Unprecedented Late Model Rivalry Sweeps Over Dirt Racing Scene as Golden Isles Controversy Births Flaring Tempers & Podium Elbows

The race was certainly a bumpy one at Golden Isles Speedway on Saturday evening with Late-Model rivals going at it, getting into each other’s faces and exchanging jabs to let their frustration be known. In the end, Ricky Thornton Jr picked off the win, edging out the seasoned veteran at Double L Motorsports in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series to bag $25,000 for his 29th career series win.

As expected, the ugly spat between the drivers continued even after the race with the drivers dropping major f-bombs and bad-mouthing each other till the bad blood kept boiling hot. It went on until veteran Jonathan Davenport let his fury be known with a sly elbow on the podium. In fact, the incident caught some attention as nobody from the community expected a clash between the mild-mannered drivers despite having had some history previously before Saturday’s meltdown.

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series- Bad blood spills on track as arch-rivals go at it again on Saturday 

Saturday night featured the conclusion of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, a three-day Late-Model Racing extravaganza that brought in some of the biggest names of the sport to Golden Isles Speedway. While it was Hudson O’Neal who finished the Thursday night feature of the event, it all came down to Saturday’s final 60 laps.

The catch here was the $25,000 cash prize that had the whole field bonkers and was getting super competitive. In an epic duel between the old guard, Jonathan Davenport, and Ricky Thornton Jr, the young racer prevailed. But the veteran Davenport did not side with the youngster’s bump and did not mince his words in the post-race interview, vividly expressing his distaste for Thornton Jr’s racing style.

Whereas RTJ. overpowered Chris Madden and midrace leader Jonathan Davenport to capture his first victory of the 2024 season a year after winning a Lucas Oil Series record 19 full-field features. Davenport was bumped off to the third spot while Madden got ahead of him in the second spot, with Thornton Jr capturing the title and taking home the $25,000 cash prize.

Fueled by rage and frustration, Davenport even nudged the young driver with a stiff elbow on the podium, issuing a message, not to get in his way ever again. On the flip side, looking at things from the younger driver’s perspective, he just gave back what he got and raced like there was no tomorrow, taking the “Rubbin is racing” philosophy to his heart.

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The post-race madness – Both drivers reveal their differences after an intense duel 

Now for the unversed, Saturday’s race wasn’t the first time the duo went at it, going toe to toe, bumping and banging each other. In fact, RTJ revealed that the finale was a long time in the making. Post the race, Thornton Jr said to FloRacing, “Had it been someone else, I probably would’ve lifted,” justifying his action that got Davenport from the lead position with just 12 laps remaining. “Had it been (Chris) Madden, I would’ve ran second and wouldn’t have even tried it. (Davenport’s) dirtied me a bunch last year. And I’m sure he feels the same way. I was going to take every inch he gave me. And I did.”

On the other hand, Davenport seemed like he was refraining from saying what was really on his mind. Instead, he said, “I’m going to try and be as professional as I can.” He further added, “We all knew what we had with the racetrack. If you get a run, pinch him off on the outside, (then) whatever. But blatantly going in there and taking somebody’s whole left side off, bad enough you fall back a couple positions, that’s a s— deal. It is what it is.”

Now, is this the initiation of a new rivalry? Not so likely, since the duo has had previous stints, but this time, after Saturday’s debacle, things are certain to escalate further.

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