Scott Bloomquist took the checkered flag, but couldn’t get past the post-race weight scale and was disqualified during Saturday night’s Dirt Late Model Dream XXI presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers.
Jonathan Davenport, who led from lap 61 until a lap 91 restart, took the victory after Bloomquist took his car to the scale and it was 25 pounds light. Thus he was disqualified and posted 28th.
Bloomquist went to the scale and the green light did not appear. He backed up and tried one more time, but officials found his car to be under the 2,300 pound minimum post-race weight requirement.
Davenport, from Williamston, South Carolina, won the A-Features on Friday and Saturday night, so he brought out the broom as he swept the weekend and collected $100,000 as the victor.
“I thought we had second-place to Scott (Bloomquist),” Davenport said. “And then he gets over there and he’s light. This is definitely not the way I want to win my first crown jewel. I wanted to actually beat that guy. He’s so hard to beat. He’s so good around here. He’s good everywhere.”
A winning car has never been light before in the previous 20 Dreams. In the 2005 World 100, Shannon Babb won the race, but was light at the scales and Dale McDowell was scored as the winner.
Bloomquist did not comment after the race.
“All those heartaches we’ve had, all the bad luck, all the little bitty stuff that has happened here or at other places, all went out the window,” Davenport said. “It’s a breath of fresh air.”
Dennis Erb Jr., from Carpentersville, Illinois, was third, while 2014 Dream winner McDowell was fourth. Shane Clanton was fifth.
Don O’Neal from Martinsville, Indiana, started on the pole and led the first lap before being passed by Jared Landers from Batesville, Arkansas. Landers led laps two and three before Clanton got by him. Clanton, from Zebulon, Georgia led until lap 61 before Davenport tracked him down.
It appeared the race would go green all the way, but on lap 89, there was debris in turns two and four. Davenport was leading with Bloomquist behind him and on the restart Davenport pulled away.
But a caution on lap 91 involving Matt Westfall and Gregg Satterlee setup another double-file restart, and Bloomquist bested Davenport in Turn 1 sliding in front of him to take away his preferred high line as they rocketed off Turn 2.
Davenport gave it one more shot as the leaders took the white flag, but the lapped car of Jimmy Owens got in his way as he attempted to pass Bloomquist and he looked like he was going to be second.
“The second yellow I thought ‘Oh no, not again,” Davenport said. “I survived one, but Scott is so good on those restarts especially in the slick. And I tried to do the same thing and I spun the tires at the flagstand. I could hear him and I’m like ‘Oh no, here we go.’ I probably should have gone down a lane and tried to block him a bit, but I tried to roll the top and I
thought if he slid me, I could get him back under him. I got a little aero loose when he went by and he got away from me a bit.
“I got back to him at the white flag, there was Jimmy. I thought ‘Man, I just lost my chance.’ Jimmy was out there and he went to the outside and I tried to fit between them, but that didn’t work and I thought it was over.”
It was not over as while Bloomquist took the checkered flag, he was light on the scales and Davenport won the $100,000.
It’s another race that builds on the legend that is Eldora.
NKTelco presents Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek for the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car Series on Saturday, June 20 while the DIRTCar UMP Modifieds and the Eldora Stocks will also join the card.
Eldora Speedway PR
