Davenport Wins Second Straight Wieland Winter Nationals Race at Golden Isles
Column By: LUCAS OIL LATE MODEL DIRT SERIES – WAYNESVILLE, GA- Jonathan Davenport captured Thursday night’s Wieland Winter Nationals feature for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at Golden Isles Speedway, earning his second consecutive victory at the event. With the win – the 94th of his career – Davenport ties Hall of Famer Scott Bloomquist for the most victories in series history.
Hudson O’Neal, the current Midwest Sheet Metal Points Leader, finished second to Davenport for the second straight night. Brandon Overton made a last lap pass on Clay Harris to round out the Big River Steel Podium in third. Harris, who started 13th, finished fourth, while Max Blair advanced from 11th to complete the top five.
Davenport, a three-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion like Bloomquist, led all 40 laps en route to the $10,000 victory. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane, he reflected on tying the late Mooresburg, Tennessee driver for the all-time wins record.
“I wish he was here so we could talk about it,” Davenport said. “He taught me a lot. Scott did – and believe it or not, we talked. Not all the time, but we were acquaintances. At one point, we were more than just rivals. I had a tremendous amount of respect for him, and I think I gained his respect over the years.”
The Blairsville, Georgia native also reflected on his early success in the series.
“I remember my first two Lucas Oil wins with Barry Wright. We went to a new place we had never been before – I think it was Winchester, Virginia – and then the next night I outran Scott at Virginia Motor Speedway for back-to-back wins. It’s just awesome, really. I never would have thought I’d get more than those two wins, but to get 90-some is just crazy.”
Davenport had to fend off mid-race challenges from O’Neal, who never officially led a lap but kept the pressure on throughout the event.
“I didn’t know where to go on the restarts,” Davenport said. “I thought the top was a little better taking off because it gives you more momentum. This place is so wide – if you give up the bottom, you’re giving up a lot of real estate. I tried a couple of different things. Hudson got to me in lapped traffic and we slid each other two or three times. He gave me plenty of room. One time I pushed off turn two and almost got into him, but I was trying my best not to. I knew he was going to be one of the cars to beat.”
O’Neal, who rallied from eighth to finish second on Wednesday night, started fourth and moved into second by lap nine.
“There was no way I was going to pass him unless he hit the wall or caught lapped traffic in a bad spot,” O’Neal said. “It was very top-dominant, and it was hard to set up a slide job because there was such a strong run off the corner. We’re back on the podium again, so we can’t complain. We’re putting ourselves in good positions if something happens, and we were able to capitalize earlier in the week.”
Overton’s last-lap pass of Harris capped off a hard-fought battle in the closing circuits.
“I think our race car is fine – JD’s just out front doing his thing, and we’re all trying to match his time,” Overton said. “You know how this place is – you need some tires at the end of the race. Everybody’s driving as hard as they can. Every time I tried to get into a rhythm, somebody would slide me and bottle things up. I spent half the race battling back around cars in turns one and two. It was a frustrating race for me. Congrats to JD and Hudson.”
The winning Double L Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Ace Doran Hauling and Rigging, Nutrien Ag Solutions, ASC Warranty, Mark Martin Automotive, and Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas.
Completing the top ten were Ricky Thornton Jr., Dennis Erb Jr., Devin Moran, Dillon McCowan, and Mark Whitener.
In the 602 Late Model feature, Griffin Smith of Eatonton, Georgia led all 20 laps to secure the victory. Wyatt Coffey challenged Smith multiple times but settled for second. Phil Pittman finished third, followed by Caleb Gay and Ben Lanford.
The Crown Vics once again delivered an exciting feature, with the Collins family dominating the top three positions.
Jax Raceways Hall of Famer Johnny Collins led his sons, Chase and Brody, for four laps before Chase took over the lead in traffic. Chase Collins went on to capture his second Crown Vic feature win of 2026, finishing ahead of Johnny Collins, Brody Collins, Tommy Roach Sr., and Kevin Hildebrand.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Wieland Winter Nationals
Thursday, March 5, 2026
Golden Isles Speedway | Waynesville, GA
Wieland Winter Nationals Feature Finish (40 Laps):
Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings
1 – 1 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – $10,000
2 – 4 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $5,600
3 – 3 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $3,500
4 – 13 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $2,700
5 – 11 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $2,500
6 – 5 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $2,300
7 – 22 – 28 – Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – $2,200
8 – 18 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $2,100
9 – 12 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $2,050
10 – 7 – 5 – Mark Whitener – Middleburg, FL – $2,000
11 – 14 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $1,600
12 – 28 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – $700
13 – 2 – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – $1,200
14 – 8 – 14 – Trey Mills – St. Augustine, FL – $1,000
15 – 10 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $950
16 – 17 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $925
17 – 27 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $200
18 – 20 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $875
19 – 21 – 10 – Garrett Smith – Madison, GA – $850
20 – 24 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $825
21 – 23 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $800
22 – 6 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $800
23 – 15 – 16 – Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – $800
24 – 19 – 16B – Ross Bailes – Clover, SC – $800
25 – 25 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $100
26 – 9 – 88 – Trent Ivey – Union, SC – $800
27 – 16 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $900
28 – 26 – 79 – Donald McIntosh – Dawsonville, GA – $100
