Late Models Drooping, Return Of Mayfield, Reutimann(s)

1. Droop rule has late model competition going limp?

Somewhat muffled behind all the hype surrounding the Knoxville Nationals this past weekend was a crown jewel event for the super late model ranks as well, with the annual North/South 100 going off at the Florence Speedway in Kentucky. And again, it was Superman Jonathan Davenport cashing the big check, leading all 100 laps to score a $75,000 payday, adding to what will go down as an all-time record season for dirt racing winnings for the Georgian.

Blairsville, GA’s @TheFast49 stands with his Double L Motorsports crew after parking their @LonghornChassis in @lucasdirt victory lane to win his 2nd #NorthSouth100! pic.twitter.com/Mk9lfAhRT0

— Jack Cofer (@JackCofer94) August 14, 2022

The crowd at Florence was huge and the field of cars deep, but the problem remains that Davenport’s win marked the third 100-lap crown jewel race in the last month that has seen the race winner lead all 100 laps. Davenport also wired the USA Nationals feature at Cedar Lake two weekends ago, while Brandon Sheppard led all 100 laps of the Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury last month.

Speculation on the dominance being seen at the front of super late model races has focused in on the “droop rule,” the centerpiece of the sport’s unified rules package for 2022 that limits travel in the rear end of the car in an effort to prevent cars from lifting off the ground. 

In my opinion the droop rule has been horrible for Late Model racing. So much harder to pass than it was without the droop rule. Guys aren’t charging from the back like they used to https://t.co/o5gQ8mi4Js

— Live Dirt Updates (@LiveDirtUpdates) August 14, 2022

I’m not ready to ascribe that as the cause. Last year, the only major tour to utilize the droop rule was the World of Outlaws, and both Davenport and Mike Marlar, two of the top-three late model drivers in 2022, were not regulars on that tour. Translation, they’ve had to adjust to droop as a new rule this year, yet combined the two are top-five fixtures everywhere they go. It could very well be these guys just hit the package on the head for 2022.

Having said that, the powers that be that agreed to unified rules in 2022 as a means to reduce costs for late model drivers, allowing them to tour hop (a VERY welcome development) would do well to have their tech people thinking long and hard about what they’re seeing on track. Davenport, Marlar and Chris Madden are big names in the sport…