News Director 
Story By: MIKE WARREN / DIRTCAR – ROSSBURG, OH – Jonathan Davenport took his first step toward conquering “The World” Thursday night at Eldora Speedway.
After 107 cars entered night one of the 52nd World 100, Davenport stood tall earning one of the $12,000 preliminary Feature victories and gained valuable momentum toward Saturday’s main event.
One night after finishing fourth in the Dirt Late Model Dream, Jonathan Davenport wasted no time returning to Eldora Speedway’s iconic Victory Lane.
The Blairsville, GA driver stormed past Jimmy Owens on Lap 6 of Thursday’s Group A Feature to claim the $12,000 prize on night one of the 52nd World 100.
The four-time World 100 winner said his team made changes throughout the day, helping his car return to its winning form.
“I think we’re one adjustment away from being perfect,” Davenport said. “We changed quite a few things today. We just couldn’t get a good balance on it.
“I wish the racetrack was like that last night. We might have been right back up here. It’s a phenomenal job, by my guys, Jason, Vinny, and Tyler. We all put our heads together and constantly changed on this thing. We changed things on the car, and it messed the balance up a bit, and I think we got it back there pretty good.”
Owens, a two-time World 100 winner, finished second after leading the race’s first five laps.
The Newport, TN driver stated he was happy with his car but needed to make a few more adjustments to stay with Davenport.
“I was just discussing with my guys about how we can get a little more stable in the corners,” Owens said. “I felt like we were good, but the 49 has been phenomenal all year. Another great year for those guys. Hats off to them.
“We got some work to do, and maybe we can make some improvements for the big race.”
Defending World 100 winner Brandon Overton finished third, while Chris Madden and Johnny Scott rounded out the top five.
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[3]; 2. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 3. 76-Brandon Overton[5]; 4. 44-Chris Madden[4]; 5. 1ST-Johnny Scott[1]; 6. 1-Brandon Sheppard[8]; 7. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[6]; 8. 157-Mike Marlar[7]; 9. 11H-Spencer Hughes[9]; 10. 8-Kyle Strickler[23]; 11. 1T-Tyler Erb[10]; 12. 19R-Ryan Gustin[16]; 13. 58-Garrett Alberson[14]; 14. 23-John Blankenship[12]; 15. 22S-Gregg Satterlee[15]; 16. 88-Trent Ivey[11]; 17. 42H-Tyler Carpenter[19]; 18. 83F-Jensen Ford[17]; 19. 25F-Jason Feger[20]; 20. 5-Mark Whitener[18]; 21. 31K-Kye Blight[13]; 22. 21K-Dakotah Knuckles[24]; 23. 99-Camaron Marlar[22]; 24. 10-Joseph Joiner[21]
