through tenth spots respectively for the restart.

On the restart, Ford pushed up high in turn four, and hit the guardrail on the front straightaway. That caused Arthur to get sideways, and grab a handful of steering wheel. Arthur didn’t hit anyone, or anything, and the field stayed green with a major shuffle behind the leader Davenport.

Nance now found himself in the second spot, with Bare moving up to third, Ford in fourth, Knight in fifth, Parker in sixth, Hornsby in seventh, Parks in eighth, Hicks in ninth, and David Williams holding down the tenth spot.

The caution flag came back out on lap 19 when teammates Matthew Quade of Mechanicsville, MD in the Northern Neck Chevrolet Rocket and Jared Powell of Scottsville, VA in the Northern Neck Chevrolet Rocket tangled with Corey Almond of Appomattox, VA in the Ditch Witch Longhorn in turn two.

On the restart, Bare got by Nance for the second spot in turn two, and Hornsby, after restarting in the seventh spot, made a big move and passed Nance for third on the front straightaway on lap 20. Nance fell back to fifth on lap 23 when Ford got by for the fourth spot.

Davenport encountered lapped traffic on lap 28 with a 15 car-length lead on Bare. By lap 30, Davenport had once again opened back up a half straightaway lead. Debris in turn four on lap 33 lit up the yellow bulb for a final time. With the field bunched up single file behind him, Davenport was once again up to the task, and led the seven lap dash to the finish.

Check out the official website for the FASTRAK Racing Series at www.fastrakracing.com and continue to follow our social media networks for the FASTRAK Racing Series. Like and Follow our Fan Page on Facebook plus follow @FASTRAK_SE and/or @FASTRAK_MOV on Twitter to get up to the minute news and details as they become available.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 2 AT VIRGINIA MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN JAMAICA, VA ON 4/8/17:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 2 49 Jonathan Davenport Blairsville, GA 40 $3,000
2. 8 30 Tyler Bare Rockridge Baths, VA 40 $1,500
3. 11 39 Henry Hornsby III Beckley, WV 40 $900
4. 1 83 Jensen Ford Piney Flats, TN 40 $650
5. 3 24n Matthew Nance Ronda, NC 40 $600
6. 9 80 Mark Parks Forest, VA 40 $500
7. 6 42 Cla Knight North Augusta, SC 40 $450
8. 7 87 Walker Arthur Forest, VA 40 $425
9. 19 45 David Williams Mechanicsville, MD 40 $400
10. 4 2w Justin Williams Concord, VA 40 $365
11. 5 8 Ron Parker Belwood, NC 40 $340
12. 20 90j Michael Duritsky Masontown, PA 40 $325
13. 12 2 Frankie Beard Hartwell, GA 40 $300
14. 23 44 Dylan Lewis Oakland, MD 40 $275
15. 10 2* Jared Powell Scottsville, VA 40 $275
16. 16 47 Matthew Quade Mechanicsville, MD 40 $275
17. 17 55 Benji Hicks Mt. Airy, NC 40 $275
18. 21 99 Teddy Tate Rural Retreat, VA 39 $275
19. 15 24t Phillip Thompson Knoxville, TN 39 $275
20. 18 21 Billy Beachler Franklin, WV 38 $275
21. 24 01 Matt Glanden Denton, MD 37 $275
22. 13 71 Davis Lipscombe Mechanicsville, VA 35 $275
23. 25 11 David Smith Inman, SC 23 $275
24. 14 7a Corey Almond Appomattox, VA 18 $275
25. 22 14 Tyler Stutler Lost Creek, WV 18 $275

ENTRIES: 32
FAST QUALIFIER: Bare, 18.810 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Smith
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADER: Davenport, 1-40
KEYSER MANUFACTURING HARD CHARGER: David Williams (started 19th and finished 9th)
CAUTIONS: 5
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 2.896 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 36 Minutes and 42.656 Seconds

GROUP QUALIFYING:

