“More of a show than a race,” dirt legend Jonathan Davenport ridicules Bristol Cup event
Jonathan Davenport drove the No. 13 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing with sponsorship from Nutrien Ag Solutions.
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Jonathan Davenport. Image via Raceweek Illustrated.
Jonathan Davenport is nicknamed “Superman” for his brilliant performance and success in Dirt Late Models. Davenport made his debut in the highest class of NASCAR, the Cup Series, at the Bristol Food City Dirt Race. And he had some interesting words to say about the event. The three-time Dirt Late Model champion ran a third car for Kaulig Racing at Bristol.
It was Davenport’s first time in a stock car, and it was arguably the heaviest car he had driven. It was also one of the longest races he participated in. He finished 36th out of 37 cars. Unfortunately, he was caught in an incident between Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece on lap 176. It was a bad day behind the wheel for Davenport.
Davenport spoke about his first Cup Race experience. He revealed that he enjoyed competing in Bristol. However, he compared the Cup Series to his experience in dirt racing. “It’s cool, it’s different, it’s a novelty, but this ain’t really true dirt racing. It’s just something different. I don’t know about this type of dirt racing, I classify this as more of a show than a race. These cars ain’t built to race on dirt”
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Jonathan Davenport does not think Cup Series cars are made for dirt surfaces
Though Jonathan Davenport classified the event as more of a show, he appreciated the drivers for missing him when he spun on lap 81. The field avoided running into him. “I can’t believe they missed me because I spun right in the middle of the pack, and it was dusty and dirty, and the sun was still out a little bit at that time, I think. Everybody was heads up thanks to their spotters and thanks to them for looking way out of their windshields and not right in front of the hood pins.”
Davenport’s Sunday did not go as he had hoped. He was running inside top-25 at one point. But he spun and lost track of positions. The Dirt Model legend could not have climbed higher than 19th, according to NASCAR’s Loop Data. He started 21st at the 250-lap race and finished 36th. It was NASCAR’s third dirt race at Bristol.
According to Davenport, it was not a true dirt race. He stated it was different, cool, and a novelty. Despite the criticism, Jonathan Davenport confessed he had a lot of fun and would want to try it again. He revealed that he was not expecting anything more after his run with Kaulig Racing. But he would come back to NASCAR when he has time.
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Sugantha Meena
(493 Articles Published)