GROUP 1:
POS	CAR #	DRIVER	HOMETOWN	CHASSIS	TIME
1	83	Jensen Ford	Piney Flats, TN	TNT	19.133
2	11	David Smith	Inman, SC	TNT	19.190
3	80	Mark Parks	Forest, VA	Mastersbilt	19.316
4	8	Ron Parker	Belwood, NC	Rocket	19.327
5	71	Davis Lipscombe	Mechanicsville, VA	Mastersbilt	19.512
6	99	Teddy Tate	Rural Retreat, VA	CVR	19.614
7	45	David Williams	Mechanicsville, MD	Rocket	19.912
8	14c	Chuck Bowie	Walton, MD	Rocket	20.102
GROUP 2:
POS	CAR #	DRIVER	HOMETOWN	CHASSIS	TIME
1	49	Jonathan Davenport	Blairsville, GA	Barry Wright	18.861
2	42	Cla Knight	North Augusta, SC	Longhorn	18.912
3	2*	Jared Powell	Scottsville, VA	Rocket	19.021
4	55	Benji Hicks	Mt. Airy, NC	Longhorn	19.124
5	7a	Corey Almond	Appomattox, VA	Longhorn	19.199
6	66x	Matt Tarbox	Bradywine, MD	Rocket	19.545
7	44	Dylan Lewis	Oakland, MD	Mastersbilt	19.892
8	28	Carl Vaughan	Chesapeake, VA	Rocket	20.135
GROUP 3:
POS	CAR #	DRIVER	HOMETOWN	CHASSIS	TIME
1	24n	Matthew Nance	Ronda, NC	Longhorn	18.875
2	87	Walker Arthur	Forest, VA	Longhorn	19.185
3	39	Henry Hornsby	Beckley, WV	Longhorn	19.544
4	24T	Phillip Thompson	Knoxville, TN	Warrior	19.651
5	90j	Michael Duritsky	Masontown, PA	Rocket	19.866
6	21	Billy Beachler	Franklin, WV	Mastersbilt	20.003
7	38	Nick Love	Hughesville, MD	Rocket	20.196
8	23m	John McClellan	Suffolk, VA	Rocket	NT
GROUP 4:
POS	CAR #	DRIVER	HOMETOWN	CHASSIS	TIME
1	30	Tyler Bare	Rockridge Baths, VA	Rocket	18.801
2	2w	Justin Williams	Concord, VA	Rocket	19.049
3	47	Matthew Quade	Mechanicsville, MD	Rocket	19.291
4	2	Frankie Beard	Hartwell, GA	Mastersbilt	19.452
5	01	Matt Clanden	Denton, MD	Rocket	19.834
6	14t	Tyler Stutler	Lost Creek, WV	Kryptonite	19.838
7	0	Troy Frazier	Montclair, WV	Rocket	19.875
8	5j	Darrell Dow	Chesapeake, VA	Warrior	20.315

HEAT RACES (8 Laps – Top 4 Finishers Transfer To Main Event):

1ST HEAT: 1. Ford; 2. Parker; 3. Parks; 4. Lipscombe; 5. D. Williams; 6. 99 Tate; 7. Bowie; 8. Smith.

2ND HEAT: 1. Davenport; 2. Knight; 3. Powell; 4. Almond; 5. Hicks; 6. Tarbox; 7. Lewis; 8. Vaughan.

3RD HEAT: 1. Nance; 2. Arthur; 3. Hornsby; 4. Thompson; 5. Duritsky; 6. Beachler; 7. Love; 8. McClellan DNS.

4TH HEAT: 1. J. Williams; 2. Bare; 3. Beard; 4. Quade; 5. Stutler; 6. Glanden; 7. Frazier; 8. Dow.

B-MAINS (10 Laps – Top 4 Transfer To Main Event):

1ST B-MAIN: 1. Hicks; 2. D. Williams; 3. Tate; 4. Lewis; 5. Tarbox; 6. Bowie; 7. Smith; 8. Vaughan.

2ND B-MAIN: 1. Beachler; 2. Duritsky; 3. Stutler; 4. Glanden; 5. Frazier; 6. Dow; 7. Love; 8. McClellan DNS.